Rising Chef Stars & More Kitchen News

Re-upping the Quality (Social)

There’s been a housecleaning, folks. Quality Social, which has been closed for past few days, will relaunch Friday and reveal new faces! New drinks! It’s a new evening in the Gaslamp! Quality’s owners completely overhauled their staff: Blind Tiger Cocktail Co.’s Dustin Haarstad revamped the hard drinks. Jason Wagner sounds more than capable of handling Quality’s new wine selection - he was the wine director at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

The food handlers? Quality Social still has its nationally recognized executive chef/owner Jared “Sausage King of Chicago” Van Camp (pictured). He’s in Chicago a lot. He’ll have a new chef de cuisine, Dustin Beckner, making grilled Angus steak frites and wild mahi mahi here. Beckner cooked at Alex, that now-shuttered Michelin-starred restaurant in Vegas.

Chef-spotting along the 5

George’s at the Cove chef Trey Foshee will be driving north on the 5 to cook at celeb-chef charity series. He’s featured at Joe’s Restaurant in Venice Beach this February. Fellow La Jolla chef Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten Restaurant; “Iron Chef America”) will drive up, cook alongside his friend Foshee. The $95, multi-course meal celebrates Joe’s anniversary, benefits the ECOLIFE Foundation. (310) 399-5811.

Rising stars: Van Camp and Carballo

Back to Quality Social, which turns 2 in March: Jared Van Camp was named a 2011 Rising Star Chef for both his “restaurant-cum-sports bar Old Town Social in Chicago, and his luxury dive bar Quality Social in San Diego.”

Not to be outdone, trade mag Restaurant Hospitality just named Van Camp one of America’s rising culinary stars, too. Read their 12 to Watch in 2012 piece here. It also highlights our Alex Carballo.

The executive chef of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens made the list for his beer-friendly menus, his same-day harvested Fresh! Dinner Series, and for making Stone Brewing the largest restaurant purchaser of local, organic produce in San Diego County. You go, Carballo.

Jangled up January

This chef’s update reminds me of musical chairs. Paul Niles (formerly of Thee Bungalow) was originally named the chef de cuisine for Gabardine. (Garbardine is Brian Malarkey’s upcoming seafood spot in Point Loma. Keep up.) But the music stopped! And Chad White got Niles’ seat.

On Jan. 11 White announced he was leaving Sea Rocket Bistro to chef it up at Gabardine.

The new news: Those Sea Rocket stoves, that local-fisherman-friendly menu, that quirky-comfy dining room all will be in the care of new executive chef Tommy Fraioli.

Read the full story and more on utsandiego.com

Source: DiscoverSD