EaterWire AM Edition: Joel Huff Out at Silks

FINANCIAL DISTRICT—The Mandarin Oriental and its restaurant Silks have confirmed that their young star chef, Joel Huff, officially left as of last week. 7x7's blog has the scoopage:

So, friends, this just in: Joel Huff has left the building. And by building I mean, of course, the kitchen of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where he has been executive chef since 2005. We profiled him in our Hot 20 Under 40 in October 2006, the same year that Esquire's John Mariani named him "Chef to Watch."

Elsewhere in the accolades category, Bauer gave Huff and his "mesmerizing talent" a hefty 3.5 stars right off the bat back in '06, so his departure—and subsequent arrival in a new kitchen—should make for some interesting industry shockwaves. No word yet on where Huff is headed—the tipline awaits, eagerly—or his eventual replacement at Silks, but expect the other shoe to drop on this shuffle very soon. [Bits + Bites]

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