Jamie Lauren Lands New Gig at Beechwood in Venice

After some hint dropping, word comes today that ex-Absinthe chef and Top Chef alum Jamie Lauren will be taking over as executive chef at Beechwood restaurant in Venice, CA. According to Eater LA, Lauren "plans to make plenty of menu changes but still incorporate popular dishes from the past." And it sounds like the existing menu leans more towards trendy than the usual SF sustainable shtick; so it will be interesting to see what Lauren does here and if her exodus is anything like some of the others we've seen.

Back on the home front, Absinthe's publicist tells us owner Bill Russell-Shapiro is getting close to a final decision on the new chef for his Hayes Valley destination and things should be wrapped up "soon."

· Top Chef Alum Jamie Lauren Signs On To Cook At Beechwood [-ELA-]
· Nate Appleman's Left Coast Arugula Noodlings in New York [~ ESF ~]
· Eastern Migrations [~ ESF ~]