Exploratorium Brings On Loretta Keller For Pier 15 Move

On top of Charles Phan's new spot opening at Pier 3 (and all the changes at 8 Washington across the way), today comes news that The Exploratorium will be moving to The Embarcadero too. The kid-friendly science museum will wrap things up in the Palace of Fine Arts in January of next year in order to move to the new Pier 15 site, set to open the following spring. And they're bringing Loretta Keller along with them. A press release that went out this morning says that Keller will direct food service mogul Bon Appétit Management Company, a business that has 400 cafes in 32 states nationwide.

Keller, who still runs Coco 500 in SoMa, has experience with large scale food production from running the Academy Café and the Moss Room over at the California Academy of Sciences. She'll be sure to keep the menu sustainable, seasonal and local, while adding some "fun food carts" into the mix. Keller will oversee the food for the new museum and additional sidewalk and waterfront cafes on the west and east sides of the pier (see rendering above). Keller says she also plans to bring The Exploratorium's sense of play with perception and exploration into the food. Any guesses how that will play out?

· Charles Phan To Open Cocktail-Driven, Creole Restaurant at Pier 3 on The Embarcadero [~ ESF ~]