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Just two months after chef Bruce Hill shut down his downtown pizza restaurant Zero Zero, the chef announced plans to leave long-running restaurant Bix after 20 years. Tablehopper broke the news of Hill’s departure and shares a detailed history of his time at the Jackson Square restaurant, where he also happened to create the popular Chef’s Press that’s used for weighing down and grilling burgers and sold in retail shops.
It’s not the end for Bix, which is now run under chef Anthony Tadeo who became executive chef at Bix in late 2021, Tablehopper reports. As for Hill, he’s looking to teach cooking classes, do some consulting, and work on new developments with the Chef’s Press. And there’s one last hurrah for Hill’s time at Bix: He’ll be returning to the Bix kitchen for a farewell party on Tuesday, February 7, and cooking dishes from his time at the restaurant.
More Original Joe’s in the works, just littler
Original Joe’s is expanding in big ways. Beyond the news that the restaurant is opening an outpost in Walnut Creek in 2024, owners and siblings John and Elena Duggan are opening a smaller version of the restaurant in the Marina in summer 2023, the San Francisco Standard reports. Dubbed Little Original Joe’s, the outpost will be located at 2301 Chestnut Streeet and serve pasta, sandwiches, and rotisserie chicken, and comes with a full-service restaurant, the Standard reports. It’s the second outpost of the Little Original Joe’s spinoff, which opened its first location in West Portal in 2020.
Albany taco spot expands to Sacramento
Chef Lito Saldana is also expanding his restaurant empire, this time to the state’s capital. Saldana owns the Albany-based 5 Tacos & Beers and the Sacramento Business Journal reports he’s set to open a new location of the business at 1627 16th Street. Two other outposts of the burgeoning chain are also in the works, in Berkeley and Walnut Creek.
The Ferry Building gets juicy
The Ferry Building welcomed Peaches Patties just two weeks ago, and now the historic building is bringing another new business into its fold with the opening of Juice House Co. Serving cold-pressed juice, kombucha, nut milk, and cold brew coffee, this is the fifth location of the East Bay-based juice shop, which has locations in Benicia, Petaluma, Napa, and Emeryville.
