Chad White Announces Move; He'll Swap San Diego For Spokane

Over the weekend, Chad White made an announcement on his Facebook page that came as a surprise to a good portion of the local food world. The chef, who has been in the news for his upcoming appearance as a cast member on 'Top Chef', revealed that he will be leaving San Diego and moving back to his hometown of Spokane, Washington, where he intends to open a restaurant.

In a letter to San Diego, White wrote,

This may or may not come as a shock to you but my time in San Diego has come to an end. I want to thank each and every one of you who has supported me over the last decade, The Chefs, Restaurant Owners, Vendors, "Foodies, Friends and Family.

San Diego gave me a culinary career and all of you played a huge part in my success. Some of you pushed me to become better, not just as a chef, but also as a mentor, father, friend, and a member of the community.

I truly enjoyed the career I’ve had here in San Diego first starting in the U.S Navy in 2002, Then Hotel Del Coronado, Hilton Hotels, Roseville, Sea Rocket Bistro, Gabardine, Counterpoint, Plan-Cha Pop Up’s, Craft Pizza Company, La Justina, and Común.

On December 5th I will be making the journey back to my hometown, Spokane Washington. I’m very excited about this next chapter of my life and what the future holds for my family and I.

I look forward to cooking, hunting, fishing, exploring the inland northwest and enjoying time with my family and close friends.I will be opening a small restaurant focusing on utilizing ingredients native to the inland northwest pair my borderless creativity and style.

The restaurant will be small as I plan to get back the roots of cooking and celebrating my love for food and the craft.

Please continue to support my restaurants here in San Diego, as I will be making frequent trips to maintain quality and keep up with the trends.

For more information on my new beginnings please follow me via social media, as well as watch and cheer me on during this season of Top Chef airing on December 2nd and Dec 3rd on Bravo TV.

San Diego and Tijuana you will always have a warm place in my heart as well as be my 2nd home. I look forward to my frequent visits. Once again thank you for your never ending support through out my successes and failures.

Eater has also learned that Comun will shutter immediately. White opened the eatery last summer in the East Village, where the neighboring Table No. 10 and TOAST have also closed in recent months.

He's already looking for a 40 to 50 seat space in Spokane for a hands-on, chef-driven restaurant whose menu will incorporate ingredients native to the Northwest, from seafood to wild game and produce, executed with his signature style and flavors; most of the dishes will be cooked over a wood fire. It already has a name, Native Post & Provisions, and White says his goal is to be open by Spring 2016.

His official going away party will be on December 3, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Carnitas' Snack Shack in North Park. It falls on the second of the two-night 'Top Chef' premiere and there's a TV screen on the patio, where White will be cooking and serving dishes off the grill.