Richard Blais is All-In for San Diego; Chef Splits With Atlanta Restaurant

When he relocated to San Diego to open Juniper & Ivy, Top Chef darling Richard Blais pledged to be in the Little Italy restaurant as much as possible, while managing a very full plate that included various TV gigs, a burger concept, and an executive chef post at The Spence in Atlanta, which was first opened by Concentrics Restaurants in 2012.

Our friends at Eater Atlanta reported yesterday that Blais will no longer be tied to the The Spence; Wesley True, a twice-nominated semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South has been named the restaurant's new executive chef.

A rep for Blais says it was a friendly parting of ways and may chef continue to work with Concentrics Restaurants on future projects. Though Juniper & Ivy was a joint venture between the hospitality group, Blais and Michael Rosen of the San Diego-based Juniper Hospitality, our source tells us that Concentrics will not be involved in the new restaurant that Blais and Rosen are working on in Little Italy.