Former Underbelly Chef Joins Blind Lady Ale House Team

Stephen Gage, the talented young chef who moved from La Valencia to Blush Ice Bar and then joined CH Projects' North Park outpost of Underbelly a little less than a year ago, has just taken up a new position at the popular Normal Heights craft beer tavern, Blind Lady Ale House.

Co-owner Clea Hantman says Gage will work as executive sous chef under executive chef Norbert Moniz (who oversees both Blind Lady and Tiger! Tiger!). She added that the team is extremely excited about Stephen coming on board as it was evident from the moment they sat down with him that his core principles regarding cooking — most importantly his ingredient-driven style — were in line with their own.

"We are really looking forward to having this very solid chef team across all our restaurants who will work together on multiple events a year, including of course Norbert and Stephen but also executive chef Sharon Wilson (of Panama 66) and Charcuterie and Baking Commissary Head Honcho, chef Tim Fuller."

When reached for comment, Gage said, "BLAH has become a San Diego staple and I couldn't be more thrilled to begin my new post here. Exciting things are on the horizon!"