Juniper & Ivy Casting Nationwide Net for Next Chef

As Juniper & Ivy returns to pre-pandemic operational status, the Little Italy restaurant is heading into its seventh year by launching a country-wide search for a new executive chef. Its current captain, Anthony Wells, who has been with the restaurant since its founding, is being promoted to culinary director and will stay on for the next year to train the new hire. After that, Wells is reportedly looking to move on to a new project where he can do fine-dining in a more intimate setting, with Juniper & Ivy owner Mike Rosen as a potential partner.

In other news:

• Jeune et Jolie has resumed indoor operations in Carlsbad, offering a four-course menu to those dining inside or on their garden patio as well as a more casual a la carte menu for guests in the lounge and bar. Joining executive Eric Bost, formerly of Auburn in Los Angeles, is Jeremy Simpson, another LA-transplant who takes up bar director duties at both Jeune et Jolie and Campfire. An alum of Bar Caló in Echo Park, where he managed a major mezcal collection, Simpson also worked at Bestia when the acclaimed Italian restaurant was nominated for a “Tales of the Cocktail” Spirited Award for Best American Restaurant Bar. Among his new cocktails for Jeune et Jolie is the Petit Pois with vodka, English pea, mint, cucumber, salt, lime, and black pepper.
• Like so many hospitality groups across San Diego and beyond, SDCM (Waverly, The Grass Skirt, Vin de Syrah) is looking to hire. With both back and front of house positions available, the group will be holding a job fair at their Little Italy hotspot Kettner Exchange on Monday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to noon.
• A four-week dinner event kicking off Tuesday, May 11 will highlight an impressive roster of local chefs coming together support EmbraceRace, an organization that educates around issues of race and bias. Held at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Liberty Station, each dinner will feature a teams of four chefs; participants include Brad Wise (Trust), Jonathan Bautista (Kingfisher), Jason McLeod (CH Projects), Tara Luansing Monsod (Animae), and Jojo Ruiz (Serea).
• A.R. Valentien’s popular Signature Wine Dinner series is restarting at The Lodge at Torrey Pines on May 13 with a multi-course, outdoor wine dinner featuring Napa’s Darioush Winery. Helmed by executive Chef Jeff Jackson and chef de cuisine Kelli Crosson, the 2021 season will include dinners with other acclaimed wineries including Nickel & Nickel, Silver Oak, and Duckhorn.
• Local non profit Kitchens for Good, which offers culinary and hospitality training and works to fight food waste and hunger, is running its first-ever Kitchens for Good Preloved Pop-Up to raise funds for the organization. Held at the Salvation Army’s El Cajon campus from May 27 through May 30, it will feature gourmet food samples from their kitchen apprentices and a sale of pre-loved kitchenware and home goods. Kitchens for Good is also currently accepting donated items for the pop-up shop.