Perhaps we in St. Louis are a bit quirky when it comes to our obsession with exec chefs. We refer to them in conversation by their first names. We make a fuss over changes at the top spot, wanting to know exactly what the new guy or girl is all about and whether our fave dishes will be axed from the menu.
In the case of Terrene, however, the pending transition of the exec chef job is “no drama,” owner John McElwain told The Scoop. Terrene’s current executive chef, Brian Hardesty, will be leaving the fine dining restaurant after this month to devote himself full-time to his new food truck business, Guerilla Street Food. Helming Terrene’s kitchen will be Michael Warhover, who has worked as sous chef at the Central West End restaurant for more than two years.
McElwain expects a seamless transition. “Chef Michael Warhover has taken the reigns as executive chef at Terrene Restaurant,” he said. “Hardesty continues on in an advisory capacity to ensure the transition, which has gone seamlessly, as the two chefs have worked side by side for the last two years at Terrene.”
McElwain also noted that “Michael was hired by Brian; he started the day that Brian started. Their styles are so similar and no one is going to notice who has come and gone. It’s never really been a big deal … The cool thing about my restaurant is that we’ve always been consistent no matter who the one making the food is.”
This article appears in March 2011.