Chef Josh Charles will step into the kitchen at Winslow’s Home

A popular area chef is returning to the restaurant realm. Josh Charles took over as executive chef at Winslow’s Home, effective Tuesday, April 3, just a day before the popular University City eatery celebrated its 10th birthday.

Charles is a Sauce One to Watch who has worked around town in such kitchens as Elaia, Olio and Element. He left the restaurant life last year after a brief stint as executive chef at Blood & Sand to work on his own brand and to focus on his family life.

Charles said with most of Winslow’s business centered around breakfast and lunch service, its pace and hours helped lure him back to the commercial kitchen. “It’s also a concept that I’ve always been in love with, and it’s casual,” he said. “I didn’t want to go back to anything close to fine dining. And then to tie it all together, the fact that we have our own farm is incredible.”

Starting next week, Charles will make some updates to Winslow’s breakfast, brunch and lunch menus, adding dishes like a mixed-berry toast topped with chia seed jelly, melted brie and local honey. Look for new dinner menu “that will be completely mine” to roll out the following week.

Charles will also bolster Winslow’s grab-and go offerings with boxed lunches and pantry staples like vinaigrettes and pickles, he said, “all the fun things that makes dinner interesting that a lot of people don’t have the time or knowledge to make.”

As far as his solo endeavors, Charles said his work as a private chef is on hiatus, along with his consulting with Metabolic Meals meal prep and delivery service. He still plans to teach some meal prep classes, which may take place at Winslow’s Home, and he’ll still do some private dinners.

“All of the catering I’m doing will be switched to the restaurant now,” he said.

Matt Sorrell is staff writer at Sauce Magazine.