Steven Caravelli, chef de cuisine at Hubert Keller’s Sleek in Lumière Place, has been hired to helm the kitchen at Araka in Clayton.
Araka owner Brad Beracha hinted at the change last week. An e-mail sent to Araka newsletter subscribers said, “We have great news about the Araka kitchen (opposed to the other news),” the parenthetical phrase a reference to former executive chef Marc Curran, who was charged in June with multiple counts of burglary and stealing from the restaurant.
Caravelli, who had staged at Araka before joining the team at Sleek, is excited about the opportunity. “It’s a beautiful restaurant and they have a great southern Mediterranean thing going with the food. I’m not going to jump in and change the menu, but I will bring some new ideas and I’ll bring in more of a level of detail back to the kitchen.”
“I am so excited that Steve will be joining us to lead our kitchen staff at Araka,” Beracha said. “We are planning many refreshing changes to the menu, which will include a significant shift to locally grown products from area farmers and introducing optional tasting menus, one being all vegetarian. You can look forward to more winemaker-attended wine dinners and increased participation in off-premise food and wine events. In other words, if you have always loved Araka, you are going to love it even more.”
Caravelli’s last day at Sleek is July 31, and he will assume his duties at Araka on August 9. One of his first tasks is to get ready for an August 12 four-course wine dinner with Bennett Lane Winery of Napa Valley. Caravelli is already at work finalizing the menu for the event.
And what does celeb chef Hubert Keller think about losing his rising star? “He’s excited for me,” responded Caravelli. “They understand; I’ve been at Sleek for two-plus years. He told me I did a good job for them and said he’s going to visit me there as soon as he comes into town.”
Have scoop on restaurants opening, closing or changing their menu in the St. Louis area? Email us at Scoop@saucemagazine.com.
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2010.