{From left, Matt Daughaday and Heather Stone}
Editor’s Note: This Scoop has been updated to include comments from Matt Daughaday. There’s a change in the top toque at Taste. Executive chef Matt Daughaday is leaving the cocktail bar and lounge at 4584 Laclede Ave., in the Central West End to open his own restaurant, as reported by Feast. Daughaday’s replacement is Heather Stone, who will step up from her current position as the restaurant’s sous chef.
While the news may come as a surprise to some, owner Gerard Craft and the team at Taste have had months to plan for the transition, which will officially occur Jan. 1.
“This has been a few month’s now that we’ve been working on the transition, so it’s not like a sudden departure,” said Craft, who added that he and Daughaday have been talking about his potential departure for the past year. “I said, ‘If there’s a time you want to go, tell me. I’ll help you in any way possible.’ He’s given a chunk of his life to the Craft team in multiple ways. We’re excited for him. I find it extremely exciting to have a young chef find his voice. That’s awesome. It doesn’t happen all the time.” Daughaday, a member of Sauce’s Ones to Watch class of 2013, has worked for the Craft family of restaurants for more than five years.
Daughaday said the transition to leave Taste is the first step toward opening his own restaurant in the course of a year. He is currently looking for a location, possible in the St. Louis Hills area, and considering concept options. If all goes according to plan, Daughaday said he could open doors as early as August 2015.
Daughaday said he learned valuable lessons under Craft’s guidance, including keeping both customers and employees happy. “Watching his growth and how he’s had to deal with a staff of maybe 20 people to over 100 … It’s a difficult thing, and I think he’s done a really good job with that,” he said. “It’s why I stayed with him for six-and-a-half years.”
Stone came aboard Taste two years ago, having previously worked at One Sixtyblue in Chicago. “I think Heather’s style fits into what we’re doing,” he said. “Heather is very farm-to-table and very ingredient-driven, so if nobody’s noticed a difference now, they won’t notice a difference then. Her food is phenomenal.” Craft said Stone created more than half of the dishes on the current Taste menu. “The team at Taste loves her,” Craft said. “She’s a great presence, a great leader. She brings a lot to the table, more so than just the food.”
Daughaday said he was more than confident in Stone’s ability to run Taste’s kitchen. “There’s no way I could have left taste unless I thought there was someone who could do a job equal to what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I definitely think she has that potential. In my eyes and Gerard’s, she’s more than capable of stepping up.”
-photo courtesy @chefh88 Instagram
This article appears in December 2014.