There’s been a chef change at Eleven Eleven Mississippi. Carl Hazel is no longer at the helm of the Tuscan-inspired restaurant in Lafayette Square. Now running the kitchen is Wade Waller.
Waller re-joins Eleven Eleven, having worked there for a short stint last year as a sous chef. He then spent a few months at sister restaurant Vin de Set before moving across the river to the kitchen at Cleveland-Heath in Edwardsville, Ill., as reported by Evan Benn of the Post-Dispatch.
The change in top toque should not be a rocky transition at the restaurant, noted co-owner Paul Hamilton, particularly since Waller has the assistance of Bob Colosimo, the restaurant’s current GM and former exec chef. Colosimo has worked at Eleven Eleven for the last six years and is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Since the spring menu debuted before the chef change, Hamilton stated that Waller will have an opportunity to put “his own stamp” on the menu when it switches again in mid-summer.
Hazel’s departure was mutually agreeable, confirmed both Hazel and Hamilton. When Hazel was hired for the position a year ago, both parties committed to a one-year tenure for Hazel, agreeing to revisit the subject 12 months later. “Going from The Scottish Arms – gastro pubby, nose-to-tail, all local – to a restaurant that scale was a big switch,” explained Hazel. “From their perspective as well … it was a risk for both of us.”
Hamilton agreed, calling Eleven Eleven Mississipi a “big operation.” “We gave it a year, he said. “Carl is more suited for a more intimate type of setting. That’s where his expertise lies.”
As for Hazel’s future: “I’m going to be doing a bit of consulting work for the next few months while I’m getting ready to do things on my own.” His goal: to open a restaurant of his own, “a small, organic bistro” located within St. Louis city. “It’s in the beginning states of the business plan,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been sort of working on for awhile. Now I’ll have the time to work on it.”
This article appears in April 2013.