W. Hunter DiLeo is no longer the executive chef at The Scottish Arms. Last Thursday was DiLeo’s final day at the restaurant where he was hired in November for the top kitchen spot. DiLeo stated that he is pursuing different interests and expects to take a position at another area restaurant.
Returning to the Central West End restaurant is a face already familiar with The Scottish Arms: Carl Hazel (pictured). Hazel helmed that kitchen until leaving for Eleven Eleven Mississippi in March of last year. Earlier this month, The Scoop reported that Hazel’s tenure at the Tuscan-inspired restaurant in Lafayette Square had come to an end. His plans, he stated then, were to be a consultant chef erstwhile developing a business plan to open his own restaurant.
According to Hazel, his return to The Scottish Arms is “temporary – on a kind of a consulting basis. [Owner Ally Nisbet] is bringing me back in to streamline a bit, get the farm-to-table program back up and running. He has a great crew in the kitchen right now,” said Hazel, calling the staff “pretty talented” and “on fire for food.” “My responsibility is administrative, instructional – showing these guys, getting them fired up about the local farm-to-table stuff, getting that program implemented back into the menu.”
Hazel was back in the Arms’ kitchen this past Saturday and stated that he expects to be there for at least the next three months. “In three months, we’ll revisit that, to see where Ally’s at – and me with my business plan. It might be a permanent or semi-permanent thing. We’ll take it slow.”
The Scoop has been unable to reach Scottish Arms owner Ally Nisbet for comment regarding the changes.
Update 4.29.13: In a statement issued today, The Scottish Arms owner Ally Nisbet stated that the departure of chef W. Hunter DiLeo was “mutually agreed upon” between the two parties. Nisbet also confirmed that Hazel will be working at The Arms as a consultant. “I have a huge amount of respect for Carl. We worked together establishing our farm-to-table concept years ago, and he has a huge amount of respect from the team here and, of course, our guests. He brings with him a wonderful passion for food and he will be a great inspiration to an already very talented team in the kitchen.” Nisbet noted that Hazel has already begun to finalize dishes for the spring menu that will debut at the restaurant next week.
— photo by Carmen Troesser
This article appears in April 2013.