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Former Chef at Chow and Fog City Diner to Help Open Tupelo in North Beach

Van Morrisson's 'Tupelo Honey' is one of the inspirations for the name.
Van Morrisson’s ‘Tupelo Honey’ is one of the inspirations for the name.

Tupelo, yet another new Southern-themed restaurant and entertainment venue, is wending its way through city bureaucracy and may be opening shortly. Over the summer, Grub Street broke word that Mojito (1337 Grant Street) was headed for closure and in its place would be Tupelo, owned by Ted Mattson and Tom Peters, and managed by Teague Kernan, a longtime bartender and founding member of local blues band, Shantytown. Today Grub Street learns that the executive chef for the project will be Mark Danziger, a former sous chef at Fog City Diner, who’s also worked at Chow, One Market, and Aqua. Danziger now has a catering company of his own, and he specializes in Southern cuisine.

The name Tupelo is meant to evoke musical associations (think the birthplace of Elvis, Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey”), and as such the venue will be both a food and entertainment venue with a “down-home” vibe. They’ve hired re:design SF to do the redesign, and they plan to be more centrally focused on food service than their predecessor, Mojito — which closed in mid-September and which was primarily a dance bar and nightclub. But they’re also planning things like a pub quiz night on Wednesdays, and a weekend brunch with live music. The opening date is still TBA and likely a month or so out, though the liquor license is now good.

But yeah, what were we saying about Southern being a big trend right now?

Earlier: Swell Shutters, Mojito on the Way Out, a Food Truck Fest Blooms in San Mateo, and More

Former Chef at Chow and Fog City Diner to Help Open Tupelo in North Beach