Chef Shuffles

Updated: Kim Alter, Whole Kitchen Staff Part Ways With Plate Shop

Photo: Courtesy of Kim Alter

Say it ain’t so! Chef Kim Alter, whose food we’ve been admitted fans of, is no longer at three-month-old Plate Shop in Sausalito. We’re still trying to reach Kim to get a better understanding of what went down, but the Scoop reports the news simply, and notes that Alter was not a partner in the business. [Scoop]

Update:
Tablehopper gets word that in fact the entire back-of-house staff quit the restaurant en masse on Sunday night in a gesture of solidarity against, apparently, management and front-of-house staff who clearly didn’t share the kitchen’s vision. We’re also pointed to this blog post (since removed, but cached) by one of the line cooks which talks about some fights over maximizing profit, a gap in “integrity” between front- and back-of-house, and a kitchen with little or no ventilation that was often at 115 degrees. So, this means the talented Alter is back on the job market — you’ll recall this was Alter’s first executive chef gig — and the food at Plate Shop might suffer for a bit until they rehire staff, and likely will be nothing like what it’s been. [Tablehopper]
Update 2: The restaurant is closed tonight, Tuesday, and will be closed on future Tuesdays as well. We are also hearing that not all the kitchen staff left. More to come.

Update 3: Steve Matkovich, who has been serving as Alter’s meat cook, will be taking over the kitchen, either temporarily or permanently, and changing the whole menu. [Grub Street]

Updated: Kim Alter, Whole Kitchen Staff Part Ways With Plate Shop