Well this is a little surprising: Just three months in, chef de cuisine Michael Gaines has left the employ of Central Kitchen. Executive chef Thomas McNaughton tells Eater that this was always part of the plan and “now we’re helping him get his own project off the ground.” But the timing seems a little funny given the decent but less-than-stellar review from Bauer that just dropped last weekend (in which Gaines isn’t even mentioned). No new chef hires are being discussed, so it sounds like McNaughton will remain very hands-on at the new restaurant, while Flour + Water chef de cuisine Ryan Pollnow holds down the fort over there. Gaines, a Manresa alum, seems destined for great things, but it may be a minute before we know what his next steps will be. [Eater]
