Tyler Florence Nabs Fox as Creative Director

With next's month's arrival of Rotisserie and Wine in Napa and the long-awaited revival of El Paseo here in Mill Valley, Tyler Florence continues to expand his tasty empire. Now he's got much-acclaimed former Ubuntu chef Jeremy Fox alongside him.

The Florence Group, the umbrella company that manages all things Tyler Florence, confirmed that Fox joined the company as creative director. Fox, who earned his haute veggie reputation at Ubuntu in Napa, most recently worked with Daniel Patterson of Coi to open Plum in Oakland, but left that gig before Plum opened and did not have a role in the development of its menu. 

Fox will design the menu for Florence's Rotisserie and Wine in Napa, as well as that of El Paseo, Florence's joint venture with fellow local resident Sammy Hagar. Florence previously announced a California steakhouse theme for El Paseo and we can surmise that the Rotisserie gig includes lots of spit-roasted and grilled meats. How will a chef who built his name on sophisticated veggies put his unique stamp on the El Paseo menu? 

Named one of Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chefs of 2008, Fox is no stranger to the animal side of a menu. He developed his chops under mentor David Kinch at Manresa in Los Gatos. On the way up the ladder at Manresa, Fox manned the meat station and focused on charcuterie and other ways to use the entire animal. 

For Mill Valley residents, where the mantra of organic, local, sustainable is a standard under-pinning to cuisine, a menu from a chef who cooks vegetables like meat could be the flavorful key to success. Another theory: Florence needs another star in the local sky to make El Paseo more of a destination restaurant and attract a wider audience.

Both Florence and Fox attended the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina. El Paseo is currently slated to open in November.