Grill Concepts, Inc. appointed restaurant industry veteran Jeff Sladicka as its new Director of Culinary. Bringing more than 25 years of experience—most recently as executive chef and partner of the acclaimed Los Angeles-based Spark Restaurants—to his new role, Sladicka oversees culinary operations and menu development for all four GCI concepts across the country: The Grill on the Alley, Daily Grill, Public School On Tap, and The Point Restaurants, which includes rising seafood stars Laurel Point and Wewatta Point.
Sladicka, who is widely known for developing innovative, seasonal and cost-efficient menus, has already begun tweaking the menus of Grill Concepts restaurants, starting with PS On Tap. Drawing on his extensive experience as executive chef and partner at celebrated California restaurants Barrel & Ashes, Spark Woodfire Grill and Red Fish Grill and previously as corporate executive chef of Louise’s Trattoria, Sladicka is doing what he does best: adjusting flavors, standardizing recipes for made-from-scratch sauces, dressings and soups, and bringing more seasonality to the menu at the gastropub chain—a 2017 Nation’s Restaurant News Hot Concepts’ winner. He’ll next begin making changes across Grill Concepts properties, tapping into his longstanding relationships with farmers, ranchers and other suppliers to overhaul menus, reduce costs and streamline restaurant operations.
From features in Bon Appetit and the L.A. Times and cooking at The James Beard House, to serving as a chef for the Academy Awards’ Governors Ball, Sladicka has racked up numerous accolades during his storied, decades-long career. His first endeavor as partner was at The Pasta Experience, where he also served as executive chef, then transitioned to corporate executive chef at Louise’s Trattoria, where he began his education in the proper sourcing of olive oil and tomatoes, spending extensive time in Italy learning the process. Following, he went on to cook and collaborate with high-profile international chefs such as two-star Michelin Chef Gianfranco Vissani, Gino Angelini of Angelini Osteria and many more.
Grill Concepts has also appointed Dana Dare as Corporate Executive Chef overseeing Grill Concepts’ The Grill on the Alley and The Point Restaurants. Chef Dare has held top-level positions at high-profile properties such as the iconic Lawry’s The Prime Rib Restaurant, Capital Grille, The House of Blues and Foundation Room, Louise’s Trattoria, King’s Fish House and McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant. More recently, in 2016, he partnered with his brother to open East Coast artisan butcher shop Hops & Chops.
Grill Concepts Inc. operates a collection of leading restaurant brands with locations nationwide. The two best known members of the GCI family are The Grill on the Alley, with locations in Aventura, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Hollywood, San Jose and Westlake Village; and Daily Grill, with locations in Northern and Southern California, Portland, Seattle, Tulsa, Houston, and the Washington D.C. area. Public School On Tap is a chef-driven gastropub exclusively serving craft beer and delivering “An Education in the Art of Food & Beer” at locations in California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Georgia. GCI’s newest brand, The Point Restaurants includes sophisticated yet approachable seafood concepts Laurel Point in Studio City, Calif., and Wewatta Point in Denver, Colo. which blend locally sourced, sustainable and organic ingredients with regional flavors, and offer an extensive selection of seasonal cocktails, craft beer, wine and sake.
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