Chefs on the move: August 2018

Andre Blasczak will join the New York Marriott Downtown as executive chef on Sept. 1.

A native of southern Brazil, Blaczak cooked in the Brazilian air force before joining Marriott at the Renaissance Hotel in São Paolo, Brazil. He arrived in the United States in 2003 and is currently executive chef of the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill.

Victor Casanova, who for the past six years was chef and owner of Gusto in Los Angeles, is the new chef de cuisine at The Loft at Montage Laguna Beach in Laguna Beach, Calif. Before Gusto he was executive chef of Culina Modern Italian at the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Josiah Citrin, chef and owner of culinary landmark Melisse in Santa Monica, Calif., is taking over the food & beverage operations at the Line LA hotel and will be opening two restaurants there this fall — one next to the pool deck in the former Commissary space that will offer seasonally inspired food, and another in the hotel lobby that will offer drinks and snacks.

Doug Elliott has been promoted to executive chef from sous chef of The Table in Flower Mound, Texas, replacing James Taylor, who was there for about a year. Elliott joined the restaurant in 2016 under then-chef Ray Skradzinski.

Karl Gorline is the new chef de cuisine at Watershed on Peachtree in Atlanta, where he is working under executive chef and owner Matt Marcus. He was previously in Jackson, Miss., where he worked at Bravo! Italian Restaurant & Bar and Brent’s.

Chris Jakubiec has been named executive chef of Range at the Renaissance Denver Downtown Hotel. Most recently he was executive chef of Carbon Café & Bar, and before that he was executive chef at Fire at the Art Hotel, both in Denver.

Scott Jensen, chef of The Gallows in Boston, is also now running the kitchen at sister restaurant Banyan Bar & Refuge, where he is focusing on Chinese and Southeast Asian dishes.

Brian Kiepler is executive chef at Tangata, a restaurant at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Calif., operated by Patina Restaurant Group. Most recently he split his time as executive chef of two Patina properties — Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, both in Los Angeles.

Brittany Vales is executive chef of Oak Grill and Aqua Lounge in Newport Beach, Calif. A native of nearby Huntington Beach, Calif., Vales has spent the past seven years in West Hollywood, Calif., as chef de cuisine of the now-closed Michael Voltaggio restaurant ink.well.