A New York Culinary Hotshot Is Moving into the Beast Kitchen

New York culinary vet Julian Calcott is the new chef de cuisine at Naomi Pomeroy’s institution Beast. The chef taking his place should pique the interest of longtime Beast fans: Calcott was a champion of whole animal butchery, working closely with gastropub legend April Bloomfield at the now-infamous New York restaurant The Spotted Pig. He also opened the celebrated, meat-heavy restaurant Cherry Point, which can be found in the Michelin Guide. It’s not his first Michelin experience, however: The chef also worked at Spain’s Kokotxa, which currently has one Michelin star.

Those who have been enjoying the lighter fare at the current Beast shouldn’t wince, however: While Pomeroy says the restaurant may dip back into the world of charcuterie, she says Beast’s current lighter fare — pastas, seafood — is integral to how the restaurant now works. “The way I work with all the chefs is collaborative. It’s a really dialogue-driven space, and that fits into menu development,” Pomeroy says. “Julian is excited about being produce-focused in his cooking... We’ll probably reintroduce that in-house charcuterie, which we haven’t done in a while, but the pasta stays.”

Calcott enters following the impending departure of former chef de cuisine and Ned Ludd alum Lucian Prellwitz. Portland Monthly broke the news that Prellwitz was leaving his post to head to incoming Northwest restaurant and event space Bar West.

• Beast [Official]
• All previous Beast coverage [EPDX]
• Portland’s Iconic Wildwood Restaurant Space to Become Bar West [PoMo]