Next's only executive chef since opening, Dave Beran, is heading to LA to open his own restaurant, the Chicago Tribune reported. His last day will be Sunday and he'll be succeeded by Jenner Tomaska, the current chef de cuisine at Next.
Beran has been working in the Chicago restaurant industry since 2003 and with the Alinea group for the past ten years. In a statement to the Tribune Beran said that he's been thinking about his new restaurant for two years, but offered no details about what it will be like. One thing is for certain: he's taking the restaurant to LA—with two different downtown properties in mind.
Under Beran's leadership, Next's menus have encompassed Chicago steakhouse fare, vegan cuisine and modern Chinese cooking, each one vastly different than what came before. We'll miss Beran's menus at Next—LA, you just got a hell of a chef.