For a while now, Bootleggers Modern American Steakhouse has been a ship without a captain -- or at least, an official one. Several months ago, executive chef James Fox and the restaurant quietly parted ways.
Now owner Rick Phillips is ready to announce the restaurant's new culinary lead. And good news, it's a name local food lovers are likely to know: Stephen Jones. Jones left his gig as executive chef of Blue Hound Kitchen at the Hotel Palomar in downtown Phoenix in August; he'd been at that restaurant since it opened in 2012.
See also: Stephen Jones Leaves Blue Hound Kitchen at Hotel Palomar in Downtown Phoenix
Jones started his kitchen career at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, Calif., before moving to Arizona and landing a job as chef de cuisine under chef Mark Tarbell. From there, Jones went on to work as executive chef at at Latilla at the Boulders Resort before joining the Blue Hound team.
Jones be will responsible for overseeing both Bootleggers kitchens (in North Phoenix and Old Town Scottsdale). He'll also take charge of menu development, and the restaurant's catering division.
"My roots are in Southern cooking, and I am excited to have a more casual outlet for it," Jones says. "I have been a fan of Bootleggers from the start and have watched them grow into a great casual dining and food experience, I am excited to mix up some of my fine-dining background with a BBQ backbone."
Editor's Note: This post has been updated.
