E.J. Hodgkinson Is IN as Executive Chef at King + Duke

Chef E.J. Hodgkinson will take over the kitchen at King + Duke on November 17, reports Atlanta Magazine. Hodgkinson is jumping to one Ford Fry restaurant from another, leaving JCT. Kitchen & Bar to replace Joe Schafer, who left King + Duke in early September.

Hodgkinson will eventually release a new, lighter menu, he told Atlanta Mag:

"Having grown up in Northern California, where produce is abundant and sustainable farming follows strict practices, my appreciation and respect for seasonally appropriate fare is tremendous," Hodgkinson says. "I focus on sourcing the best possible ingredients so my simple, woodfire cooking approach can speak for itself. Too often, beautiful ingredients are manipulated so much that they lose what makes them special, so I would rather highlight the true qualities of the ingredients themselves. I think that is what will set King+Duke apart from the rest."

JCT. Kitchen sous chef Brian Horn will move up into the executive chef role at Fry's Westside restaurant.

Shafer left King + Duke for "personal reasons," and he is now executive chef at Anne Quatrano's Abbatoir, filling the vacancy left by Hector Santiago. Santiago is working on upcoming ventures of his own, including a concept at Ponce City Market.