Former Alinea Chef Joins Downtown Restaurant Swift’s Attic

Downtown Austin restaurant Swift’s Attic added a new executive chef to its team with Rene De Leon. He most notably spent some time at Chicago three-Michelin-starred restaurant Alinea, where he worked as a chef de partie, serve, service runner, and expediter.

As the new executive chef, De Leon already implemented new dishes to Swift’s Attic’s menus, including a version of fish and chips with hamachi tartare and black sesame tuile, pozole verde with mussels and hominy.

Other Chicago restaurants under De Leon’s resume include Moto, the opening of Alinea chef/co-owner Grant Achatz other upscale restaurant Next, and Michelin Bib Gourmand gastropub Hopleaf. Just before joining the Swift’s Team, he was the corporate executive chef of the Mina Group, where he worked on the food for Four Seasons Dubai International Financial Centre and Stripsteak in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also spent some time in Boston, working at upscale restaurants the now-shuttered French spot Salts and Lumiere, as well as Cincinnati’s also-closed fine dining restaurant Pigall’s.

Other previous Swift’s Attic executive chefs include Andy Philips, Matthew Taylor, Zack Northcutt, and founding chef Mat Clouser.

Swift’s Attic is part of hospitality company Chameleon Companies, which also oversees downtown Chinese restaurant Wu Chow. The group is also opening a new seafood restaurant in Rosedale, Guild, which debuts this week.

• All Coverage of Swift’s Attic [EATX]