Chris Newsome

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Chris Newsome

Chris Newsome (born c. 1972 in Alabama) is a chef known for his knowledge and skill with traditional Southern cuisine.

Newsome began his restaurant training under Frank Stitt at Bottega Restaurant and later at Highlands Bar & Grill. He also worked for Chris Hastings at Hot & Hot Fish Club before moving to Charleston, South Carolina in 1995.

Newsome worked at Charleston's Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.) restaurant while studying at Johnson & Wales University. As sous chef under Frank Lee he developed menus featuring Carolina low-country ingredients and cooking traditions.

In 2001 Newsome moved to Washington D. C. and became "Chef de Cuisine" for Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern. In 2009 he participated in a highly-publicized competition for the job of executive chef at Andy Shallal's new "Eatonville" restaurant. The restaurant, which was planned to target middle-aged African-American women, was designed as a tribute to the life and literature of Zora Neale Hurston who was born in Eatonville, Florida.

Though he was initially named the winner of the contest, Newsome was fired before the restaurant opened due to philosophical differences with the Iraqi-born owner over the type of food to be featured on the menu. Rusty Holman, runner-up in the contest, was hired for the position.

Newsome recently worked at the Delfina Pizzeria and Spruce in San Francisco, California and at Hominy Grill and FIG back in Charleston. He helped Kinkead launch Hellpoint Seafood in Annapolis, Maryland in 2010 before returning to Birmingham.

In 2011 he and his wife, Anna Lakovitch opened Ollie Irene, a gastropub, in the Mountain Brook Shopping Center.

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