After leaving the critically-acclaimed Town House in Chilhowie, VA, chef John Shields moved to Philly sorta-suburb West Chester to be with family. Rumors started swirling that Shields was choosing between Philly and D.C. to open his own project, and today some Twitter news seems to lean towards Shields planting himself here.
Today, Christine Muhlke (editor at Bon Appétit) tweeted that Shields has chosen Philly to work on his new concept. John Shields retweeted the comment himself, which adds a little more weight to the story. This is great news for Philly if it's true, as Shields is one of the best young talents in the industry.
Eater Philly chatted up Shields on numerous occasions since he's been in town, and he had said he was meeting up with Philly chefs (Kevin Sbraga was on that list) and eating at Philly restaurants to see if he could fit in with the local landscape. Shields ate at some of Philly's best, including Zahav and Ela.
UPDATE: John Shields has confirmed that they are in the process of opening restaurant in Philly, and has been looking at spaces, along with his wife Karen, who is the pastry chef of the operation. Shields said that the timeline is to open in the next year after building out the space.
"We're looking to bring the same style of food we were doing in Town House to Philly," Shields told Eater. "We fell in love with the city in a short amount of time. Everyone has been supportive, and we had a great tour guide that showed us the best parts of Philly. And, we ate at Paesano's, which isn't a bad way to go in town."
[Photo: Restaurant Intelligence Agency]
· Christine Muhlke [Twitter]
· All John Shields Coverage [~EPHI~]
· Star Chef John Shields Says Philly Restaurant is Possible [~EPHI~]
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