Julie Kline Is Marc Vetri's First Female Head Chef

There's been a chef change at Marc Vetri's Alla Spina, resulting in the first female-led kitchen at a Vetri family restaurant, reports Danya Henninger for Philly.com. Julie Kline, who started as a line cook at Alla Spina when it opened in February 2012, has been appointed chef de cuisine.

Kline replaces Pat Szoke, who came to the position in the summer of 2013, following a previous stretch in the executive role at the Industry in Pennsport. (Eater has reached out to Szoke and will update on his status when we hear back.)

"To be the first female Vetri chef is astonishing to me," Kline told Henninger — but Vetri chef and partner Brad Spence doesn't sound surprised, saying, "We didn't really give Julie the chef job so much she took it - she earned it."