Former Farm and Fisherman Sous Joins Stateside as Executive Chef

For the past two days, Stateside closed its kitchen in anticipation of its new executive chef Geno Betz. And tomorrow, August 10, Betz will unveil his new menu, hopefully giving the East Passyunk gastropub the kick-in-the-pants it needs to stay a viable option on an avenue so full of talent.

It's no secret that Stateside's solid reputation has slowly chipped away since George Sabatino landed it the number one spot on Philly Mag's 50 Best Restaurants in 2013. Back in its glory days, Stateside was a Craig LaBan-endorsed three bell restaurant, and even caught Anthony Bourdain's attention while he shot The Layover episode in Philadelphia. But after Sabatino left, the kitchen turned into a revolving door: Elijah Milligan took over, followed by Kevin D'Egidio before he left to launch his own successful venture, Helm. (Betz honed his craft as sous under both chefs.)

In September 2014, Betz moved on from Stateside to sous at Bella Vista's The Mildred (now Coeur), and then did the same for East Passyunk's modern-Italian Paradiso in 2015 when Zagat named him one of 20 Sous-Chefs to Watch in Philly. Before it closed, he helped The Farm and Fisherman's Josh Lawler give his Washington Square West BYOB the proper send-off it deserved.

Onion pot de crème topped with caramelized radicchio, gooseberry, and goat cheese, new to the Stateside menu (below)

All the while, Stateside slipped to a single bell.

Now, three years later, with three consecutive Chaine des Rôtisseurs Young Chef competition wins under his belt, Betz is back in Stateside's kitchen, this time as executive chef, hoping to breathe new life into the restaurant while staying true to its original mission: bringing "the comfort of a locally sourced, shareable meal to a gastropub environment."

Check out his new menu: