‘Top Chef’’s Jennifer Carroll Is Back in Philly With Spice Finch

Top Chef competitor Jennifer Carroll is returning to her hometown of Philly to open Spice Finch along with Billy Riddle, her fiancé. Their new Rittenhouse restaurant will fill the vacant space at the Warwick Hotel that was formerly Tavern 17, at 220 S. 17th Street.

Carroll is coming from the Washington, D.C., area where she’s been working for Mike Isabella’s restaurants. Before heading out of Philly seven years ago, she was at Eric Ripert’s now-closed 10 Arts at the Ritz-Carlton. (Richard Sandoval’s Aqimero is now in that space). Riddle, a former sous chef at Townsend on East Passyunk, was also working for Isabella in D.C.

Carroll and Riddle are planning Spice Finch as a Mediterranean bistro and cocktail bar, reports Philly.com. Look for art deco décor and a vegetable-heavy menu that pulls from North African, Middle Eastern, Greek, and French cuisines.

Carroll is originally from Northeast Philly. She first worked for Ripert at Le Bernadin in New York and came back to Philly to open 10 Arts in 2008, before heading to New York again and then D.C.

But she’s not entirely done with the D.C. area. Eater DC reports Carroll, who also has a catering company, is developing a new dining venture there as well.

• Jen Carroll Dishes on ‘Life After Top Chef’ [Eater Philly]
• ‘Top Chef’ Alum Jennifer Carroll Quits Mike Isabella’s Restaurant Empire [Eater DC]
• Eric Ripert Talks About Leaving 10 Arts, Top Chef, and His Next Big Project [Eater Philly]
• Chef Jennifer Carroll coming home with The Finch in Rittenhouse [Philly.com]