Earlier this week I heard that Matt McCallister, the chef at Oak Cliff's Campo, had put in his two weeks. I tried to call the chef to confirm, but we've been playing phone tag for days. I did get in touch with a manager there, who basically told me the same thing he did when I conducted interviews from my review: that McCallister was preparing to move onto a new project but would remain on as Campo's consulting chef.
Riiiight.
The manager told me that McCallister would shift his focus toward the new project at the end of this month. A news release that just hit my inbox confirms that McCallister is at least a little closer to this eventual separation.
"Chef Josh Black has been named executive chef at CampO Modern Country Bistro," the release reads. It goes on to quote co-owner John Paul Valverde, who spins the departure the best he can: "Our menu is always evolving to focus on the freshest ingredients available and Josh's attention to detail is reflected throughout the CampO menu."
McCallister "will continue to advise on the Campo concept as needed." I'll update if/when I hear back from McCallister. Here's the full release:
Chef Josh Black has been named executive chef at CampO Modern Country Bistro. Black, whose culinary experience includes The Cedar Social and Stephan Pyles is a graduate of Le Cordon Blue."Josh has been an essential part of the development team," says John Paul Valverde, co-owner of CampO and Coevál Studio. "Our menu is always evolving to focus on the freshest ingredients available and Josh's attention to detail is reflected throughout the CampO menu."
Black opened with CampO in November 2011 as sous chef and has been involved in developing the menu along with consulting chef Matt McCallister, who will continue to advise on the CampO concept as needed.
CampO A.M. is set to open early March with a full weekend brunch menu and will launch a series of monthly dinners showcasing a guest chef.
Located at 1115 North Beckley in Oak Cliff, CampO Modern Country Bistro is open at 6:00pm, closed Tuesdays. For more information call 214-946-1308.
