New chefs en route to Bonterra, Rooster's

Blake Hartwick, last cooking in Dilworth at the helm of defunct Las Ramblas, says he’s excited to return to working with owner JD Duncan mid-September, taking over the kitchen at Bonterra. Las Ramblas makes a one-night “return” at Bonterra Sept 4, with Spanish fare and wines taking center stage and both Hartwick and current chef Bill Schutz cooking.

Schutz is moving into the chef spot at Jim Noble's Rooster’s, whose current chef, Joe Kindred, is preparing to open Kindred in Davidson.

Hartwick says he plans to focus on “really cool stuff at the bar” first, and getting some wine dinners planned. “It’ll still be New South, New American. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel ... (but I) want to get us out on a new avenue as well.” Expect a few Spanish incursions, such as grilled octopus or maybe crispy eggplant, at the bar, while price points will stay about the same. Says Duncan: “We want to keep that classic Southern cuisine, but I’m going to give him the room to go a little more contemporary... This is our 16th year.”

Rooster’s chef/owner Noble, meanwhile, says he’s happy to finally hire Schutz, with whom he’s wanted to work for years.