Business & Tech

The Rockefeller Brings in new Menu, Chef

Wesley Pumphrey is selected as head chef at the Hermosa Beach restaurant.

New flavors have arrived at on upper Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach as the restaurant introduces a new head chef and menu.

Owner Chris Bredesen said when the restaurant opened last year the ambiance was well received but not the food—so it's time for a change.

The eatery announced Wednesday that Wesley Pumphrey has stepped in as new head chef and the menu has taken a new direction.

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Pumphrey previously served as executive chef at , a gastropub in Hollywood, which followed a position at the Bazaar by Jose Andres at SLS Hotel.

Now as Pumphrey joins The Rockefeller, he said in a statement that the new menu "is honestly a combination of all the techniques I've learned in the past. I would definitely call it 'American,' but there is sometimes fusion at play in certain dishes, like the Kalbi cheesesteak. 

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"I think it is fun to take a classic and twist it as far as I can into another form while still preserving the original charm. The braised pork belly is my version of pork chops and applesauce. The belly is brined for almost a week and braised, and then served with candied granny smith apples and a house bbq sauce."


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