Another chef is on the move, and he's the second to leave The Irvine Company. In similar fashion as last week's post on the departure of Jason Montelibano from Eats Kitchen & Bar, Chef Marc Johnson left The Island Hotel at the end of August for greener pastures. Where he was headed actually changed in recent weeks, so it's actually good that we didn't post our original findings until now.
Two weeks ago, Marc would've stated he was headed to the recently renovated Ranch Resort in Laguna Beach. A return to his old beachside community (where he did marvelous things with James Boyce at Studio), Johnson was excited to join the amazing team to create something great. However, he explains recent events below,
“I was approached by the C.O.O. of Red O to be their Executive Corporate Chef. I will be overseeing all the locations from L.A. to La Jolla, with future locations opening in Miami and New York. This opportunity fell in my lap, and my family and I couldn't ignore it. Crazy how things just open up when you're not looking.”
While we are saddened to see you leave Oak Grill, that just means things can only get better at the Fashion Island brand. Right? That's what we believe, anyway.
A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.