WHISTLER, B.C. — Ahead of the reopening of Whistler’s Il Caminetto in December, Toptable Group has announced a changeup in the culinary leadership at its restaurants.
Chef Quang Dang — current executive chef of West Restaurant — will transition to lead the kitchen at Araxi in mid-October. This move will allow James Walt — who has been at the helm of the Araxi kitchen since the late 1990s — to turn his attention to the opening of Il Caminetto, where he will take on the role of executive chef while continuing to oversee the food program at Bar Oso with chef Jorge Muños Santos.
“I’m thrilled to see Quang continue the storytelling for Araxi and The Cellar while celebrating the same farm-to-table ethos he practiced at West,” says Walt. “He’s so dialed in with his vast network of local suppliers that it’s a win-win for both our guests and the brigade who have the privilege of working with such great products.”
In tandem with this transition, West kitchen alumni Bobby Milheron will take over for Chef Quang as West’s newly appointed executive chef. Milheron rejoins Toptable Group from Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar where he is currently in a senior-sous-chef role. Under Milheron’s leadership, West is set to undergo a room refresh and a change in the menu in the coming months.
“We didn’t have to move mountains when we approached Quang to consider the Araxi post,” says Michael Doyle, president, Toptable Group. “On the West Restaurant front, we’re thrilled to have Bobby Milheron rejoin the Toptable family and see him take the reins and bring another style of cooking to the table.”
