BO-beau, downtown’s soon-to-open eatery along Pine Avenue, has announced the hiring of its executive chef, Cohn Restaurant Group veteran Katherine Humphus.

BObeau HumphusHaving already headed BO-beau in Ocean Beach, San Diego, Humphus has gained notoriety in the San Diego area and was recognized as Best Local Chef by Ranch & Coast, Top Female Chef by Riviera Magazine and Chef of the Year finalist for U-T San Diego.

Though she was trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Humphus finds inspiration in all culinary styles.

“I gain inspiration from everyone,” Humphus said. “From every dish I taste, whether at a Michelin-starred restaurant or a hole-in-the-wall mom’n’pop, from every menu I read, from anything that makes me think, ‘Wow, that’s really cool.’”

It doesn’t harm Humphus’s prospects that she had worked with some of the best names in the industry: Thomas Keller of The French Laundry in Napa, Jeff Thurston from Bruxie throughout SoCal, Wylie Defrense of WD-50 in New York, and JJ Basil from Zero Degrees Zero in DC.

As for how she will take to Long Beach’s BO-beau location, it will revolve around keeping it simple with well-made, delicious food.

“The approach will be the same as it has been since day one: create delicious, approachable food, and encourage people to try flavor profiles or combinations that they might not normally go for,” Humphus said. “The big difference with BO-beau [in Long Beach] is the ‘rooftap’ concept, which will be a beer-centric menu. I am having an absolute blast creating that menu—for obvious reasons!”

Humphus will take on the Downtown location within the coming weeks to prepare the menu but has already explored Long Beach, noting her adoration for George’s Greek Cafe and a quick breakfast at Chuck’s.

“I can’t wait to make my way around to more places,” Humphus said, “and I hope our guests will clue me in on where to visit next.”

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