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In an email today sent by the restaurant, Plonk! Bistro announced that chef Erin Smith would be leaving and that Lindsey Vanarsdel would be assuming Smith's position as Executive Chef. Since it opened in 2009, Smith has made Plonk! Bistro an essential restaurant for residents in the Garden Oaks and Oak Forest neighborhoods who appreciate her ability to blend a variety of influences into a menu that utilizes local and seasonal produce. Smith is a native Houstonian, but she came to Plonk! after having worked at Thomas Keller's per se in New York.
Vanarsdel also has local roots. In the email, she cites cooking in her grandmother's Galveston kitchen as inspiring her love of cooking. She is currently Plonk!'s Executive Sous Chef. Eater has reached out to Smith about her future plans.
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Lindsey Vanarsdel [Photo Credit: Plonk Bistro]