Erin Smith In as Executive Chef at Upcoming JW Marriott

Chef Erin Smith is leaving bar/restaurant group Clumsy Butcher to become the executive chef at Main Kitchen inside of downtown's forthcoming JW Marriott Houston Downtown Hotel, a 328-room hotel slated to open at 806 Main sometime this summer. The former Plonk! Beer & Wine Bistro chef, also known for her popular breakfast menu at Blacksmith and smart cheese boards at Anvil, tells the Chronicle's Greg Morago that she's nervous and excited about the new undertaking, and that her "only rule when it comes to food and menus is that it really needs to be good." No word yet on who will replace Smith at the Clumsy Butcher, which owns Anvil, Underbelly, Blacksmith and Hay Merchant among other establishments. Whoever it is will likely be a busy chef, since the company's portfolio of upcoming places will also include this March's Nightingale Room and this May's Julep.
· Erin Smith tapped as executive chef of Houston's new JW Marriott [Houston Chronicle]
· All Other Chef Shuffles [-EHOU-]