Can A Chef Be Crowdsourced? New Restaurant Table, Donkey and Stick Thinks So

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 19, 2012 2:50PM

This is an interesting development in the world of chef mobility. Bonsoiree unexpectedly closed a few weeks ago, and on Thursday Chef Shin Thompson announced a total re-concepting of the restaurant. Alpine is the new theme, but there isn't a chef yet. Why not? Thompson wants you to choose who gets the job.

According to Grubstreet Chicago:

It's going to be called Table, Donkey and Stick, after a Brothers Grimm tale about an innkeeper and a donkey, and it will be inspired by the food, and even more so the hospitality, of the inns that dot the Alps from southern France into Switzerland and Italy....Thompson doesn't want to dictate the menu to the candidates for the job, he says, but it's clear that "it will include sausage, it will include charcuterie. It will involve whole animal butchery. They have beautiful breads there."

Ok, here's the interesting part. Rather than hiring a chef, Thompson and his partner Matt Sussman are hosting a series of pop-ups. Since it's not a full restaurant, they'll be charging lower prices - just what it takes to cover the cost. Thompson will be helping out the newcomers in the kitchen, and comment cards will be distributed to the diners. A combination of the chef's performance in the kitchen and the crowd's reaction will determine who gets hired. Service will start in November, and the popups will be on Mondays or Wednesdays.

If you're interested in tossing your hat in the ring, check out the video below.