I've paced a hole in my office cubby, reddened my ear from checking the phone's dial tone. Finally, the news I've been awaiting.

Bern's has hired a new chef.

Kinda, sorta.

After Jeannie Pierola's departure in early November, Bern’s owner David Laxer has decided to promote from within. Former sous chefs Andy Minney and Habteab Hamde will share the title of chefs de cuisine at Bern's, while at SideBern's Chad Johnson moves into the role of executive chef and Courtney Orwig has been promoted to chef de cuisine.

This apparently is something of a trend, following on the heels of the Vinoy's recent decision to do the same thing. Time will tell if this is a good move (the move being: replace the big cheeses with the big salaries with smaller cheeses who already know their way around the menu, kitchen and management). I worry that this tendency doesn't draw new talent from other urban centers, nor does it necessarily bring fresh ideas, techniques or trends to the Tampa Bay area. Chefs tend to be fairly transient--something that must be rough for their spouses but means the dining public benefits from a fluidity and cross-pollination of new concepts and innovations.