Bijou Cafe serves up new chef

Following the closing of Canvas Café three months ago, Stephen Phelps has landed another position as executive chef. J.P. Knaggs, owner of the Bijou Café, announced the appointment of Phelps as executive chef Monday, Nov. 2.

Phelps brings with him several signature dishes, including his braised short ribs with black pepper molasses reduction and cauliflower gratin.

“We have been a landmark restaurant in downtown Sarasota for 24 years but felt it was time to add some vitality and innovation to our cuisine,” Knaggs said.

Phelps, a Cleveland native, began working in his uncle’s restaurant at age 14 and brings a passion for food and wine to the table that Knaggs calls "exhilarating."

“Chef Stephen brings his extraordinary talents to the Bijou while preserving the classic signature dishes the Bijou is known for,” Knaggs said.

Contact Loren Mayo at [email protected].