Restaurant News: Peter Rudolph Taking Helm At Campton Place

I received an email from a reader yesterday afternoon repeating a rumor that I'd been hearing for the past couple of days, namely that Peter Rudolph - Chef de Cuisine at Navio in the The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay - was taking over the kitchen at Campton Place.   Well, I called over to the restaurant today to get the full story, and I can now confirm the veracity of the rumor - Rudolph is already onsite and is heading up the kitchen.   Notably, however, a decision has not yet been made as to whether Rudolph's appointment will be a permanent one, or whether he will merely serve in a transitional capacity instead.   Thus, while Campton Place personnel did not say this in so many words, the arrangement appears to be one in which Rudolph has basically been hired for a prolonged "audition."

To be perfectly honest, I was actually quite surprised to hear that Rudolph was being considered for the position at Campton Place at all.   Daniel Humm - the chef who took Campton Place to four-star status before announcing last month that he would be departing for New York - was absolutely brilliant, and it would be difficult for anybody to fill his shoes.   But Rudolph's cuisine at Navio has always struck me as being in a completely different league than Humm's, and the review I posted here about my first dinner at Navio reflects the ways in which some of Rudolph's dishes fell short.   In light of this, it's my suspicion that Rudolph is going to have to stretch himself and really rise to the occasion in order to thrive and survive at Campton Place over the longer term.

All of that said, I really do hope that Rudolph is able to achieve great success in his new position.   It's always rewarding to watch young chefs advance their skill sets and develop their talents over time, and it would be great to see Rudolph move his cuisine to a higher plane and achieve wider recognition for his talents.   I look forward to seeing what Rudolph will do at Campton Place.