Next Chef Dave Beran Leaving Chicago For L.A.

In sad news for Chicago but pretty great news for Los Angeles, Dave Beran, the executive chef at Chicago's acclaimed Next restaurant, announced Friday that he would be leaving the restaurant after this weekend and heading to Los Angeles to open his own restaurant.

Beran has been the chef at Next since it opened five years ago, and has been responsible for its rotating series of menus including Sicily, Childhood, Thailand, Steakhouse, and the rest. According to the Chicago Tribune, Beran's last day at the restaurant will be Sunday, and Next's current chef de cuisine, Jenner Tomaska, will be the new executive chef. Tomaska is nominated for a Rising Star Chef Award from the James Beard Foundation this year.

Beran plans to head to Los Angeles to open his own restaurant and is reportedly looking at two properties in downtown L.A., but has not yet revealed anything about what kind of restaurant it might be.