New Noca Chef Matt Taylor in the Kitchen Since Sunday: Did Southern Simple Supper, Created a 'Nocawich,' Working on Bar Bites

New Noca Chef Matt Taylor in the Kitchen Since Sunday: Did Southern Simple Supper, Created a "Nocawich," Working on Bar Bites

By Laura Hahnefeld Thu., Sep. 8 2011 at 9:30 AM

Categories: News

Noca

Southern Simple Supper second course: chicken fried Berkshire pork loin, white grits, pickled watermelon rinds, chicory glace.

New Noca chef Matt Taylor, the 27-year-old who's worked with four James Beard award winners and was previously at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas with celebrity chef Michael Mina, had his first dinner service on Sunday, heading up Noca's Southern Simple Supper.

Chef Matt Taylor

"Matt [Taylor] brings a sense of refinement and finesse to Southern style cuisine," says Noca owner Eliot Wexler. "He's spent time with John Besh."

Wexler tells me he and Taylor, who replaced Chris Curtiss (Curtiss left in June and is now with Fox Restaurant Concepts as the executive chef at the new NoRTH in Central Phoenix) are continuing to refine the menu for September, working on a new bar menu, and that Taylor's already created his first "nocawich" sandwich called the "Boss Hogg."

The Boss Hogg, Taylor's "nocawich" creation of pressed ham and deviled egg salad on rye, precedes a to-come bar bites menu from the new chef that Wexler tells me will be Noca-style twists on traditional bar food. Bar bites will be available at the chef's counter and bar, and Wexler hopes to have the menu ready by October.

"The staff is happy," Wexler says, "And they're responding well to him [Taylor]. They did a great job during the transition."

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Noca

3118 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ

Category: Restaurant

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Tags:

American cuisine, American food, Central Phoenix, Chef Matt Taylor, Chris Curtiss, Eliot Wexler, Matt Taylor, Noca, noca, restaurant

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Anonymous

EvanescencePhX clearly you were one of the unlucky many whom have fallen for the curtiss charm

llh22r

http://www.lovetoshopping.org

Eliot Wexler

Hi...please keep the comments on the thread to noca and Matt and can we call a cease-fire on any thing related to Chris. As a point of information, the charity that Chris intended to work for is one that both he and noca have been very supportive of in the past. There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue to help them in whatever manner that he can and probably involve FRC as well which in the end will be a great help to their cause.

Best,

Eliot WexlerHead Taste Tester at noca

EvanescencePhX

Good riddance to Curtis. The guy could cook but what an arrogant jerk. Having tattooed arms and sleeping with half of Phx while you r married doesn't make you a good chef. and the chrity thing wuz obviously a complete load of crap.

So that whole I'm leaving Noca to do charity work for children' is just kinda bullshit for Chef Curtiss? When actually it was to go to work for Fox? I have no problem with going corporate, just don't lie about it and make it seem like your departure was because you have a higher calling to pursue. Pahleeze! Phoney baloney!

Vicelord

Eliot seems like he would be a great guy to work for. Constantly talking about his staff's happiness, and he is definitely successful because he has extremely little turnover in an industry known for going through staff like a baby goes through diapers.