Breaking News: John Tesar is gone from Commissary

A loyal Hatch reader sent in the news: Chef John Tesar has exited Commissary, the steam oven-cooked burger place he founded last year in One Arts in downtown Dallas.

“This was always part of the plan, remember?” Tesar told me when reached for comment.

(Uh huh. Seems a bit sudden to me.)

“I’ve got a lot going on– changing the Chop House menu, a pop-up restaurant, Spoon, a private cooking job on Bermuda, new burger places…

It was time to leave. I handed the place over to Lucy (Billingsley, One Art’s owner) and David (McMillan, chef of neighbor restaurant Screen Door), and they’re in charge of that place now.”

Not sure where this or these stand for certain, but Tesar swears they’re still on the launch pad. And, for those keeping score, sommelier Scott Barber is still working at Commissary.

Oh, about that pop-up: Tesar says he’s opening a pop-up restaurant in the Garden Cafe space in Lakewood on Fridays and Saturdays in April and May, “a la 48 Nights,” with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for a local charity. (Tesar says he’ll release details soon.)

“I’ll be doing all the cooking, working alongside guest chefs. It’s to stay fresh, have fun, auditioning staff, staging chefs for the new place and raise money for a good cause.”