John Tesar hires “Kitchen Confidential” chef Jeff Kent to lead kitchen at Knife steakhouse

John Tesar confirmed that he has hired chef Jeff Kent to lead the kitchen at Knife, Tesar’s modern American steakhouse under construction at the Hotel Palomar.

Kent comes with quite a resume, too, including praises from the NYTimes and Anthony Bourdain’s book, “Kitchen Confidential,” in which Tesar and Kent are mentioned in — wait for it — the same sentence.

“I’ve been friends with Jeff for nearly thirty years, and there’s not a better fit for this  kitchen,” Tesar told me.

The two have known each other since the early 1980s, when they worked together in NYC at chef Brandon Walsh’s restaurant, Arizona 206. That’s also where Tesar says he first met Sharon Hage, who worked as Kent’s sous chef. Later, Tesar and Kent became friends with Bourdain.

Arizona 206 was a highly acclaimed champion of Southwestern food in the 1980s.

“I’ve been working on an America’s Cup (yachting crew) for the last seven years, but my passion has always been cooking.  John offered me this opportunity to get back into a high-end kitchen, and I took it.”

Tesar says he’s anticipating the 100-seat Knife will open in late April or early May.