Kitchen LTO is Keeping Chef Blythe Beck For Another Four Months

Current Kitchen LTO chef Blythe Beck has been granted a four-month reprieve. Instead of exiting to make way for a new rotation of chef and concept, Beck (who made a name for herself in Dallas at the now-defunct Central 214) and her Southern-fried comfort food will be staying on clear through to the end of May.

While such a decision may seem to directly contradict the whole concept of a "permanent pop-up" restaurant that changes every four months, LTO is apparently just giving diners what they want: A #KeepBlythe social media campaign garnered 1,735 likes on Facebook, well over the 1,000 that the chef needed to keep her gig for a few more months. Creator Casie Caldwell says via press release:

Let me set the record straight: the concept of LTO has not changed. Our mission remains the same: to create an ever-changing culinary experience that showcases relevant chef and artist talent, and serves crave-worthy food and remarkable hospitality. Keeping Blythe is merely an extension of what we set out to do, and it gives Dallas an opportunity to see more of what she can do. Also, LTO is unique in that that it’s an interactive experience from the beginning. The guest is involved by voting for their favorite chef, so we’ve always been sensitive about listening to what our guests want. Even early on, our guests said they thought Blythe should stay longer. We heard that a lot, so we decided to let our fans decide. This also gives us an opportunity to fine-tune the rotation schedule and see what works best: 4-months, 6-months? Some chefs are hesitant to apply for a shorter stint and won’t take the risk, so we’ll see what traction we get with testing a longer rotation period.

Blythe will be refreshing the menu, however: She's adding several new dishes including a starter of "Southern Breads & Spreads" (think "duck butter" and pimento cheese) and housemade oatmeal creme pies filled with rum raisin ice cream. Those dishes and more will be available until May 30, when Blythe will cook her final meal at LTO; come June 2, it'll be a new chef's turn. Check out Blythe's newest dinner menu, below: