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James Island eatery Stereo 8 always maintained that they were a concept-driven spot, rather than chef-driven. When proprietors Joe Walker and David LeBoutillier brought on Vanessa Middleton, she was to impart a bit of her West Coast experience to the offerings, while keeping the original idea for the menu intact. Well, it seems things didn't quite work out with Middleton after the first week in business. LeBoutillier tells Eater that chef Jeffrey Stoneberger, of Two Boroughs Larder, will take Middleton's place in the kitchen.
Stoneberger brings with him an impressive resume of work with Fat Duck in England, fine dining institution McCrady's, Aggio in Washington, D.C. and Saison in San Francisco. Also, he's pretty good at Instagram.
With new restaurants opening every other week, Charleston is experiencing quite a bit of this quick turnover (look at Union Provisions, The Americano, and Screen Door). Perhaps it is difficult to judge if the chef is a perfect match until patrons are in the seats and the tickets start printing.
