michael hall 5th street steakhouse | 345 W 5th St, Chico At 5th Street Steakhouse in Chico, the man behind that perfectly plated dish is Chef Michael Hall. “Big and Rich” is his philosophy, aligning seamlessly with the upscale steakhouse setting and notoriously mouthwatering menu. After enjoying a year abroad, working at an armed forces recreation center in Germany, Chef Hall’s mother Kathy, long time pastry chef for 5th Street Steakhouse, made a call to her son that would change his future. In 2001, he applied for the open position as sauté chef. Now, after 14 years, Chef Michael Hall has secured his position as executive chef of 5th Street Steakhouse. Serving upwards of 350 dinners on a busy night, the kitchen has to be managed and organized with near perfect efficiency. With the help of Sous Chef Morgan Ferguson, Chef Michael Hall and his team have the art of cooking down to a science. When creating a new menu item, Chef Hall starts with the protein. Once that is decided, the ideal side, vegetable and sauce are chosen. Selecting what is available locally at the time allows for creative experimentation using the freshest ingredients. Holding a BA in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wells in Rhode Island has allowed Chef Hall to create the experience and quality that people have come to expect from 5th Street Steakhouse. “I cook because I love seeing that first bite and the look that comes after,” says Chef Michael Hall. The focus on big presentation accompanied with the richness of the food’s flavor is why people come back to the restaurant time and time again.
lenny klishis
jon meyer
rallo’s west | 234 W 3rd St, Chico
forcella | 1600 Mangrove Ave, Chico
Joining our family of Chico’s new restaurants, Lenny Klishis is bringing “California French food with an East Coast twist” to downtown. Rallo’s family restaurant opened in 1941, in Baltimore, by Lenny’s great grandfather, Louis Salvator Rallo. Lenny spent much of his childhood learning the ins and outs of running a restaurant from his grandparents Frank and Marie Rallo. The original Rallo’s catered to blue collar workers that worked at the nearby shipyards. Crab cake was a favorite family recipe, one of many that Lenny has carried across the
country to Rallo’s West. Lenny has had a long standing relationship with all genres of food: owning franchises in Tahoe, a farm in Capay, and working in the Currant Brasserie inside the Sophia hotel in San Diego. When his sister Jen invited him out to Chico, they decided it was the right place to set down Rallo’s new roots. Their partnered effort focuses on food you wouldn’t previously have found in Chico, with dishes built using multiple levels of flavor. Drop into Rallo’s West and say hello to our newest chef!
Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jon Meyer got his start in the kitchen at a young age, cooking for his family as one of six children. He worked his way through high school and college in restaurants and even cooked a dinner for the governor of Iowa when he was 16. He began catering BBQ in Chico in 2000 before opening Jedediah’s in Downtown Chico in 2004. He sold it in 2008 and bought La Cocina Economica in 2009 before partnering with Jeff Akers to open Sol Mexican Grill. He sold his shares in Sol and opened Forcella with partner Aaron Johnson in 2015. As a chef, Asian food has always been his favorite, and he plans to show us why with the opening of his next venture, Hashi, in a few short months.
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