Wichita chef lands a new job leading kitchen at popular Old Town restaurant
It was early February when well-known Wichita chef Josh Rathbun left his new job at Elderslie Farm after less than five months. At the time, he said he was laid off as executive chef because Elderslie Farm owners Katharine and George Elder had decided to pause their weeknight dinner service.
Ever since, local foodies have been asking what Rathbun — who before Elderslie worked for five years as the executive chef at Siena Tuscan Steakhouse — would do next.
Now, Rathbun has an answer. Earlier this week, he started a job as executive chef at Public at the Brickyard, the popular gastropub that Travis Russell, wife Brooke Russell and Drew Thompson opened in 2012.
“Josh has been a friend of Travis’ and mine for a long time, so we’ve always discussed him being involved in the restaurant,” Brooke Russell said. “He happened to be available, so it felt like the perfect time to bring him on.”
Rathbun won’t make any big changes at the restaurant, Brooke said, but he’ll have creative control over the rotating seasonal specials being offered.
Rathbun, meanwhile, said he doesn’t feel like any major changes are needed, mostly because he and Travis Russell share the same outlook on the importance of using sustainable, local ingredients.
“It’s an opportunity to kind of continue with being a champion of local food,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to cook food that I think is approachable and lacks pretension.”
Travis Russell will still collaborate with Rathbun in the kitchen, but he’s increasingly busy handling things at neighboring open-air bar The Brickyard, which will open for the season on March 19. Having a trusted friend and fellow chef in charge of the kitchen will make that easier for him, Brooke said.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 5:40 AM.
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