Ashley Randall Photography
It’s shaping up to be a whole new summer at Hatchet Hall, one of the greater Westside’s most popular dining spots. The Southern-inspired restaurant would have been celebrating its six-year anniversary under the stewardship of chef Brian Dunsmoor this summer, but instead, he’s moving on for new projects further east and that means a new chef for the star spot at 12517 Washington Boulevard in Culver City.
First up, the newcomer for Hatchet Hall is none other than Wes Whitsell, the Texas-born chef who founded Arts District staple Manuela in September of 2016. He and Dunsmoor have similar culinary backgrounds, infusing Southern flavors and lots of live fire with with California ingredients and plenty of sunshine. Whitsell had (after leaving Manuela in 2017) been in and out of LA, and most recently was attached to a West Hollywood project, but now he’s secured the lead role at one of LA’s busier restaurants instead.
Big changes have come to the long-awaited Soulmate restaurant in West Hollywood. Reps for the project have confirmed that the patio-focused space at 631 N. Robertson will no longer be helmed by former Manuela star Wes Whitsell, meaning the menu will
also no longer feature Whitsell’s personal brand of Texas heritage cooking done over live fire.
While no cause was given for Whitsell’s departure, it now seems that Rudy Lopez, the former chef de cuisine at the NoMad in Downtown LA (and previously an executive chef for the H.Wood Group) is on to run the project. With that update comes a new menu direction, as Lopez leans into a more Spanish Mediterranean direction. As for timing, Soulmate was originally plotting a December 2020 opening, but is now on track for a late spring arrival. Whitsell, meanwhile, tells Eater that he’s moving on to pursue other personal restaurant projects, but will remain in Los Angeles.