Chef Blaine Staniford hired for new restaurant in Fort Worth

by Teresa Gubbins

Chef Blaine Staniford, recently set loose from employment after the closure of Scene (and his subsequent severing from sister restaurant Fuse), will join Grace, a new restaurant opening in October in downtown Fort Worth from Adam Jones, formerly of Del Frisco's.

Named for Jones' wife, whose middle name is Grace, the restaurant will feature "modern American classics," says Jones, with 10,000 square feet of space that includes a large patio in front as well as an "adult" bar where patrons can sit at tables of two or four and have cocktails and snacks, versus the informal drinking options that are prevalent in downtown Fort Worth

Jones had been seeking a culinary chief for more than a year, interviewing at least 26 candidates, he says; "Blaine was not even on my radar screen four weeks ago."

Staniford was approached by a culinary headhunter who introduced him to Jones.

"I wasn’t familiar with him until I met him a couple of months ago, and I wasn’t even thinking about leaving Fuse at the time," Staniford says. "But Fort Worth is blowing me away, and I think Grace is going to be a great thing."

He and Michael Bratcher, who was his business partner at Fuse and Scene, would still like to open their own place down the road, once the economic environment improves.

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