Former Chicago 'Top Chef' to take over at Standby

Former Chicago Top Chef contestant Rebecca LaMalfa has taken over the kitchen at downtown's Standby, while outgoing chef Jessie Knotts now runs a food cart out of The Skip.

The Freep reports that LaMalfa's menu items will be gradually introduced over the next couple of weeks, and the menu will fully be hers by the month's end.

"My plan for Standby is to just kind of make the food approachable but cleaned up," LaMalfa tells the Freep. "I very much want to get in touch with some of the local farms and change seasonally. I want to change the menu quite a bit but keep it small. My food's kind of like a blend of French, Italian and American."