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Chef shuffle: Steve Samson to exit Pizzeria Ortica

By Betty HallockDeputy Food Editor 
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Steve Samson, the highly praised chef at David Myers’ Orange County restaurant, Pizzeria Ortica, is leaving to pursue his own project, the David Myers Group has announced. Samson, a former Valentino chef, has been at Ortica since it opened in spring 2009. In a review, Times critic S. Irene Virbila gave the restaurant 2 1/2 stars: ‘Samson is cooking Italian food that is more gutsy and accessible than you might remember when he was at the more formal Valentino.’

Samson’s planned exit follows several departures within the David Myers Group in the last several months, including former Comme Ca executive chef Michael David at the end of last year.

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A representative for the David Myers Group says the company is ‘actively looking for a replacement, and plans to open a Pizzeria Ortica in Los Angeles continue to move forward.’

-- Betty Hallock

Daily Dish
Betty Hallock

Betty Hallock is deputy Food editor at the Los Angeles Times. She has co-written four cookbooks, including “Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles,” “Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” and “Baking at République.” She started her journalism career at the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American in New York, worked on the L.A. Times’ Business desk, and was interim food editor at Los Angeles Magazine. Hallock also helped launch a food and nutrition vertical for wellness app RoundGlass. She’s a graduate of UCLA and New York University.

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