Seth Caswell is Google's New Executive Chef

Seth Caswell has a new job, and it has nothing to do with running a restaurant.

A little more than three months after closing emmer & rye atop Queen Anne, Caswell has accepted the challenge of being Google's executive chef. He'll be commuting to the Kirkland campus, which feeds about 500 Googlers each day. The cafes (there's also a satellite campus in Bothell) are run by Bon Appetit Management Company, which hired him. He'll be responsible for three international menus, one vegetarian, and a couple of breakfast/lunch cafe menus, not to mention catering. Additionally, he says he plans to implement Seattle and regional guest chef menus for the Googlers so they can truly get a sense of what great food this city provides.

As for his restaurant, which closed in late October, Caswell says he's proud of what he produced there and loved his staff, but ultimately, he says:

My relationship with my business partners didn't allow me to follow through on a more complete vision of a sustainable business.

Caswell says this Google job will allow him to leave a bigger culinary footprint, since he has a larger budget to spend on supporting local farms. It just so happens that Google is looking for new ways to engage in local business, which made Caswell a perfect candidate/liaison.

Another restaurant for Caswell isn't completely out of the question. He says he'd consider opening another place — just give him about 10 years to think about it.

He officially starts his new gig Tuesday.

· All First Word Coverage [~ESEA~]