The executive chef/general manager at McMahon's Prime Steakhouse is crossing the street on North Swan Road to become corporate chef for Metzger Family Restaurants — Jackson Tavern on North Swan Road and Poppy Kitchen at La Paloma Resort.
Gary Hickey, whose role will include overseeing developing menus for both restaurants and purchasing and vendor relations, will leave McMahon's in mid-April.
Hickey's arrival marks the departure of longtime and beloved Metzger executive chef Virginia "Ginny" Wooters, who is largely responsible for the menus at Jackson Tavern and Poppy Kitchen as well as Metzger's earlier restaurants Jax Kitchen and The Abbey.
Wooters three weeks ago was named executive chef at the three-month-old Pie Bird Bakery and Cafe, 177 N. Church Ave., downtown.
