Chef to bid S.A. adieu by hosting 2 dinners

San Antonio is losing one of its most famous chefs as Mary Lou Davis is moving to California. The “Hell’s Kitchen” season 19 runner-up and former executive chef at Whiskey Cake at The Shops at La Cantera said, “I’m ready for an adventure.”

She’s moving to California with the goal of working in a Michelinstarred restaurant. Since quitting at Whiskey Cake in August she has kept busy hosting pop-ups, working as a private chef and producing her Youtube show “Geeks & Grubs.”

But Davis isn’t leaving without saying goodbye. San Antonians will have a chance to sample Davis’ fare at a pair of pop-up dinners.

The first is going-away party at the Evil Olive bar and restaurant on Thousand Oaks. She’ll be serving a menu of Cajun and Japanese fusion. The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. Jan. 27 and the event is open to the public. Evil Olive, 210-495-0970, 2950 Thousand Oaks Drive, Facebook: @EvilOliveSA.

At the second event, Davis will flex her fine dining muscles during a five-course dinner at downtown’s Ambler Texas Kitchen in the Hotel Contessa. Tickets to the event, which starts at 6 p.m. Jan. 31, cost $85 and will include food, drinks, gratuity and parking. Davis said tickets will be available at eventbrite.com in the coming days. Ambler Texas Kitchen in the Hotel Contessa, 210-229-9222, 306 W. Market St., amblersanantonio.com.

Davis intends to return every few months to host pop-up dinners. “This is my city and my mom still lives here,” Davis said. “She’s my hair stylist and someone’s got to keep me purple.”

William Luther / Staff file photo Former Whiskey Cake chef Mary Lou Davis earned nationwide attention for her run on Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”