Aug. 12--Mathew Rice, most recently pastry chef at Girl the Goat and Little Goat, has been named pastry chef at The Publican (837 W. Fulton Market, 312-733-9555).
Rice's rustic, nostalgic desserts will be featured at The Publican as well as at Publican Quality Meats.
Rice's career includes heading up the pastry program at Metropolitan in Salt Lake City (working with Perry Hendrix, now chef at Blackbird and Avec), after which he was Gerard Craft's opening pastry chef at Niche in St. Louis. He came to Chicago as pastry chef at Nightwood in Pilsen before joining Stephanie Izard at Girl the Goat, where he has been for the past three years.
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
