Mimi Assad is IN at Bar Frances

Mimi Assad has been hired as the new executive chef at Bar Frances, reports Offbeat Magazine. This certainly isn’t Assad’s first job in the NOLA restaurant industry — not by a long shot.

Assad graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 2009, but has held plenty of jobs in plenty of different atmospheres in NOLA since. Assad got her start cooking in New Orleans working at Gautreau’s, under Sue Zemanick — a chef she describes as her “mentor and role model.” Assad has also logged time as a sous chef at Le Foret under Jimmy Corwell; she’s helped Zemanick with opening Ivy and she’s helped Chef Alex Harrell open Angeline.

But Assad might best be known as the force behind the scrumptious pies at Noodle & Pie — the ramen and pie shop — over on Magazine St. Noodle & Pie, as we’ve previously reported, was one of the casualties of a particularly treacherous May in NOLA’s restaurant scene.

Now it’s Assad who’s completely in charge at Bar Frances.

The chef gave the following statement to Offbeat:

“My worry level is higher,” Assad says. “I have more responsibility, but also, being here six or seven days a week makes a lot of sense to me now. Finally, I can have my own menu and have my own identity in that menu.