Locals should start seeing Keith Williamson around at Ulele, if they haven’t already. After stints at Tampa’s Ocean Prime and Bulla Gastrobar — plus Ca ’Peo, a one-star Michelin restaurant in Liguria, Italy — Williamson has come on board as the new executive chef.
The Columbia Restaurant Group opened the native-inspired riverfront restaurant in Tampa Heights four years ago.
“Ulele is already one of the most popular restaurants in the region. It changed everything in Tampa Heights,” said Williamson, who also owned and operated New Tampa’s Baci Italian Grill from 1997 to 2002. “I hope to carefully build on that success and help us continue to grow. Plus, I love history and art and Ulele is overflowing with it. I can’t wait to share the story and philosophy behind the restaurant, its menu and its art.”
Williamson’s passion for the restaurant business and its “controlled chaos” began in Philadelphia when he was a young boy, and a Philly hotel gave him his first job cooking made-to-order brunch and omelets on a buffet line.
His motto is, “Cook with your heart. Feed people with love.” As Ulele’s recently appointed chef, Williamson intends to do just that.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2018.