Fans of Six Burner Restaurant (1627 W. Main St., 353-4060) may have wondered who would fill the shoes of Lee Gregory, head chef since the restaurant opened in January 2004. (See our Aug. 5 post about Gregory’s move to the new Mockingbird restaurant in Staunton.)

Here’s the answer: Philip Denny, a former Lemaire cook who moved here from Philadelphia. Denny, who is originally from Chicago, lived in Richmond several years ago when his wife, Alysha Nakoneczny, was attending Virginia Commonwealth University. He stopped off in Washington, D.C., working as a cook at Citronelle before moving to the Philadelphia area, where he was a chef at the Brick Hotel and a cook at Butcher and Singer Restaurant.

Denny, who started on Sept. 15, says an ad on Craigslist alerted him to the opening at Six Burner. He was familiar with the restaurant; he and Gregory have some mutual friends.

“I think their philosophy about food is very similar to my approach,” he says of his new employer. “I like to use local, sustainable farm ingredients, and I like to do creative things with the menu.” He also believes in “nose to tail" — taking any part of an animal and making it taste delicious.

Denny says he’s getting in touch with farmers and gradually making adjustments to Six Burner’s menu to reflect the changing season (the Monday to Thursday prix-fixe dinner for $24 is staying, however). Some things to look for: pig’s trotters (feet), braised entrées including lamb shanks, and crudo (a method for preparing raw fish). Denny says he also plans to introduce a charcuterie program, preparing things like bacon and terrines.

Six Burner also has a new general manager, David Martin, who started on Aug. 17. Martin has worked at the The Frog and the Redneck (the former Shockoe Slip landmark), as a wine buyer and manager at Acacia, and in wine sales at The Country Vintner. “I always come back to restaurants, though,” he says. “Sometimes I think it gets in your blood.”

Beth Marchant, co-owner of Six Burner with her husband, Ry, says, “We’re excited to have them both here.” Although Six Burner received applications from many qualified chefs, she believes Denny is the right fit.

“I think Philip is going to be really good for Six Burner,” she says. “I think that his personality is such that it will give new energy” to the restaurant.