Nathan Powers, a 1993 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a self-described "ski-bum" has landed the job of executive chef at Bambara, in downtown Salt Lake City.

He replaces Dave Jones, who returned to his old job at Log Haven.

Not long ago, Powers left his post at the Bambara restaurant in Cambridge, Mass. to follow the love of his life to Park City. He is excited to take over the sister restaurant in the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group chain.

"It is a sophisticated urban setting that’s literally within minutes of true wilderness. Here, I can feed my inner ski bum while continuing on my professional culinary journey and sharing new tastes with our Bambara diners," he said in a new release announcing his hire.

Powers’ will debut his new menu in early 2009, but in the next few weeks diners can see what's to come through nightly specials.

Powers admits to a lifelong devotion to “all things Burgundian” (steak frites with Béarnaise is a favorite). But his menus will no doubt include New American fare, including seafood and game.

Most of Powers' culinary career has been spent at some of San Francisco's most celebrated restaurants, including Stars, Hawthorne Lane and Farallon. After a stint in in Lake Tahoe, he returned to San Francisco and joined the Kimpton Group.

Besides skiing, Powers has an Italian bicycle fetish: he collects, builds and sometimes sells them. His current masterpiece is a vintage Colnago.