Chef Andrew Moller was ready for a taste of somewhere different.
His kids had grown up, he’d met someone online, and when he visited her in Sioux Falls, it was enough to make him make a move.
“I kind of liked it,” he said. “I love California, but it’s just so expensive, so I was ready to go somewhere else, and I didn’t know where.”
Born in Santa Barbara, Moller began working in kitchens when he was 15. He moved in and out of the restaurant industry in his 20s, then took a hiatus as his kids got older and worked remotely in a role with the produce industry.
The last restaurant he worked in before moving to Sioux Falls was Scratch Bar & Kitchen in Los Angeles, from a hospitality group with multiple Michelin stars led by Phillip Frankland Lee. Chef Lee held a Food Network record for most consecutive wins on shows such as “Chopped,” “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Cutthroat Kitchen.”
“We were doing a tasting menu, like an 18-course menu where guests sat in the kitchen, and there were no servers,” Moller said. “It was very theatrical and fun.”
Since moving to Sioux Falls last summer, he made connections quickly that led him to take on a new kitchen — inside The Treasury in downtown Sioux Falls, where he serves as executive chef.
“I had done a couple of events in Sioux Falls, and I think one of the menus I’d put together got posted, and I ended up talking to someone who asked if I was interested,” he said. “When you move, you don’t know anybody, but someone who didn’t even know me well reached out.”
Once he learned more about The Treasury and the broader Carpenter Bar local ownership group, “I loved all the spaces,” he said.
“I’m not a designer, but I care about plating, and I tend to notice things aesthetically. I really liked the setting at The Treasury. I like elevated food but very casual. That’s what we curated at Scratch. It was a lot of interaction with guests and absolutely a food destination.”
He just launched his first menu at The Treasury — a blend of classic favorites with the chef’s own signature elements. He jokes that he’d never heard of “hot dish” until he arrived in South Dakota but quickly brought his own take to it.
“Right now, I’m into Asian sauces and flavors, and nostalgic dishes that are approachable and elevated,” he said. “So maybe it’s a new ingredient or new way of saucing or presenting it. Even if it reads somewhat confusing, when you taste it, it should be very familiar.”
As he has settled into Sioux Falls, “I like it,” Moller said. “I’m getting out more and learning and exploring, but I do like it. It’s a good-sized town. It’s not so small that there’s nothing to do.”
He’s looking forward to finding a place to live downtown, which will allow him to walk to work.
“There would be no chance I would live anywhere close to a downtown area, like in Pasadena,” he said. “It would not even be a question, so this opens up a lot of opportunity to be in a more active downtown setting.”
The cost-of-living improvements show up everywhere, he added.
“I got so used to always paying for parking — every time you go somewhere in LA, it’s $16 to $20 to park somewhere,” Moller said.
“And traffic is much better, obviously. So you’re saving in fuel, in energy, in taxes. The state takes 9.5 percent (in sales tax), so from an affordability standpoint, it’s night-and-day different.”
The blend of cost of living with quality of life is a key advantage to Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“New residents generally tell us they find that universally, but when you move from an area like California, it’s an especially significant difference,” she said. “Chef Andrew is going to find an entirely different landscape here when it comes to budgeting, along with so many ways to grow a career in our thriving food scene.”
That’s already becoming apparent, Moller said.
“I feel like for the size of the town, there are a lot of talented people here,” he said. “I think we’re all in the same boat of trying to figure out what sticks and is sustainable. I think there are a lot of people here who want to enjoy and explore food, and I’m eager to help offer that to them.”
To learn more about making your own move to Sioux Falls, contact deniseg@siouxfalls.com.