There’s a new chef in town, but you won't find him plating tapas in a downtown restaurant, or even prepping tostadas at a taqueria. Instead, Chef Steven Grostick will be applying his culinary skills to prepared foods and catering at the Produce Station, 1629 S. State St.

Grostick has made the move to the boutique Ann Arbor grocery shop after making a name for himself as executive chef at the Toasted Oak Grill & Market in Novi, Table 5 in Northville and Five Lakes Grill in Milford. His trademark has always been an intense focus on locally-sourced ingredients.

Produce Station manager Andrew Gorsuch says that Grostick has the potential to take the Produce Station in new and exciting directions. “I think the prepared foods section will evolve. We’ll tweak our summer grill offerings by spring.”

“His passion is for what he calls ‘Midwest comfort cuisine,’ so he will make that happen here,” enthused Gorsuch. “And he has a passion for charcuterie — sausages, porchetta, terrines and smoked meats. I think once we get all the other things going, we’ll be looking into that as well.”

Gorsuch hinted at other possible changes down the road, including regular In-store tastings, talks and classes with Chef Steven.

When he’s not in the kitchen, you might find Grostick on a friend’s farm in Belleville, where he’s raising several breeds of heritage hogs. He also acts as an advocate for small farmers, working to help match them with area chefs looking to source locally.

Grostick's hiring comes a little over a year after the Produce Station brought former Village Corner wine expert Jorge Lopez-Chavez on board.

Bonus: Here's a video of Chef Steven, filmed at the James Beard House in New York. Grostick was there to prepare a Michigan-themed dinner for the James Beard Foundation.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at JessicaWebster@annarbor.com. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.