Ex-Clifton's Chef Jason Fullilove Now Quietly Cooking at Burbank's Castaway

If you haven't heard from Jason Fullilove for a little while, don't worry: the man keeps busy. Whether it's dropping in to help others with a night of service or spending time on local farms, Fullilove seems far removed from his short and rocky stint at Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown. As it turns out, he has been far away — all the way up in the tony hillside Burbank enclave called Castaway.

If you're not familiar, Castaway is a sort of upscale casual restaurant situated on the grounds of the DeBell Golf Club. The place is up for a full-scale remodel this summer (menus included), hoping to build on its already strong views of the Valley below. And just last week, with Fullilove on board, the restaurant began by tweaking their existing menus.

Open for lunch, bar snacks, and dinner, Castaway is still doing the usual crab cakes, filet mignon, and 19th hole burger, but there are nods to Fullilove's time as a beloved fine dining chef in there too: a pan-roasted Mary's chicken, or some rockfish ceviche from the raw bar.

A call to the restaurant confirms that Fullilove is now on site full time. It's a quieter landing spot for the chef, who got hammered in the opening days of Clifton's Cafeteria Downtown — where they've since cleaned house of basically every single opening staff member — after previously manning the stoves at the Malibu Pier. He's also done amazing things at LACMA and with the Patina team, so it will be interesting to see how his cooking fits in with the upscale Valleyites who frequent Castaway.