One Week Until Chef Geoff's Opens in Rockville

Chef Geoff’s is coming to Rockville.

The restaurant group opened its first location in 2000 and has since made a name—that of owner Geoff Tracy—serving contemporary American cuisine in a casual atmosphere. The new Rockville location will open on Sept. 12, Tracy announced on his website.

Chef Geoff's Rockville will occupy the former home of Houston’s and the short-lived , at 12256 Rockville Pike.

Tracy in July 2011. Last month, cited a Zagat report that the opening was imminent.

On Tuesday, Chef Geoff’s fans received emails inviting them to buy a limited number of tickets (so limited, they were sold out by early Wednesday) to a “soft opening” on Monday and Tuesday.

The Rockville location will use lunch, dinner and happy hour to train members of its culinary and hospitality teams.

The invitation came with this disclaimer: “This will be a lot of fun but you must be aware that this is a training event. Think getting a haircut at a barber school. Mistakes, delays, and general screws ups are bound to happen. We will be asking for feedback and hope that you can provide us with ways we can improve before we open.”

The Chef Geoff’s website also includes job applications and information on applying for kitchen and service staff jobs.

A message on the site encourages applicants for jobs at the Rockville location to email resumes to jobs@chefgeoff.com.

While the restaurant is "staffed and ready to open," said Meghan McCourt, Chef Geoff's human resources director, “We never stop hiring. If there was someone great out there, we want them on our team.”

Can’t wait until Sept. 12 to sample Chef Geoff’s? Try visiting one of Tracy’s five other restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area:

• Chef Geoff’s.
• Chef Geoff’s Downtown.
• Lia’s in Chevy Chase.
• Hank’s Tavern & Eats in Hyattsville.
• Chef Geoff’s Tysons Corner.

Tracy has a compelling biography (he earned a degree in theology at Georgetown University, then opened two restaurants before age 30), a famous journalist wife (CBS This Morning co-anchor Norah O’Donnell) and a thing for ball caps.

Click on the video above to hear Tracy discuss the restaurant industry, his start in the business, his favorite summer fruit and what he’d be doing if he wasn’t “Chef” Geoff.

This article has been updated from its original version.