Chef Changes For The New Year

So here we are, just two days into the new year and already we’ve got some chef changes to report.

First off, Pierre and Charlotte Calmels of Le Cheri have let go their opening chef, Waldemar “Val” Stryjewski after a little more than a month (Le Cheri opened in the Art Alliance space on November 20). According to the Insider, it just wasn’t a good fit with the kitchen there needing less of a chef and more of a manager. No replacement has been named yet, but Pierre has been holding things together at Le Cheri since the start while longtime sous Ron Fougeray has been running the kitchen at Bibou.

Chef Michael Cappon has also left Isabella in Conshohocken where he’s been running the kitchen for years. According to the folks at Isabella, he’ll be leaving the restaurant game entirely and will instead be running the specialty food department for a distributor.

Cappon’s place behind the stoves will be taken by his sous, Mario Rodriguez (ex of the Farm and Fisherman, Telepan and Standard Grill in NYC).

So that’s the news for this morning. But don’t forget that we also lost these bars and the Farmers’ Cabinet over the holiday break, so stay tuned to see what happens next…