Former Maestro Chef Trabocchi Out of Work as Fiamma Closes
Eater.com is reporting the B.R. Guest has closed Fiamma, the Soho Italian restaurant that earned its share of respect under the stewardship of former Maestro chef Fabio Trabocchi. Frank Bruni at the New York Times gave the restaurant three stars (though he later scolded Fiamma for jacking up its prices shortly after his review.) The Times' stamp, however, couldn't save the drowning place in a sinking economy.
Eater posted B.R. Guest's official response on the matter. You can read it after the jump. In the meantime, it's time to kick start the Where in the World Will Fabio Trabocchi Land? game. Trabocchi was reportedly a partner in the Fiamma enterprise, so presumably B.R Guest president and founder Stephen Hanson bought out Trabocchi's stake so he could start his events company in the old Fiamma space. So where does that leave Trabocchi? Will he remain in New York or will he return to D.C. as some have speculated? (Obviously, the speculation was based on a partnership with B.R. Guest, but he could still return, yes?)
New York – January 14, 2009 – B.R. Guest, LLC announced today that Fiamma in New York, NY, will close and become a full-service event space. Fiamma’s three-floor townhouse will feature menus from existing B.R. Guest concepts for private functions.
“I am proud of the work the staff of Fiamma has done under Chef Fabio Trabocchi," said B.R. Guest president and founder Stephen Hanson. “It has been a pleasure to work with such an outstanding talent and wish him much success in the future.”
The end of the partnership between B.R. Guest and Chef Fabio Trabocchi is an amicable one, as the current economic climate does not support such an upscale operation like Fiamma.
“I would like to thank Stephen Hanson for his support, and unfortunately this is a very difficult decision that we both agree on,” said Trabocchi. "During my time at Fiamma, the restaurant was able to reach great achievements thanks to the fully dedicated staff and management team.”
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