Bibiana has hired Douglas Hernandez, pastry chef at Central Michel Richard, to handle the desserts at the forthcoming downtown osteria/enoteca from Ashok Bajaj. Bibiana will have its "soft" opening on Monday, Sept. 7.

Hernandez has been with Central for more than two years, says Mel Davis, spokesperson for the celebrity chef. At Central, Hernandez has been in charge of executing Richard's justly famous dessert menu, whether his clever, crunchy take on the Kit Kat bar or the chef's luxe version of a banana split.

At Bibiana, Hernendez is expected to have complete creative control of the dessert menu. "He's going to be reinventing classic Italian desserts, from Tuscany to Sicily," notes Davis, who briefly spoke with Hernendez this afternoon.

Hernendez told Davis several times, she says, that he may return to the Michel Richard family one day.