This just in, a joint statement from spokespeople for David Burke and Donatella Arpaia, the chef-operator duo behind longstanding Upper East Side New American hotspot david burke & donatella:
Donatella Arpaia and David Burke, the founders and owners of davidburke & donatella in New York have parted ways...
...as of August 8, 2008. The restaurant—located on East 61st Street—will continue to be run by Mr. Burke; Ms. Arpaia leaves to focus on her other restaurant projects. The restaurant will remain under the same name until the end of the year. Both wish each other well on their future ventures.The split makes good sense: Since the restaurant opened, in December of 2003, Burke has created himself a fairly robust brand of products and restaurants—including his crown jewel consultancy at Hawaiian Tropic Zone—and Donatella has teamed with Michael Psilakis on a string of successful restaurants, including Anthos, Kefi and Mia Dona (also, sans Psilakis, the hiccup Ama).