EaterWire Midday Edition: John Iconomou Out After Four Months at Elizabeth

Ed Stern, 4/30/08

NOLITA— John Iconomou, a former Country chef and the executive chef at the almost four month-old Elizabeth, has left his post at the restaurant. A tipster tells us Iconomou was fired— by none other than fellow ex-Country chef Doug Psaltis— but we're still waiting on the powers that be to confirm the conditions of the departure. What we do know, confirmed by a call to the restaurant, is that Iconomou is out, he's been gone for almost a week, and chef Ryan Grant (formerly of Ilili) is taking over for the time being. More on the why and the how as the details surface.
UPDATE: We just got official word from co-owner Jeff Mancini. He writes that the split was amicable, that Iconomou was not fired, and that he and Doug Psaltis wish him the best. Ryan Grant is in fact the new chef de cuisine, and a new menu is in the works.
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