Christophe Bellanca OUT at Aureole after Five Months

Just five months after previous chef Chris Lee left Charlie Palmer's Midtown restaurant Aureole, reps confirm that his replacement, Christophe Bellanca is out at the restaurant as well. His last day was yesterday, and sous chef Marcus Ware, who has been at the restaurant for four years and was there for the relocation from the Upper East Side townhouse to the new flashier digs in the Bank of America building, will take over as executive chef.

It's not clear why Bellanca left, but given the sudden nature of the news and some thoughts in the comments, it may not have been on his own terms. Bellanca, by the way, is the chef who earned three stars for Le Cirque in 2008 before allegedly getting pushed out and replaced by Craig Hopson. He then worked at BLT Restaurant Group. For those who want a look at Ware, he's in a video here.
· Christophe Bellanca IN, Chris Lee OUT at Aureole [~ENY~]
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