Acclaimed French Chef Anne-Sophie Pic Scraps Plans to Open NYC Restaurants

One of France's best chefs, Anne-Sophie Pic, has shelved plans to open two restaurants at 510 Madison Avenue. French Morning reports that the New York project has been suspended "until further notice." One part of the space was going to be a version of the chef's casual restaurant, Met Cafe, and the second floor was going to be an iteration of Pic's acclaimed fine dining establishment, La Dame de Pic. The chef had tapped Le Cirque veteran Sylvain Portay to run the kitchen at both restaurants. But that's all history now. According to French Morning, one of the major investors is rumored to have backed out of the project.

[Goat cheese-filled pasta with ginger-bergamot watercress sauce and black truffles. Photo Courtesy of Maison Pic]

Pic began working in the kitchen of her father's restaurant Maison Pic in 1992. She took over operations in 1997, and brought the restaurant back up to a three Michelin Star rating in 2007. She has since opened restaurants in Paris, Switzerland, and Monaco.

This was shaping up to be one of the most exciting New York City restaurants of 2015. Last year, the chef told Eater: "We're trying to keep it a secret. It's a big challenge, and exciting to be a French chef in this magical city that is New York. I'm going in not competitively, but humbly, simply wanting to do my best." No word yet on what will happen to the space.

For more on the chef's career, please check out Lesley Chesterman's profile of the chef from last year.