NYC Chefs Team Up for New Jersey Food Hall

NYC chefs team up for New Jersey food hall

A group of chefs with experience at New York City restaurants like Upland, Union Square Cafe, and Bien Cuit have teamed up to open a food hall in Holmdel, New Jersey. Bell Market will open inside the reimagined Bell Works complex in early spring 2018 with five concepts: wood-fired Italian food, a Jewish deli, Japanese fare, farm-to-table vegetarian food, and a bakery. Before it fully opens, it’s previewing in the space (101 Crawfords Corner Road) weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. through February with a limited menu.

Chumley’s is down an executive chef

Victoria Blamey, the chef who earned Chumley’s in the West Village two stars in the Times, has left the building. Blamey posted on Instagram that she’ll resurface “very soon at a new restaurant,” but had no further comment. While at the remake of the one-time speakeasy, Blamey became known for her decadent burger, which nearly inspired Times critic Pete Wells “to paint my face with grease until I looked like Martin Sheen at the end of ‘Apocalypse Now.’”

Claus Meyer’s next project is an office cafeteria

Increasingly prolific Nordic chef Claus Meyer — a founder of Noma and the guy behind Agern, Great Northern Food Hall, Meyers Bageri, and more — has taken on a new project: an office cafeteria. He’s taking over the Frank Gehry-designed space that used to feed the uppity Conde Nast editors at Four Times Square and turning it into a food hall-style concept.

Golden Krust grapples with founder suicide

News broke over the weekend that Lowell Hawthorne, owner of New York-based Caribbean chain Golden Krust died by suicide over the weekend at 57 years old. He reportedly was afraid that the government was investigating him for tax evasion. Hawthorne’s nephew and company spokesman Stephen Clarke has responded by remaining dedicated to the company’s mission: “providing stellar customer service, producing a world-class line of products; and mainstreaming the safest working conditions for everyone — all with the goal of taking the taste of the Caribbean to the world,” he wrote in a note on the factory door.

Fausto sets an opening date

Get ready for the Franny’s space to live again — L’Artusi and Dell’anima founder Joe Campanale has taken over 348 Flatbush Avenue with former L’Artusi executive chef Erin Shambura to open a wine-driven Italian restaurant. Fausto debuts this weekend with dishes like whole-wheat bigoli with duck ragù and braised pork shank with white beans and gremolata.

Perhaps some souvlaki for lunch?