Chef John Fraser Steps Away from Narcissa and NarcBar in East Village

Chef John Fraser is no longer at Narcissa, the restaurant in the Standard East Hotel that he launched in January 2016, nor any of his other ventures at the hotel.

Though no announcement has been made, a spokesperson for the hotel confirms that Fraser left “in the last few weeks to pursue other projects,” like his upcoming restaurants at a Times Square hotel. Fraser opened Narcissa to critical praise, including two stars from New York magazine and the Times, adding the more casual Narcbar a year later.

Now, former Mission Chinese executive chef Angela Dimayuga, who recently became creative director for food and culture at all the Standard Hotels, will help with the selection of the Standard East’s new chef, as well as the revamping of Narcbar and Cafe Standard. She’ll also have a say in menu changes in the coming months, a rep says, and no dish is safe, including the more well-known rotisserie-crisped beets or miso cured carrots.

Fraser has been paring down his existing portfolio as of late, also leaving his former Michelin-starred restaurant Dovetail four months ago. The empire-building chef still owns and operates Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant Nix on University Place though, and his boisterous West Village American brasserie, the Loyal. As for his newer ventures, he is working with renowned hotelier Ian Schrager to open several dining spots at Schrager’s Edition Hotel Times Square.