Vermont Fine restaurant in Richmond has closed, confirmed co-chef Chelsea Morgan. She and her husband, Tom D’Angelo, opened the eatery in the historic brick building on West Main Street in mid-October 2022.
The couple posted a statement on social media on July 19 announcing that it would be their final night. They also noted that a new concept would take over the building that was formerly occupied by the Kitchen Table Bistro for 19 years.
A new chef team is targeting a Labor Day opening for the restaurant space, said Adam True, general manager of the as-yet-unnamed venue.
True said he is working with an ownership group of silent partners. Some members of that group were also involved in the 2022 purchase of the building and restaurant assets from Steve and Lara Atkins, chef-owners of the Kitchen Table Bistro, in support of Morgan and D’Angelo’s venture.
A new executive chef and pastry chef have been hired, True said, but he could not disclose any further details except to say they are Vermont chefs. The restaurant may use a variant of the Vermont Fine name, but that is still to be determined. True did confirm that the new restaurant will honor outstanding Vermont Fine gift certificates.
True is an industry veteran and Franklin County native who began his career at age 16 at Le Cheval d’Or in Jeffersonville. He has worked on and off for decades in restaurants in Vermont, such as Trattoria Delia in Burlington.
Morgan wrote by text that she and D’Angelo had struggled with challenges
afflicting the restaurant industry as it emerges from the pandemic, especially hiring and retaining staff. “As a new business, we couldn’t pay what our competitors were paying,” she wrote.
The couple plan to take at least a short break from restaurants. “We are both over the extreme, fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle this industry brings,” Morgan wrote. But, she added, “We loved working with our small farms and will miss the community.”
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This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2023.
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