After 25 years, one of Chittenden County’s most beloved fine dining institutions is closing. But only until a former sous-chef takes over, reopening the restaurant on October 24. More details from him will follow when we have them.
Patrick and Christine Grangien announced today on Café Shelburne‘s Facebook page that they are ready to call it quits.
This afternoon, Patrick Grangien told Seven Days, “We just want to take a little bit of time — a much-needed break.” He hopes to remain open until October 12, for one final Saturday service. But he realizes that as employees may be forced to find other jobs, he might not have enough staff to continue feeding his fans that long. His advice: If you want to taste his food one last time, come as soon as possible.
It’s unlikely there will be another chance. Though Grangien says he will remain in Vermont, the note on Facebook hinted, “We are turning over a new leaf, and we are moving on to exciting projects.” He chooses not to disclose what those projects might be. However, his answer to whether the endeavors will be food related was a curt “I don’t think so.”
Though he’s not overly nostalgic about his quarter century feeding Shelburne, Grangien said he’s grateful for his time running the restaurant. “It was a good experience. We are a little bit sad,” he said. “We made quite some friends those years. It’s tough for us to call it quits.”
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If you are closing the place, then stop putting up ad’s on craigslist for jobs. I have found a few job postings on craigslist for cafe shelburne in the past few weeks
Maybe they need some extra help during the decommissioning phase . . .
My first (and last) time there was something like 8 years ago and they had a Jacket and Tie policy. Frankly, their food wasn’t worth dressing up for. It wouldn’t surprise me if others stayed away because of that ridiculously outdated and stuffy policy, even if it had been dropped since.
This piece is written in such a confusing manner. The second half contradicts the first half. In looking at the FB page, it sounds like the Cafe is closing temporarily and it is changing hands:
“Just to make it clear, yes we are retiring from Café Shelburne on October 12th, but the restaurant is not closing. It will remain café Shelburne and will reopen on October 24th under the management of an ex-sous chef of the café and a friend of his. Sorry for the confusion.
Patrick”