Saturday 17 March 2007
Dear Friends and Restaurant Family:
Opportunity knocked on the door at BCR a few weeks ago when David Howitt called me to talk about the future of Clarklewis. David assumed ownership of the restaurant six months ago after the unfortunate demise of the Ripe Company. His role at Clarklewis is to preserve and support the ongoing concern. He is a venture capitalist with no long-term intention of being in the restaurant business – that’s where I come in. Over the past several weeks David and I have been able to achieve a deal that will allow me to take over as owner/operator and place him in a more appropriate partner role. It’s a good deal for me. It’s a good deal for David. And with my best effort, it will be a great thing for the future of Clarklewis.
I am excited to bring one of my favorite restaurants into the family along with Bluehour, Saucebox and 23Hoyt. My intention is to accentuate the positive and to stabilize the business with creative leadership, a capital infusion, and new chairs (among other things). Initially I have no intention of making radical change at Clarklewis. The staff, with several long term members among them, will remain intact as over the next several weeks a few key members of my team will get to know the operation better. Chris Israel, Joe Rogers and I will come in-house and work along side Carly Laws and Ben Alandt to support their good work. Naomi will continue to hold her Family Supper series at Clarklewis on Sunday nights.
At this early stage there is no timeframe in place for the passage. My 2:30 pm general staff meeting at Clarklewis today is the first step. In the next few days I will meet one on one with everyone concerned. I am looking forward to getting to know these gifted people who have demonstrated great fortitude throughout the transitions.
Our collective hope is for the extraneous drama to diminish so we can all get back to our real love – creating deeply satisfying, delicious food in the bright spirit of friendliness, hospitality and professionalism.
Sincerely,
Bruce Carey
Stretching themselves awfully thin. With Bruce and Chris Israel running CL, where does that leave 23Hoyt, which is just coming into it’s own? A bit too soon to lose focus on that property, and of course there are the ongoing issues with the other two restaurants.
Eventually, they’ll have to find a chef. They need someone at the helm. Er… of all three four restaurants.
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A reliable source tells me Eddie Robinson, Chef de Cuisine at Ten01, has been asked to resign. I can’t help but question why this didn’t happen a few months ago, but hey… this is a positive development (for Ten01). Under a good chef, a restaurant can turn on a dime – just look at 23Hoyt. The question is whether public perception can change quickly without names like Chris Israel and Bruce Carey. Something tells me they already have their hands full.
What? You want more news? I don’t have any more news! You should all be frolicking at the park anyway.
Well Fooddude, if this rumor is true, that is good for Ten01. I hope Eddie keeps working on his craft…..it is hard to lead a kitchen that is #1 has big expectations, #2 the space itself has a lot of moving parts. You have to be true to the food and wary of all the”bells and whistles”. Also I believe Eddie used too work at a smaller venue ( Dundee Bistro ) it is a different service trying to do 150-250 covers a night plus a bar menu, and over seeing 8 servers….Now what will Ten01 do? Yes Bruce Carey but the bleeding with Balvo and overnight ( two weeks ) switched to Chris and changed the look and name and succeeded with 23 Hoyt. Will the Ten01 management be able to switch gears? and get back on track? New menu is in store for sure! Who is the chef? Adam and Mike are great guys, I hope it works…. How about this for a chef to come in, create a “BUZZ” and has worked in a high profile SanFrancisco big venue restaurant – Yeah baby, Corey Schriber could pull it off ( remember Cyprus Club under his leadership? very good ) Although I herad a rumor that Corey is looking in SE PDX for a new space….but he could “right the ship”
It’s kinda bummer..I’ve enjoyed reading all of their bad reviews.
Here’s more news: Karen Brooks is reporting on the O’s web site this afternoon that Bruce Carey & Co. have taken over clarklewis.
oh..this is getting good…
Too bad. I really did like the food Eddie produced at Tabla and he had signs of greatness with Ten-01. I think the combos he tried to pull of with ingredients did not work most of the time. I hope that Adam and Michael get someone to turn the kitchen around, I love the space and the staff have always been top notch.
Congrats to Bruce and his team. Clark Lewis is a great addition to his empire. Obviously having a property on the other side of the river is another plus. I bet Gerding & company are wondering how to cut a deal for Ten01. Bruce has a great touch, great following, also generally speaking, Bruce hires great staff. David Howitt probably will recoup some of his investment.
Would this in any way relate to Jehnee Raines
coming back to town? She’s a pro. And Joe Rogers is Joe Rogers.
Sidemeat – the first thing that occurred to me is that Jehnee might be going to clarklewis. She has worked for both Hebberoy and Carey in the past. Be interesting to find out.
interesting…
I find it quite fitting for Bruce and Co to be taking over a former Hebb venture. It really speaks to the truth. Say what you will about Bruce Good or Bad. He’s very good at what he does.
Bruce and friends would indeed be stretching themselves too thin if they were starting another venture without a staff. However, Clark has a management structure, kitchen, and office that they’ve refined and smoothed over since their opening. Plus, they got to pick and choose their best (if not less famous) staff members from Gotham’s closing.
With this in place, new restaurant owners can find a chef over time, and the place is essentially running itself. It’s just an ownership change, not a dramatic event. Things are going to be just fine, if not less public and drawn out in the media, at Clark. Sounds pleasant to me.
this is a forecast of a really fun and interesting year in portland restaurants. i know the note said they were keeping ben alandt but there was a curious post on s.f. craigslist about a chef gig up here that sounded oddly like clarklewis….weird