Word on the street is that chef Banjamin Parks, the much-heralded replacement for Jack Yoss, has been shown the door at Ten 01. Note that this is an unconfirmed rumor, but I’m pretty darn sure.
Here are the things pointed out to me that make it seem plausible:
1. His Twitter feed switched from ten01chef to Benjaminparks. Hmm…
2. His Linkedin profile shows him as an ex-employee, and looking for work. HMM….
Some of the most interesting comments from his Linkedin:
“am looking for people who want to build their restaurant for the long term and run a responsible, and profitable business, not flippers trying to quickly fix something on paper by cutting corners, or people who just want to recoup their investments as quickly as possible to start something else. I am passionate about food, cooking and giving guests a memorable experience, and I want to work with people who are equally passionate.”
Wonder if there is a bit of bitterness there.
and
Benjamin Parks’s Experience
Executive Chef
Ten 01(Restaurants industry)
March 2009 — November 2009 (9 months)
While at Ten01, I organized the kitchen labor to eliminate overtime and reduce labor cost to 9%. I increased local sourcing of ingredients, increasing the quality and freshness of ingredients.
My responsibilities included hiring and training of staff. writing and changing seasonal menus, controlling labor and food costs. Our restaurant served lunch, dinner, bar and happy hour menus 6 days a week, and catered frequent private events both offsite and in the restaurant.
…
I cannot help but find this mean-spirited.
Although his resume is posted online the intention is to find work not to have anonymous forum-posters pick him and his work of the past 6 months apart.
Whether they like it or not restaurant employees often get as much or more attention as the goods and services provided by said establishment.
Who here, searching for a job in a very bad economy can say they would want their resume and their recent employment opened up for public anonymous comment?
When prospective employers google this man’s name (as employers do now) your comments here are bound to come up in the search.
Um, I think this was pretty kind, considering the rumors floating around. I’ve always remarked on the comings and goings of chefs and restaurants, and that isn’t going to change. I frequently use the term “has left the building”. An finally, I didn’t post anything that wasn’t found in a quick Google search. Now that search engines are doing Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter, anything someone writes is up to public scrutiny, be it by bloggers or prospective employers.
Now go back to bed and get up on the other side.
But on his own site links he can moderate the comments.. it is the “opened up for anonymous comment” I take issue with- not the reporting of the news.
All I was doing was urging people to not post ill judged or venomous things here about a man and a situation they probably know little to nothing about.
If appealing to peoples’ better nature when it comes to discussing someone’s employment means I got up on the wrong side of the bed I hope to always get up on that side.
does “has been shown the door” and “wonder if there is any bitterness there.” sound “kind” to anyone else?
also, alluding to ‘rumors’ is more than a bit low. I am fairly certain that you understand that such speculation would lead a fair amount of people to think/assume some pretty awful things. Why would you repeat the rumor of his leaving, then back up said regurgitations that you then, won’t divulge? Makes no sense….
The last time I was there for a wine event a couple of months ago, the food was great. I am disappointed as I wanted to get there for dinner (I hadn’t had dinner there since Chef Yoss left).
Here’s hoping he finds the right spot to land sooner rather than later. Good luck Chef Parks!
He is for certain gone. For about a week now. Wasn’t crazy about his food. Thought Jack Yoss’ was better.
I wasn’t too impressed at first, but thought his food had gotten much better over the last couple of months.
Not that it’s likely to have altered the course of events, but it’s a shame that the double down arrow posted on the front page of this site within a few short weeks of Parks’ hiring was not changed to reflect the reported recent improvement.
From the many meals I enjoyed @ Ten-01 under Parks, his food improved markedly after a short break in period that’s typical for a new chef in an unfamiliar restaurant.
As I suggested on this site months ago, and as Parks’ own comment implies, his biggest failing was not being Jack Yoss, his much loved predecessor.
–mcz
agreed. He is not a bad chef, jack just cooks more to my tastes. bold flavors. Chef parks is a little more mellow
It’s true. I’m gone. No bitterness though. That line on my linkedin has been there before I ever came to ten01. I was the wrong chef for that restaurant, and I spent 9 months trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I wish everyone there all the best going forward.
The nature of this topic feels very gossipy to me. To say that a person has “left the building” seems like a flippant way of referring to a person losing their job during a recession. Commenting about someone’s resume, unless you are interested in hiring them, is superfluous speculation.
When you start rumour-mongering about chefs or celebrities or NASCAR drivers it projects an “us and them” mentality. I have noticed the tone of this website previously walking a fine line in perpetuating that dichotomy.
I have no personal feelings for Ben nor am I going to comment here about the quality of the food at Ten-01, as I ate there numerous times before and after Yoss’ tenure. But this treating people like objects of amusement needs to stop before this site drifts into a trivial tabloid.
It is true that I have left, but there is not bitterness on my end. I was the wrong chef for that restaurant, and have spent the past 9 months trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The line on my linkedin page has been there long before I had even heard of ten01. I have nothing but the best of wished for ten01 going forward.
Ben I hope you stay in PDX
Ben, I can only speak to your food, and from all the meals and bites I had at Ten01 under your control, I was always impressed! You put together some of the most elegantly simple, yet well balanced flavor pairings I have had in sometime. Thank you for doing/trying your best. I do hope that you find a better fit here in Portland. God knows we need all the chefs we can get with a clear vision!
Very impressed with Ben Parks’ comments here, and not so impressed with FD’s posting. Havn’t been to this site in over a month because of postings from the Dude like this and am sad that the first time I come back this is what I see.
I don’t see anything wrong with posting this. It is news to the portland community. I would be more appalled if the news didn’t come out! This (besides portlandfood.org and gossip from other cooks and chefs around town) is the only link that we have in this community of food lovers. We all care about this town and love to know what is going on! Thanks FoodDude and thanks Chef Parks!
me
me.
me…..
me neither!
How do you define “involved”?
Nor I!
me
I’m sorry if some of you take issues with this post. It all turned out to be true, which I was 90% sure of when I posted it. Since 2004 I’ve done this type of post, and if something similar happens tomorrow, then I’d do it again. If you don’t like it, there are 1000 other food sites in Portland. Try extramsg.com. I’m sure you will be happy there.
or my new favorite eater pdx
http://pdx.eater.com/
Good for you Food Dude! It is YOUR site after all, don’t let anyone forget it!!! Thank you for all your continuing hard work through the years! Cheers…
Since when did everyone in Portland get so pious and self-righteous? Oh wait…
This is food news. It’s a small city. Grow up and stop defending your false claim to chivalry.
What Tim Roth said.
I couldn’t agree more. This was a post about a chef departing a restaurant. What’s the big deal? Do those that are coming to Chef Park’s rescue feel that he has been maligned in some way? His departure (as a result of either quitting or being fired) is no more or less news-worthy than the inevitable post that will announce his replacement.
My only professional restaurant/cooking experience was as a burger-flipper/cashier in my college’s snack bar, and that’s been mumblety-dozen years back now. I know a handful of professionals and aspiring professionals, but mostly I’m a layperson and home cook.
I have mixed feelings about postings such as these. On the one hand, it is news when a Chef leaves a high profile restaurant, and it is news who their replacement is. This affects whether one will continue to eat there, or try it in the first place. But do the circumstances of the departure, and the smallest details surrounding the transition and the people involved qualify as news and noteworthy? I’m not so sure. To me it’s a bit like a car wreck – the fact of the wreck and the number of casualties is news, but do we need to see the spatter marks and interview the survivors about their loss? I think it then goes from news to voyeurism.
And in the case of a Chef leaving a restaurant, we rarely hear both sides of the story, which there always are. So often all the speculation creates bad feeling without always being justified. Did so-and-so leave such and such a place because he couldn’t cook, or were they a bad manager? Or was it a matter of a bad fit and no one’s fault? Sometimes it depends on whom you ask. But to speculate on these things can be damaging to someone’s rep, and doesn’t really affect whether one should eat there in the future. It’s just gossip, which often passes for news these days.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with this as a new piece. Like Ken says, it influences our dining decisions. Probably could’ve done without the unfounded “bitterness” snark, but that’s sort of picking nits.
News is always reported as a story. News isn’t just headlines. If you want your news to be free of details, you could certainly read only the headlines, learn nothing about the story, and subsequently feel like an ignoramus when you cannot relate to those who have the gall to actually read why someone did something and what the consequences of their actions were. Food Dude is such a rebel for daring to report the details of changes in our cozy little food community.
Besides, when a chef takes a position at a relatively high-profile restaurant, he or she should expect their arrival and departure to not only be newsworthy but to be reported upon in some detail. And for Food Dude not to be a little snarky would be a damn shame. Snark secretly makes all of you happy. Don’t pretend like you don’t watch that dry Britcom crap on OPB on Saturday nights…
As I said…Amazing what passes for news these days. Since when are the details of someone’s resume “news?” And usually news is supposed to be balanced with an attempt towards investigating all sides, and not reporting rumors, with the hope they are actually true. I’m not saying there’s no place for Internet blogs and chitchat and rumors and the like. But calling it “news” is a bit of a stretch. Fun though it may be.
From one chef to another, good luck. I ate at the bar at 10-01 a few times under both regimes and enjoyed all my meals. Something will open up around here, always does.
me