Solo & Cook Bow Out of Citron & Rose

In the biggest surprise of the week, word just came from Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook that they've ended their consultation gig with Citron & Rose. In addition to Solo and Cook ending their partnership with owner David Magerman, they've taken chef de cuisine Yehuda Sichel from the C&R kitchen and returned him to his rightful place at Zahav.

When news first broke that Solo and Cook were working on Citron & Rose, their involvement as consultants was mentioned in regards to Kosher law since they owned other non-Kosher restaurants. But, there was no mention of Cook and Solo's imminent departure from the restaurant after things got rolling, either, so today's developments certainly stirred up a lot of chatter as to why the dissolution occurred.

Sichel garnered a lot of critical praise during his stint running the C&R kitchen, and Solomonov and Cook said he would return to Zahav until a new project was on the books where he would be needed. It's entirely possible that Cook and Solo had a one year contract with Magerman that wasn't renewed, but this news seemed to have taken everyone in the industry by surprise.

"As of this past Monday, we have concluded our consulting arrangement with Citron and Rose. Chef de Cuisine Yehuda Sichel will return temporarily to Zahav as we work on our next restaurant project. Mike and I are extremely proud of what our amazing staff accomplished at Citron and Rose in such a short period of time.

It was gratifying to see a full restaurant every night that served kosher cuisine to a diverse clientele. We are grateful to David Magerman for allowing us to put kosher dining in the spotlight. We would also like to thank our Mashgiach Rob Kandler as well as Community Kashrus of Philadelphia for their wisdom, guidance and patience throughout our involvement. We wish Citron and Rose continued success." - Steve Cook

· All Citron & Rose Coverage [~EPHI~]
· All Cook and Solo Coverage [~EPHI~]