Chefs Jeff Michaud and Michael Schulson Buy Osteria From Urban Outfitters

In December, Marc Vetri left URBN and his restaurants Osteria, Amis, Alla Spina, Pizzeria Vetri, and Bar Amis, which he sold to the retail giant in 2015. And now another chef is saying goodbye — but he’s taking Osteria with him. Jeff Michaud, the James Beard Award-winning chef who’s been with Osteria since the beginning, just bought the restaurant from URBN, with backing from Michael Schulson. Schulson is the chef-owner behind Double Knot, Harp & Crown, Sampan, and the upcoming Giuseppe & Sons.

Michaud started out as sous chef at Vetri Cucina (which Marc Vetri still owns with Jeff Benjamin; it wasn’t included in the sale to URBN) before becoming chef-partner at Osteria, the northern Italian restaurant on North Broad Street. He won the James Beard in 2010 for best chef in the mid-Atlantic region and released a cookbook, Eating Italy, in 2013.

Once URBN, the Philly-based parent company of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People, took over Marc Vetri’s restaurants, Michaud served as executive chef and culinary director. Starting February 1, URBN will no longer own Osteria and Michaud will be executive chef as well as owner, in partnership with the Schulson Collective, which Schulson runs with his wife, Nina.

“I was part of the original opening team at Osteria in 2007 and taking on this new role feels like going home,” Michaud says. “This is an exciting opportunity that presented itself and I’ve been fortunate enough to have the support of URBN for my desire to pursue my own venture.”

Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

David Ziel, chief development officer at URBN, expressed that support in a statement, saying, “Since joining URBN Jeff has been an incredibly dedicated partner and we have enjoyed working with and learning from him. We wish him the best and look forward to working with him in the future.”

Marc Vetri’s restaurant partner Jeff Benjamin left URBN over the summer. He’s now signed on to run the operations as executive vice president at the upcoming Fitler Club. Vetri and Benjamin are opening a second Vetri Cucina in Las Vegas.

Brad Spence of Amis is still with URBN, the last one of the Vetri group to remain.

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