News

Chef’s Table Shuts Off Their Grills After 10 Short Months

Graham Day, Staff Writer|January 8, 2020

Chef’s Table announced they will be closing their Westport doors on Jan. 15, after only 10 months of service. Chef’s Table featured many different food options, often enjoyed by Westport students after school.

Chef’s Table announced they will be closing their Westport doors on Jan. 15, after only 10 months of service.

Owner Rich Herzfeld opened Chef’s Table in April of 2019 to pair with the store’s Fairfield location, but he cites the Cross Highway location as a factor in the closing.

“Very simply, the location didn’t work out for us,” Herzfeld told 06880. “We appreciate the folks who have supported us.”

The Cross Highway area of Westport doesn’t have the same attraction as downtown Westport due to the lack of stores, restaurants and other appealing locations.

“I’m going to miss Chef’s Table but I’m not surprised,” Max Dorsey ’21 said. “I hope that a food place opens up that has good service and a good sense of community, like Christie’s which was a cornerstone of my neighborhood.”

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I hope that a food place opens up that has good service and a good sense of community, like Christie’s which was a cornerstone of my neighborhood

— Max Dorsey ’21

Dorsey ’21 lives near the Chef’s Table location and also said that the Cross Highway area must support their local restaurants. “If we continue to let our local businesses fail, there will be no shop in that area at all,” Dorsey said.

Chef’s Table replaced the longtime Christie’s Country Store, which had a lasting impact on the area and many were sad to see it go.

Alex Goodman ’20, also a Cross Highway area resident, had a different take on the reason for Chef’s Table’s closing.

Chef’s Table opened its doors in April of 2019, five months after Christie’s Country Store closed their doors.

“I don’t think it was the location as much as the food,” Goodman said. “Westport has a lot of great food options and Chef’s Table wasn’t on the same level.”

Tim Purcell, the owner of the Chef’s Table building, is seeking new tenants and is currently negotiating with a new one. The new business would be a food service, to fill the void Chef’s Table left behind.