As we mentioned yesterday, executive chef Kim Alter and some of her kitchen staff decided to leave the employ of Plate Shop effective Sunday night. Today we find that at least one of Alter’s staff has decided to stay on in the chef role, and that is Steve Matkovich, who was Alter’s meat cook. It’s unclear how much of a new menu Matkovich will be able to create on such short notice, but Alter has asked him that he not use her menu. Alter says the motive behind her decision to leave was simply irreconcilable differences between her and the investors in the restaurant, and between her and manager Matt Kahn, who wanted to take the menu in a different direction. “I sat down with my kitchen staff Sunday,” Alter tells Grub Street, “and I told them it was my intention to leave, and it was up to them to decide if they wanted to stay. Several of them decided to leave too.”
The restaurant was closed last night and it remained unclear who would take over kitchen duties, or how quickly the menu would have to change. A blog post by one of the line cooks in question discussing difficulties between front-of-house and back-of-house staff in the restaurant has since been removed, but it’s clear that it has not been an easy place to work during these opening months.
Alter says she’s “really excited” about what will come next, so it sounds like she already has another gig in the works — and that may have helped motivate her out the door.
Matkovich may or may not prove to be the permanent hire at Plate Shop, but he’ll be doing a trial run for the next week or two.
Please note that the restaurant will be closed on Tuesdays going forward.
Earlier: Updated: Kim Alter, Whole Kitchen Staff Part Ways With Plate Shop
