Veritas Reportedly Fires Kitchen Staff, Closes for Renovations

At Veritas, “closed for renovations” is apparently shorthand for “firing your entire kitchen staff.” That’s the message several tipsters relayed over the weekend to Eater, which reports that the staff and executive chef Grégory Pugin were summarily dismissed yesterday.

Pugin, a French-born chef who trained in his native country with Joel Robuchon, was hired two years ago to take over the kitchen at the well-regarded restaurant, which opened in 1998. During his tenure, the restaurant won a Michelin star in 2009, and Pugin was nominated this year for a James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award.

At present, a message on the Gramercy restaurant’s website says that it’s closed for renovations, but that “[c]ome fall, we will be opening a new and exciting Veritas.” With, undoubtedly, a “new and exciting” staff to fill its now very empty kitchen.