We were tipped off that executive chef Frank Fronda and general manager Laurie Pesce have both left Café del Rey. We don't know the circumstances yet, but we confirmed with Pesce, who simply said she's moving on to something new. It's rumored that Fronda is at The Blvd at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Both bios are still on the CDR website; then again, so is the Thanksgiving menu. For a timeline, it looks like the Tavistock Restaurants was looking for a chef in December, and a manager just this week.
When that dynamic duo teamed up in 2004, the aging restaurant lost its dated 80s look for a slightly more contemporary one, Fronda got favorable reviews for his pan-Asian-Euro cuisine, and Pesce ran a tight front of the house. The two were often seen at the big food/restaurant/tasting events around town, working the CDR table, appropriately schmoozing. Can this ship sail without them?
The kitchen doors at Tavistock restaurants seem to always rotate at warp speed: Pastry chef Richard Yoshimura left CDR last August (he's now the pastry chef at soon-to-open MILK on Beverly), and at sister restaurant Napa Valley Grille, executive chef Anne Conness—one of the best that restaurant has seen in years—left in December. Guess corporate life isn't for everyone.
· Executive Chef--Cafe del Rey [Craigslist]
· Restaurant Manager in Cafe del Rey [Craigslist]
· Chefs In and Out at Sunset Beach and Napa Valley Grill [Eater LA]
