Staffing Woes Don't End at Superba Food + Bread as Pastry/Bread Chef Minnie Choe Departs

Another week, another perplexing staff development at Superba Food + Bread, the Paul Hibler all-day space in Venice that opened to much fanfare just over a year ago. Amidst a few uncertain rounds of staffing since, the restaurant lost pastry maestro Lincoln Carson and, not long after, bread baker Jonathan Eng. Their combined successor, Minnie Choe, is now also out at the eatery less than two months in, with calls to the restaurant confirming her departure.

The beauty of a restaurant has been a nightmare for anyone working in HR, with multiple chefs rotating through the kitchen, as well as GMs, bread bakers, pastry makers, and a large amount of front of house staff. All along, the American Gonzo restaurant group folks have maintained that the restaurant is healthier than ever and that the merry-go-round of hires has been either intentional (they called post-Jason Travi chef Jennifer Toomey a "temporary hire" after she walked off the job, which she strongly denies) or temporary. Neither is proving to be accurate.

So far, there are no other details on Choe’s departure (Hibler’s camp hasn’t returned a request for a comment) but it’s hard to see the two month split as entirely amicable. The loss also returns a gaping hole in the Superba Food & Bread program overall, with an unknown staffer running the daily bread and pastry programs there.

Hopefully that perpetually in-progress Superba Coffee + Snacks planned for Pasadena isn’t being further delayed by the ongoing commotion at their sister spot in Venice.