Is Mario Alberto No Longer Manning the Stoves at Laurel Hardware and Ysabel?

Here's a weird one: it seems that longtime Laurel Hardware chef Mario Alberto may no longer be involved with the West Hollywood restaurant that he helped bring to prominence. What's more: he may also no longer be a part of Ysabel, the sister restaurant to Laurel Hardware that's just down the street on Fairfax.

The intriguing bit of business comes at the tail end of this three-page Los Angeles Business Journal story (subscription required), which quotes Alberto on the topic of finding suitable line cooks and chefs for L.A.'s growing restaurant scene. The article calls Alberto a 'restaurant consultant,' even naming the aforementioned restaurants as places the chef used to work.

So, if Alberto's not manning the stoves at either restaurant, then who is? And furthermore, who might Alberto be consulting for? Eater reached out to the Ysabel and Laurel Hardware teams to get more information, but so far hasn't heard back.

UPDATE: Ysabel's general manager has told Eater that Alison Trent, formerly of Bouchon, is now in charge of the kitchen at Ysabel.