April Bloomfield Splits From Ken Friedman, Will Keep Hearth & Hound

Chef April Bloomfield has officially severed her relationship with longtime collaborator Ken Friedman. In a new report just published by Eater, Bloomfield says “there is much hard work ahead” as she leaves her New York City restaurants behind to focus on Tosca Cafe in San Francisco and The Hearth & Hound in Los Angeles, which she will continue to own and run independently of Friedman.

The news comes after months of speculation surrounding Bloomfield’s ongoing business dealings with Ken Friedman, who has been accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace at several of his New York City restaurants. Friedman and friend Mario Batali have both been accused of groping multiple women at popular restaurant The Spotted Pig over the years, with Friedman allegedly attempting to blacklist women who came forward.

For her part, Bloomfield told the NY Times said that she “let down our employees” when the allegations against Friedman first came to light. In a follow-up report on 60 Minutes, several accusers said that Bloomfield did not do enough to protect them, and they “didn’t trust her” to take the allegations seriously.

Wonho Frank Lee

The dissolution of the Bloomfield and Friedman relationship means that Bloomfield will no longer have a stake in any of her now-former New York City restaurants. Instead she will be focusing her work on Tosca Cafe, the reborn San Francisco icon, and LA’s own The Hearth & Hound. Friedman will likewise no longer have a stake, financial or otherwise, in those restaurants. Sources tell Eater LA that Bloomfield has already relocated to Los Angeles permanently.

• LA Times Critic Jonathan Gold Steps Into Hearth & Hound’s Moral Quandary [ELA]
• How April Bloomfield Is Splitting from Ken Friedman [E]