SAUCE MAGAZINE
The Scoop: Brasserie gets a new executive chef
June 24th 10:06am, 2010
Brasserie by Niche is gearing up a bienvenue: Chef and owner Gerard Craft has hired William Fugitt as executive chef to replace Perry Hendrix, who is leaving the Central West End bistro to take a position at Custom House Tavern in Chicago.
Fugitt holds 16 years of culinary experience, including tenures at Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate Hotel and Equinox Restaurant in Washington, D.C.; Michel Bras Restaurant in Laguoile, France; Tru in Chicago; and Jack Nicklaus’ Country Club at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Most recently, Fugitt has been collaborating on dinners with farmer Lee Jones, owner of The Chef’s Garden in Huron, Ohio. Fugitt will take up his new role on July 7.
In a conversation last evening with Sauce, Craft expressed his excitement about Fugitt’s credentials and experience with French cuisine, but noted that the switch did not mean that Brasserie’s menu would be changing any time soon. “We’re not going to go in and flip anything. This is a menu that we created based off of dishes we love, and French cooking. We’ll keep things moving forward,” stated Craft.
“There is no negativity between me and Perry,” he added. “We have a lot of respect for Perry and the choices he has to make for his family. He got a great offer, and we have an amazing replacement.”
One of Fugitt’s first endeavors will be to assist Craft with the charity event Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit, to be held at Brasserie by Niche on July 27. For this affair, top chefs from the Midwest will gather to create a multicourse menu paired with fine wines and beers.
– Ligaya Figueras
By Katie O’Connor
Tags: Brasserie by Niche, Gerard Craft, Perry Hendrix, William Fugitt
July 9th, 2010 at 9:35 am
I want to let people know what to expect from Brasserie by Niche, and specifically what to expect from the general manager, Chris Nashan. Recently my wife and I decided to visit Brasserie by Niche, and were plesantly surprised by the warm welcoming by the bartender and other staff. We enjoyed our glass of wine and proceeded to be seated for dinner. This is where our troubles began. We choose to be seated outside where there were multiple vacancies. When the hostess led us to a very small table on the sidewalk, with the sun glaring in our eyes unconfortably, we requested to be seated at a larger table a little further away. This was during the week and off peak hours, not to mention that there were multiple vacancies at the time. We were then directed to the general manager, Chris Nashan, who declined any hospitality to the matter, simply refusing our request. We were shocked at the arrogance of the obviously inexperinced general manager who demonstrates the attitude of a fast food employee. Especially considering the exquisite service we have enjoyed in the past at Chez Leon. My Wife and I have lived in CWE for about 10 years and frequented the area for over 15 years. It is extremely safe to say , we will never return to this establishment and will easily direct others elsewhere. Brasserie by Niche and more specifically, Chris Nashan, is a failure and have no business making a career in the restaurant/service industry. I hate to point this out to the public but in this extreme case of negligence by a general manager who is out of his league, I feel like it needs to be said. Thank you.