RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTubeThe Dispatch wrote
Award-winning Handke’s Cuisine sold
Thursday, July 24, 2008
BY MONIQUE CURET
Handke’s Cuisine, a fine-dining institution in the Brewery District, has been sold. T & L Cuisine, owned by husband and wife team Tim and Lorie Phalen, bought the restaurant this week from chef Hartmut Handke, Columbus’ only master chef certified by the American Culinary Federation.
Chef Handke is semi-retired and is no longer at the restaurant every night, Tim Phalen said. Handke will continue to teach monthly cooking classes and cook for some special dinners.
Comments
- howatzer: When's happy hour?
- Down the Lane: @mbeaumont,@SJT, @Mercurius, @drew thanks for all the love and support! @J
- SJT: We had our employee xmas party here and the service and food were excellent
- Walker: I agree that Grant is going to be even more important for pedestrians wi
- gmcsoccer: personally i would swap the upgrading of the Main St bridge for the Grant S
Top Stories
- ODOT Seeks Feedback on Downtown Bridge and Street Designs34
- Dublin Grows Upward: The Bridge Street Corridor Calls for Urban Development29
- TILL Dynamic Fare Takes Culinary Standards to the Next Level11
- Edwards Companies Converting Born Brewery Building into Apartments11
- At Home: In Harrison West10
- 89 Fish & Grill Opens Downtown10
- Oval Brewing Company Looking to Kickstart New Beer Business7
- Specials to Make Your Valentine's Day Special6
- Tomorrow's Antiques Opening Soon in The Short North6
- Columbus Ranked as 21st Most Lesbianish City in the US5
Local Entrepreneurial News
- Business branding, design is best left to the pros
- Camelot Cellars hosts unique events designed to support local charities
- CCAD MindShop incubator to help creatives succeed in business
- Ballroom at Oakhurst relaunches with help from Two Caterers
- Weiland’s Gourmet Market in business for more than 50 years
Award-winning Handke’s Cuisine sold
By: Walker
Related Posts:
Whoa, that’s big news! Without him there…I mean, is it still “Handke’s”?
It sounds like he hasn’t been there on a regular basis for quite some time.
Anyway, it doesn’t sound like a whole lot is changing from an operations standpoint. Just an ownership change.
That could explain the hit and miss description that I hear so often about the place.
this just in…Wolfgang Puck does not cook nightly at the Lane Avenue location. he’s too busy maning the operation in O’Hare.
Friday, July 25, 2008
BY MONIQUE CURET
The restaurant will keep its name, and Tim Phalen said no immediate changes to the menu or the business are planned.
“It’s a good feeling to leave that kitchen in good hands,” Handke said.
He decided to sell because he wants more free time to travel, visit his daughters and spend time with his wife, Margot, a familiar face in the front of the house at Handke’s.
It has won many accolades, including being named the top restaurant in the state in the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 Zagat Surveys.
“I was looking for a fine-dining opportunity,” said Tim Phalen, who recently moved to Columbus from Cincinnati and also owns a restaurant in Oxford, Ohio. He will serve as Handke’s owner/manager.
But the restaurant probably will maintain its quality, he said. The deal that transpired at Handke’s, with Handke staying on in a limited capacity, “sounds like the scenario that had to happen to maintain the restaurant.”
READ MORE
:lol:
No, it isn’t. No matter who bought it, the quality is goingto suffer. Look at what happened to L’Antibes.
Paul
No, it isn’t. No matter who bought it, the quality is goingto suffer. Look at what happened to L’Antibes.
Paul
Because everything changes for the worse? I don’t get the logic.
No, because there are decades difference in experience between the current chef and the old one. Take Handke; he’s a certified master chef. What’s the new guy? And this seems be Matthew Litzingers first real job. How’s he going to stand up to Dale Gussett, who had been around forever.
Paul
Paul
Even though I have no idea who either of those people you mentioned are…that response is better than this one…
Also…the article said that the chef taking over apprenticed under Handke for 3 years. His name is Asa Rodriquez. Not Litzinger or Gusset.
At the Star Chef event at Spagio a few months ago, I had some delicious potstickers from Handkes, which were made by his sous, Asa (I guess the presumptive chef).
I have had hit or miss experiences with Handke’s, and although everyone is always getting on my case for hating on Handke, I tend to think perhaps he was resting on his laurels and coasting recently. I never argued that he was a good cook – he’s obviously very accomplished, but I just think he’s been wanting to retire for awhile and maybe is heart wasn’t in it anymore. So I’m pretty happy to see somene young and fresh taking over. And from what I’ve heard about working for Handke, anyone who can apprentice with him for 3 years probably qualifies for entry-level sainthood.
As an aside, it looks like the restaurant that the new owner Tim Phalen owns in Oxford is a LaRosa’s pizza franchise which appears to be a local tri-state area franchise. More info here: [url]http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article.php?id=2205[/url]