After eight years in business on New Town’s Center Street, artcafe26 is likely to close up shop March 30.
Owner Sibilla Dengs has been trying to find a new European-trained chef to man the kitchen of the businesses, which serves artistic food to complement its art-drenched walls, but has been unsuccessful to date. Chef Bernhard Klinger, who has been with the restaurant for more than five years, will return to his home country of Austria on March 31 after an announcement in early February.
“It is a blow to all of us,” Dengs said. “It has been an emotional roller coaster for all of us at artcafe26.”
When Klinger informed Dengs he planned to return to Austria for family reasons, she sprang into action to find a top European chef to replace him. Dens scoured European countries, reaching out to friends and countries across Germany, Australia and others for a chef as well-trained in molecular gastronomy – an approach to cooking that toys with chemical transformations using ingredients liquid nitrogen to freeze and tapioca maltodextrin to thicken – as Klinger.
But to date, Dengs’ efforts have been unsuccessful.
“We have a certain standards and concept that is still a niche in Williamsburg, with European chefs’ culinary art [paired] with fine art,” Dengs said. “I really need a European-trained chef.”
Dengs said she does not doubt the skills of American-trained chefs, but she wants to uphold the caliber cuisine her guests are used to enjoying. Dengs said her reservation book was full through Jan. 2, and she has been working her way through informing guests of the restaurant’s planned closure.
“I didn’t even realize how we were really part of the community,” said Dengs, reflecting on “touching and overwhelming” communications she has received from patrons. “Having the location in New Town was one of the best decisions I made.”
The guests who filled seats in her restaurant forged relationships with Dengs and her staff, who are also at the forefront of her mind as the restaurant’s closure looms.
Some staff members have been with Dengs since day one, others for a few years less, but they all matter to her.
The passion Dengs feels for her business is making it hard for her to let go. If someone were to walk in with a new idea for the restaurant, she might consider it. If she finds a new chef to fit her business model, she may hire the chef and continue on with a modified menu.
The space artcafe26 occupies, at 5107-2 Center St., has been listed for sale since late October. Dengs said the listing is for the building, not for her business, but she said she plans to sell the business in the next few months if she cannot find a new chef to hire.
