Chef Cyrille Holota Takes Over At FAB [Breaking News]

Chef Cyrille Holota, formerly of the defunct JOEL Brasserie, has just been named the new chef at French American Brasserie, colloquially known as FAB.  It’s a somewhat interesting union, as both the restaurant and the new chef have been witness to a metamorphosis or two.

Holota, who appeared in an early rendition of Inside the Chef’s Kitchen, took over the helm of highly regarded JOEL after Joel Antunes, the restaurant’s namesake, left for the Big Apple.  Under his watch, JOEL transformed into JOEL Brasserie, a more toned down version of its predecessor.  Unfortunately, the restaurant died just a few months ago amidst a swirling of rumors.

Meanwhile, FAB has its own notable history.  For many years, a restaurant by the name of Brasserie Le Coze was a mainstay of the French culinary scene in Atlanta.  Stationed in Lenox Square, the restaurant operated from 1994 until 2007 (or thereabouts).  Operating under the ownership of Fabrice Vergez since 2003, BLC closed when Niemen Marcus went gang busters in Lenox.

It will be interesting to see how things change at FAB as the Holota signing seems like a bit of a coup.  In addition to several confirmations from people on the periphery, a call to the restaurant confirmed that Holota was the new chef.  However, the gentleman who answered the phone did not seem to have any more information for me.  I’ll see what else I can shake out.