Gluttons Loses Makoto Ono

[Pam R]

As reported in yesterday`s Winnipeg Free Press, Makoto Ono, the winner of the Gold Metal Plates competition in 2007, has left Gluttons and is off to open a 360-seat luxury Japanese restaurant in Beijing.

(Click)

Makoto Ono, the young Winnipeg chef named Canada's top culinary talent in 2007, is moving to the Chinese capital to open a 12,000-square-foot Japanese restaurant financed by a Hong Kong entrepreneur.

Back in February, the 29-year-old Winnipegger surprised the Canadian food e]stablishment by winning the Gold Metal Plates culinary competition in Whistler, B.C., where he knocked off six better-known chefs, including Toronto television personality Mark McEwan.

Within days, culinary tourists from across Canada began calling for reservations at Gluttons, the 12-table Corydon Avenue restaurant where Ono served as executive chef and developed a creative prix fixe menu.

Although well-known to Winnipeg foodies -- Ono cut his culinary teeth at pioneering sushi restaurant Edohei, where he worked with his father, Sadao Ohno -- the young chef was an unknown commodity outside the 204 area code.

According to the article, he left Gluttons in October.

Gluttons, meanwhile, is temporarily closed and appears to be mired in a management dispute.

Was there any chance of keeping him here once he was discovered outside of Winnipeg?

Is there anybody to take his place?

[prasantrin]

Is there anybody to take his place?

←

Has anyone taken his place? I vaguely remember reading something about some problems at Gluttons, but since Ono left, how is the restaurant doing?

Is it still worth keeping on my "Places to Dine" list? (There are still a number of restaurant on the list I haven't tried, and Gluttons is one of them.)

[Pam R]

There was a story about Gluttons in the Free Press in March (click).

GLUTTONS has been dubbed the best restaurant in Winnipeg, but its owners have been engaged in a bitter dispute for the past 18 months over who controls the Corydon Avenue eatery and how its money has been spent.

The restaurant closed unexpectedly over the Christmas season -- normally a busy and profitable time for the restaurant industry. The closing was a desperate move by the restaurant's eventual new owner, Bernie Verway, to gain control of the business.

Here's a link to the Glutton's timeline.

In April, Gordon Sinclair wrote in a restaurant roundup (click):

Finally, I'm happy to report that Gluttons is back.

The much-praised and even more troubled bistro and specialty food store at Corydon and Lilac was only gone for a month or so over Christmas.

Its well-publicized management woes are behind it.

Owner Berbie Verwey has a new chef, Mark Wrigley.

And a new manager in Rob Bruneau, who has taken on the responsibility of returning the bistro to its status as one of the city's best dining experiences.

And finally, Marion Warhaft reviewed the restaurant this weekend. The chef is Mark Wrigley and the restaurant received 4 1/2 stars.

The major reason for my return, however, was to see how the post-Makoto Ono kitchen was doing under the direction of new executive chef Mark Wrigley, and the news is good. The cooking is still modern, eclectic and ambitious, and the format is unchanged, comprising one cold and one hot appetizer, a main course and dessert. You won't leave hungry, but, since portions are small and light, you won't leave feeling stupefied either. Moreover, $50 is a relative bargain for a multi-course meal of this quality.

So I'd say keep it on your list and report back. Thanks

[prasantrin]

In case anyone is wondering (probably not, but what the heck), Makoto Ono is doing very well at his namesake restaurant in Beijing, and his investors are planning to open more.

[Pam R]

I was kind of wondering. Thanks, Rona.