Chef Shuffle

Fancy-Pants Chef and Manager Out at Kellogg’s Diner

Photo: Daniel Maurer

Jay Espinal, the managing partner who planned to install a fancy mixologist and a Ferran Adrià–trained chef at Kellogg’s Diner, tells us that he’s no longer in the mix. “We wanted to create a new atmosphere and do something more modern and current,” he says, “but I think what they want to do is run a basic diner.” Chef René Hernandez’s menu was in effect for about a week, but Espinal agreed to dissolve his relationship with the diner and is back to working with the chef at Don Pedro’s uptown. Espinal says that part of the reason the diner’s longtime owners (who weren’t reachable for comment today) got cold feet was that he wanted to hire a somewhat pricey management team, whereas they wanted to stick with their old staff. For anyone who liked the “old Kellogg’s,” this is at least a small victory.

Fancy-Pants Chef and Manager Out at Kellogg’s Diner