Top Chef: Season Five contestant Fabio Viviani is putting his recent non-televised drama behind him by releasing a letter that explains his departure from Café Firenze, the Moorpark eatery he was hired at, and fired from, by his own father-in-law. The missive, which Eater L.A. scored a copy of, begins,”Myself and Jacopo Falleni have been asked by Cafe Firenze manager Mike Takeda to no longer work at the restaurant,” a ban which appears to extend to his cookbooks and personal appearances, as well. No further details are given as to why they were asked to halt their labor.
While Viviani expresses regret that he and his partner won’t work there anymore, there is no mention of the multi-million dollar lawsuit that Jacopo and Viviani slapped Takeda with in Ventura County Court. Instead, Fabio has been encouraging of his old boss, ending the letter with,” We…hope you enjoy Mr. Mike Takeda’s new version of Cafe Firenze.” Meanwhile, Café Firenze’s website has taken down its considerable plugs of Fabio, but Takeda still displays enthusiasm for the chef’s talent and energy in the new About Us section, and Viviani confirms he is still invested in the Moorpark restaurant.
Viviani himself is about a week and half away from opening Firenze Osteria in North Hollywood with Falleni, as well as shooting a new show based on the duo’s challenges. Hopefully for Fabio, this new chapter will read smoother than the last. If not, we just pray it makes it onto the small screen.
Fabio Announces Departure from Café Firenze [Eater L.A.]
