Laguna Beach Creole restaurant Roux reopens after temporary closure following chef’s resignation
Roux Creole Cuisine in Laguna Beach has reopened after a temporary closure.
The restaurant at 860 Glenneyre St. closed after its executive chef, Norm Theard, resigned unexpectedly in January.
Owner Michael Byrne said he hired a new executive chef, Robert Villanueva, who previously worked at Seven-Degrees, an event venue in Laguna Beach. The restaurant reopened in March, Byrne said.
According to a report from Stu News Laguna, Theard left after having issues with Byrne.
“There were differences in the way we saw our future plans,” Byrne said.
The restaurant opened in August and soon achieved a five-star Yelp rating from customers.
Roux replaced Cafe Zoolu, which had a 24-year run before Michael and Toni Leech, the husband-and-wife owners, decided to retire in 2016.
Roux’s building is a 1939 cottage that was renovated for Roux so patrons would walk inside and feel like they were going into a friend’s house for dinner.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
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