Thursday, November 7, 2013

[NEWS BITES] Chef Kate Williams leaving Rodin for new pursuits

Dance party at Rodin.

Chef Kate Williams is leaving Rodin to pursue some new ventures, which are still on the DL but one of them is going to be SO AWESOME YOU GUYS I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL YOU.

Kate and Rodin owner Torya Schoeniger wanted to go in different directions with the restaurant/bar. As a French-trained chef, Kate understandably wanted to focus more on the dining end of the business, but with a tiny kitchen she was limited and both she and Torya said she couldn't do what she really wanted to do there, which was basically to have a full restaurant. The parting of ways is wholly amicable and you can expect to see some changes at Rodin soon - different food and more music being the biggies.

Rodin first opened its doors for Noel Night last year on December 1, with a grand opening on 12/12/12. After nearly a year in business, Torya and her team have had time to settle into the Midtown nightlife market and see what their clientele most demands and best responds to. Torya wants to transition the nighttime hotspot to have a greater emphasis on live music. And with a one-year anniversary coming up, you can bet there's going to be one hell of a party.

Rodin will still serve food, but the food will be less preparation-intensive and more along the lines of heavy snacks - think cured meats, cheese boards, pickled vegetables, and raw seafood, similar to this. They'll still have all the great cocktails, unique wines, and craft beer you love, and the sexy mid-century Parisian cafe-meets-urban industrial chic atmosphere that makes it such a delightfully unique space in Detroit.

Kate is officially done at Rodin this week. I'll have more details on some of her upcoming projects soon but SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS THIS ONE THING IN PARTICULAR THAT I KNOW ABOUT IS GOING TO BE AWESOME. And keep an eye out for Rodin's one-year anniversary party; I'll be sure to remind you!