Tom Colicchio exits Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton
Tom Colicchio stands outside Topping Rose House on Sept. 12, 2012. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
Tom Colicchio has checked out of Topping Rose House.
The celebrity chef and host of TV's "Top Chef" will formally split in January with the locavore Bridgehampton restaurant and luxury hotel he helped launch.
Colicchio and owners Bill Campbell and Simon Critchell "mutually agreed to part ways amicably," a spokeswoman for the restaurant said. She added that except for Colicchio's departure, all will be "business as usual" with staff and style.
Topping Rose House, situated in the restored 1840s home of Judge Abraham Topping Rose, has been ranked among Newsday's Top 100 restaurants. It earned a four-star rating in 2012 under Colicchio and then chef de cuisine Ty Kotz. Kotz left the restaurant earlier this year.
The current chef is Kyle Koenig.
The extraordinary makeover of the landmark building by Campbell and Critchell started in 2005. The dining room has a near-gallery look, awash in white, with contemporary artwork.
During Colicchio's tenure, the emphases have been on local purveyors and produce and seasonal menus changing monthly. In addition to Kotz's cooking, the restaurant has earned accolades for the work of pastry chef Cassandra Shupp.
Colicchio operates the Craft and Colicchio & Sons restaurants. He helped establish Gramercy Tavern. Colicchio is probably best known, however, for his starring role on the long-running "Top Chef" series.
Topping Rose House, 1 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Tpke., Bridgehampton; 631-537-0870.
