“Haute cuisine is dead”: Bruno Verjus closes Table

“Haute cuisine is dead. I’m closing Table.” In just a few words on Instagram, Bruno Verjus has just announced the closure of his two-Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant. The message is direct, almost brutal. Yet behind such a statement lies a team—men and women—as well as a chef whose decision was undoubtedly the result of careful consideration. Even if he doesn’t say so, there’s the issue of costs, which has become central to a world of haute cuisine that’s increasingly difficult to sustain. And no doubt the feeling that a certain model is now reaching the end of its run.

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Is haute cuisine really on the decline? Perhaps not. But it is going through a period that is forcing some of its greatest representatives to reinvent themselves. Bruno Verjus isn’t saying he wants to stop cooking, by the way. He wants to continue feeding people, but no longer do so exclusively for a privileged few. He wants to put his expertise, the exceptional ingredients he has access to, and the talent of his entire team to work in the service of a different kind of cuisine—one that’s more accessible, perhaps simpler, but always driven by the joy of eating.

I experienced some truly exceptional moments at Table—meals I will remember for the rest of my life, down to the very last detail. Because Table wasn’t just a great restaurant: it was the embodiment of a truly unique man—his perspective on life, on producers, and on cuisine. A chapter is coming to a close. I now wish Bruno Verjus and his teams all the best, convinced that whatever the future holds, it will be unlike anything else.