Star Chef Leaves Startup Venice Restaurant After Just 2 Weeks

VENICE, CA -- Chef Miles Thompson has left Makani, the Venice restaurant he started up just two weeks ago. Despite this, however, the restaurant's opening is still scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, Eater LA is reporting.

The food website has confirmed that Thompson is no longer involved with the restaurant as of last weekend. In a statement, owner Jeff Carzino said that the reason for the split was that his vision for the restaurant differed significantly from that of Thompson.

"He had a vision to create a menu and concept that would be innovative and ingredient-driven, and we were pleased to offer him autonomy. But we realized quickly that our guests were not ready for us to pivot in this direction," Carzino was quoted as saying.

Thompson, a well-known chef throughout the greater LA area, most recently was with the restaurant Michael’s in Santa Monica, which he parted ways with last November. Previously, he worked for such eateries as Animal, Son of a Gun and had his own restaurant at Allumette.

Makani Venice's opening is scheduled for 5:30 pm with a menu featuring burgers, grass-fed steaks, sustainable seafood and market veggies.