An employee at BEAR Restaurant confirms repeated rumours that chef Ray Bear abruptly left town Thursday night, leaving the restaurant in limbo.
The employee, Scott—he declines to give his last name– says he personally will be managing BEAR for the next two weeks. “We have a lot of large groups this weekend and next,” says Scott. After that? “I’m not sure.”
Scott says ownership of BEAR now rests with David Tabah, who is in the United States until Thursday.
The restaurant is open for business and accepting reservations, at least for the present.
I have been unable to reach Ray Bear.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2009.
I guess he couldn’t stand the heat? That happens when people come looking for over $600.000 in unpaid bills. Good Luck, chef! You’ll need it!
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9013322…
That chronicle story linked above is interesting. I met the partner Tabah when I was there once for a meal months ago and he’s definitely an interesting character. A bit unsavoury and extremely pushy to say the least. Definitely wouldn’t want to be in on a deal with him that’s for sure after that experience so kudos to Bear for leaving if it really was a bs situation. I guess we’ll never know for sure. I heard for a while that all was not well at the restaurant but it’s sad to see this happen. Seven’s also closing. So much for fine dining in Halifax. Good luck chef and come back to Halifax soon with a better partner that you like. I’m still a fan of your food.
Well, there is still fine dining, but I guess there’s only room for so much capacity. Seven’s closing? Tell us more.
I know Chef Bear and he is one of the hardest workers on this planet and true to his career. There are two sides to every story and for this extremely ambitious man to abandon his dream tells me there is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that the public will never know. Probably more to do with his business partner(s) than himself. Like most situations like this, it all comes down to the almighty dollar. I know that if Chef Bear had it his way he would still be establishing “BEAR”. Unfortunately when you have to depend upon others, they will sometimes let you down. We welcome you back in Halifax anytime Chef Bear!
If you can’t stand the heat . . .
No wonder the place is in debt. Ray Bear is burning up the food, and the other cook can’t ‘bear’ to watch. j/k
Bad partners, bad chefs and bad dept aside…Halifax does not have a ‘foodie’ mentallity to support these egos.
Bad partners, bad chefs and bad dept aside…Halifax just doesn’t have the ‘foodie’ mentality to support all these egos.
Would be good to know Ray Bear’s side. If he wants to open up another restaurant in Halifax, people don’t want to think he is a quitter.
This is unfortunate. Obviously we don’t know the whole story but I agree with “jl”. Fancy restaurants are awesome, but past history seems to dictate that the Ray Bears will come and go. Makes me all the more grateful for the mom-and-pops who have eschewed trendiness for stability. I’m also sorry for the people who may/may not lose their jobs from this situation. Bummer all round.
There is a definite gap here between business sense and skill. It just seems that these high end operations have a serious disconnect with the amount of business they can turn over. Fancy dishes and long wine lists are easy. Real creativity is not. It just seems to be the same pattern. Give us something original. Example – Halifax is seriously lacking is a quality mid priced restaurant combined with a great craft beer list, and so on…
Fancy digs and wine is just another shark in an overly crowded tank.
[Editor’s note: the following comment was placed on this site by Ray Bear on Friday. I removed it until I could verify that in fact Bear had made it. More information is here: http://www.thecoast.ca/Shoptalk/archives/2… ]
I WORKED MY ASS IF THAT PLACE FOR A YEAR WITH MOST OF THE TIME NO MANAGER, NO BUDGET AND NO ONE IN THE CITY TO REPARE ANY OF THE BREAKDOWNS. I did not have control of money at any time, the “GUY” is a Thug! I left after a death threat was made to me over the phone which I reported to the police! Employers (thats all I was,was an employee) don’t call you drunk and scream you are the enemy, then leave messages that they love you. The “guy” is sick?! Anyone who does business with this “guy” be careful not to get burned! me? I am a chef who is passionate about the total guest experience! Impossible under those conditions
Posted by Chef on September 25, 2009 at 3:07 PM | Report this comment
I guess being able to boil water does not mean you can walk on water even if your sure you can.The fact is you have to pay your bills!
What a douche!
Promoting himself as the owner, a real restaurateur……until things go bad, then he’s just an employee….that’s cool, to each his own.
I used to tell chicks I was a test pilot……whatever works.
I hope Mr. Bear’s cooking is better than his grammar skills, or spelling for that matter……..
What’s with the double quotes around “guy”…..that one really puzzles me……him too, I bet..
Just sayin’