Garden at the Cellar, a longtime fixture between Harvard and Central Square, closed suddenly last week, reports Boston Restaurant Talk, citing a post on the restaurant's Facebook page:
"It is with heavy hearts that Chef Brandon [Arms] & the Garden at the Cellar team announce the end of the Garden's run as the food side of The Cellar Food & Drinks' operations. After negotiations with the landlords we could not reach an agreement for continuing forward. Thank you for your kind patronage over the past 8 years through both Chef Will [Gilson] & Chef Brandon's time owning the Garden."
Arms began as sous chef at Garden at the Cellar in 2009, under chef/owner Will Gilson, before becoming chef/owner himself in 2011.
BostInno gives an alarming account of the closure, citing a former manager in alleging that landlord Stephen Kapsalis is holding the restaurant's property, including equipment and a computer, and that Arms was escorted away by police when the restaurant closed. The cause of the closure is reportedly a breakdown in renegotiations between Kapsalis and the restaurant regarding their existing partnership regarding alcohol, where Kapsalis paid Garden at the Cellar's bartenders, provided the liquor, and took 100% of the revenue from alcohol sales.
BostInno also notes that an employee at the connected Cellar Wine & Spirits, which is owned by Kapsalis, indicates that the restaurant will reopen "in a matter of days," but what exactly that means in terms of Garden at the Cellar as we knew it remains to be seen.
