Milk Street Cafe Takes Issue with Chris Kimball’s New Venture

A dispute on Milk Street in Downtown Boston came to a legal head this week when the owner of a longtime cafe filed a lawsuit against the former face of America’s Test Kitchen, according to Universal Hub. Marc Epstein, who owns Milk Street Cafe, is suing Christopher Kimball, who recently announced plans to open a new venture called Milk Street Kitchen on Milk Street, down the road from Milk Street Cafe.

Epstein’s place (at 50 Milk St.) thrives on catering and has been around for 35 years, while Kimball’s (at 177 Milk St.) will be an America’s Test Kitchen 2.0 — a cooking school, a set for his forthcoming new TV show, and the birthplace of a magazine, as The Boston Globe reported.

Epstein apparently sent letters to Kimball asking him to change the name to no avail, prompting the lawsuit. He told the Globe there have already been instances of confusion, where people have asked if Kimball is associated with the cafe and have even applied for jobs there, thinking it is Kimball’s new venture.

• Is Boston big enough for two Milk Streets? [BG]
• Milk Street Cafe sours on celebrichef's similarly named venture [UH]
• All Milk Street Cafe Coverage on Eater [EBOS]