Edouardo Jordan’s Seattle restaurant JuneBaby will be closing after New Year’s Eve service, the chef and restaurateur announced over the weekend.
In the post, Jordan said he felt he had jumped the shark, “when you realize that your creative work has reached its capacity and has swayed too far from its original purpose. I realized that the current version of JuneBaby has led me astray from its original vision.”
Jordan said he planned to take some time to “recharge, rediscover and dedicate time to other creative projects that excite me.”
When JuneBaby, and later his second restaurant Salare, first opened, Jordan quickly became one of the city’s most celebrated chefs. JuneBaby was named the Best New Restaurant in 2018 by the James Beard Foundation—a designation that, at the time, a Black-owned restaurant had never won. He was also named Best Chef Northwest for his work at Salare.
But in 2021, an investigation by The Seattle Times found that 15 women had reported incidents of sexual misconduct and unwanted touching by Jordan. The reports prompted most of the staff at his two restaurants to quit, and the restaurants closed temporarily.
Jordan denied some of the allegations, but later apologized. Earlier this year, he spoke about the incident on a local “Gee & Ursula” radio program, posting on Instagram that he has had opportunity to reflect and make amends, saying he has taken responsibility for his mistakes.
Salare later closed permanently, but JuneBaby reopened in 2022.
In his post, Jordan said JuneBaby “woke up a neighborhood, changed a community, and put the spotlight on a city thanks to Southern food.”
Cooking has always been a vehicle for other opportunities, the chef wrote. “I am a multi-faceted, multi-inspired person, and I believe now is the time for me to continue my journey as a creator, entrepreneur and mentor. I will continue on the path that God has set out for me and there will be plenty of deliciousness to come.”
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