PHOTO VIA THE CHEF'S TABLE FACEBOOK PAGE
The longtime owners of Chef’s Table at the Edgewater and the Tasting Room (Website) in downtown Winter Garden have sold their landmark restaurants. Laurie and Kevin Tarter, who opened Chef’s Table in 2008 as a tiny nine-table dining room before expanding into two full restaurant concepts seating nearly 200 guests, announced they are retiring and have transferred ownership to local entrepreneur Jim Larweth.
The sale follows another major change earlier this year when the historic Edgewater Hotel the restaurants are located in, was purchased by a Larweth-affiliated company for $10.3 million. Built in 1927, the hotel has played a major role in Winter Garden’s downtown revival, and now both the building and its signature restaurants sit under the same new ownership.
According to the Tarters, daily operations at Chef’s Table and the Tasting Room will continue without interruption. The general manager and executive chef remain in place, reservations and gift cards will be honored, and the restaurants’ menus and service style are expected to stay the same for now. The outgoing owners recently told Liz Ramos at the Orange Observer that they were encouraged by Larweth’s plans for the property.
