Latest news with #MoltiAmici
San Francisco Chronicle
24-04-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
New French restaurant moving into embattled Wine Country space
A new Wine Country restaurant will mark the end of a dramatic legal battle that unfolded this year following the shocking closure of a popular Italian eatery. French restaurant Bistro Lagniappe will open in Healdsburg in May in the space (330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg) left empty by Molti Amici, which closed suddenly last November, only 16 months after opening. Shortly after it shuttered, the Chronicle revealed that Molti Amici, which earned a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide, was in significant financial distress, losing more than $600,000 in its first year. In February, Molti Amici investment partner Jason Cutrer sued founder and SingleThread alum Jonny Barr for more than $1.5 million in damages, alleging that fraud and embezzlement led to the restaurant's demise. Barr denied the allegations; earlier this month, the case was dismissed at Cutrer's request. In a joint statement to the Chronicle from Cutrer and Barr, the former partners said that the dispute had been 'amicably resolved.' Molti Amici had a 10-year lease, so Cutrer created an entirely new concept, though he said he would not be involved in operations. Lagniappe is a Cajun French word that translates to 'a little gift' or 'something extra,' such as a bonus pepper gifted by a farmers market vendor when you've purchased a dozen. The restaurant's striking outdoor oven — which predates Molti Amici and originally belonged to the locally beloved Campo Fina — will now be used to cook wood-fired dishes such as cassoulet, petrale sole and roasted chicken. Chef Jacob Hearth, best known for launching seafood restaurant Erizo in Portland, will lead the kitchen.
USA Today
13-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
$250,000 of wine: Former award-winning restaurant owner reacts to fraud, embezzlement suit
$250,000 of wine: Former award-winning restaurant owner reacts to fraud, embezzlement suit Show Caption Hide Caption Looking for a good California wine? Here are some tips Discover the best techniques for selecting the finest California wines, from understanding regions and varieties to finding award-winning bottles and perfect pairings. Impress your guests and elevate any occasion with these expert tips. This is the case of an allegedly stolen $23,000 bottle of wine – and whether it ever existed. One of the former co-owners of a central California, Michelin-honored restaurant filed a new lawsuit seeking more than $1.5 million in damages from another one of his fellow owners. The now-shuttered Molti Amici and its majority investor, Jason Cutrer, are accusing former co-owner Jonny Barr of fraud, embezzlement and the consumption of more than $250,000 of the restaurant's wine. That includes a five-figure bottle from the acclaimed French vineyard Domaine de la Romanee Conti. Barr denied the accusations in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. He said the restaurant never purchased a bottle that expensive while he was employed there. He also alleged Cutrer forced him out of the restaurant in May 2024. 'These allegations are wholly untrue. Molti Amici and my community was my heart and soul,' wrote Barr, who as of Wednesday evening had not obtained a lawyer. 'Cutrer has a lot of money and is using it to intimidate me into signing over my remaining shares,' he also claimed. USA TODAY has reached out to Cutrer's attorney for comment. The lawsuit comes after a Molti Amici owner filed a police report in June accusing their business partner of failing to make deposits totaling $60,000 into the restaurant's bank account over a six-month period. Police told the San Francisco Chronicle in November they were ending the investigation. The Italian lunch and dinner spot in Sonoma County unexpectedly closed its doors in early November, less than four months after it was awarded the Michelin Bib-Gourmand, which recognizes high-quality restaurants that serve moderately priced foods. A San Francisco Chronicle review of the restaurants demise published in November found it had lost over $600,000 during its first year in business, owed vendors tens of thousands of dollars and was in 'financial distress." The lawsuit filed by a limited liability company held by Cutrer blames Barr for much of that mismanagement. 'Despite the notoriety, public acclaim, awards, and even a Michelin guide recommendation, financial management of the Restaurant quickly put the behind-the-scenes operations in serious turmoil,' the suit claims. It suggests that, less than two months after Molti Amici opened, Barr failed to make cash deposits into the company's accounts. Barr later allegedly asked Cutrer to invest in the restaurant with 'false and inaccurate' financial statements designed to hide the fraud. Cutrur said he ultimately invested more than $900,000. As Cutrer monitored the restaurant's finances over the ensuing months, he discovered the company had stopped paying some vendors and employees, the lawsuit says. It adds that Curter approached Barr, who said he was paying vendors with cash, rather than through the restaurant's bank account. Cutrer launched an investigation months later and found that more than $20,000 in reported transactions were 'not paid with Molti Amici's cash,' but instead 'stolen' by Barr, the lawsuit alleges. Then there was the case of the purportedly missing liquid gold: wine. The lawsuit suggests Barr used 'Molti Amici's wine inventory as his own personal wine-cellar,' and at one point 'admitted to Cutrer, via text message, that he had consumed a bottle of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, a high value bottle of wine, which averages $23,052.00." That would have been more expensive than the priciest bottle on the restaurant's menu: a $6,000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Pinot Noir with floral and fruity notes, and hints of spice. Barr called the claim 'absurd' in his statement to USA TODAY. 'Until I was fired when [Cutrer] took over the restaurant, Molti Amici had never purchased a bottle of wine over $1900,' he said. All together, the alleged missing cash, wine and 'misappropriated property,' taken by Barr are worth 'no less than $1,447,989.28,' the lawsuit says.
