Chef Matt Blondin has announced that he is stepping down as chef at Little Italy’s celebrated Acadia restaurant. Blondin, who has headed up a kitchen serving a Canadian take on Cajun cuisine since the eatery opened last summer, will plate up his last dish on May 31.

We hear that a new chef has been found, but for the moment Acadia is keeping quiet on who that might be. Whoever it is, they have their work cut out for them in maintaining Blondin’s standard: only this week, Joanne Kates placed Acadia in the number two spot on her annual list of Toronto's 100 best restaurants for Post City Magazines, saying “Blondin's pedegree (Colborne Lane, Senses, Rain) shows in every dish.”   

As for Blondin, he tells us that he likely won’t be starting a resturant of his own anytime soon, saying instead that he is planning on dedicating a few years to “personal growth” and that he wants to spend some time in New York City.