When Patrick Kriss took over Acadia’s kitchen from Matt Blondin around a year ago, he had some big shoes to fill. Blondin had earned some serious acclaim for his inventive cooking, putting Acadia on the map as one of the best restaurants in the city. But Kriss took on the challenge with vigour, earning extremely high praise of his own.
So we’re a little forlorn to learn that Kriss has parted ways with Acadia. The restaurant announced his departure over Twitter yesterday. Interestingly, though, Acadia has enlisted some short-term kitchen help in the form of Dustin Gallagher, previously of Riverside Public House and a former Top Chef Canada contestant. But Gallagher won’t be there for long.
“I’m just helping a friend out,” Gallagher says. “I could be there a week, or two weeks, or three days.”
Gallagher says he’ll be serving his own menu at Acadia starting tonight, and it won’t be the Cajun-inflected cooking Acadia is known for. “It’ll be a bit of a hodgepodge,” he says.
Those interested in checking out what Gallagher has to offer at Acadia should visit in the very near future — he says he’s on the verge of opening his own restaurant soon. As for who will be taking over Acadia’s kitchen on a more permanent basis, we’ll be updating with more info as we learn more.