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Restaurant News: More Details Emerge On Embeya Breakup

By Melissa McEwen in Food on Apr 9, 2015 2:00PM

Last week we wrote that Chef Thai Dang had departed from Embeya and the restaurant had been put on hiatus. Now comes reports from Steve Dolinsky and Phil Vettel that Dang was fired by his business partner Attila Gyulai, who was able to do so because he had a slight majority share.

Apparently the entire staff walked out in protest. But it didn't come out of nowhere— Dang recounts an increasingly strained relationship with Gyulai. For example, Dang's wife Danielle Pizzutillo was let go as beverage director, while Gyulai's wife Komal Patel took an increasingly prominent role in managing the business.

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Me with original Embeya beverage director Danielle Pizzutillo when the restaurant first opened in 2012

The whole thing puts Dang in an extremely awkward position as he's still technically a partner. So if the restaurant doesn't do well with the new chef Gyulai is bringing on board, he could be harmed financially since he and his brother's homes were used as loan collateral. In the meantime he tells Eater he's working on opening his own place called Haisous.