WILLIAMSBURG-Wanda Gonzales recently announced that A Chef’s Kitchen in downtown Williamsburg has permanently closed, more than three months after the passing of her husband, Chef John R. Gonzales, who owned and operated the popular fine dining establishment.
Wanda Gonzales shared the news with the community in a social media post on February 8. A Chef’s Kitchen, a small, intimate interactive cooking class and dining experience, had been closed since the start of the covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 with the exception of its wine shop. The restaurant, located at 501 Prince George St., was anticipating a reopening on November 2, 2021. John Gonzales passed away a few days prior to the reopening on October 31, 2021.
“The struggle since then has been to come to terms with losing John and to search for a way to continue without him,” Wanda Gonzales wrote. “The former remains a daunting task, but we have accepted defeat of the latter and are permanently closing A Chef’s Kitchen, a place without peer.”
A Chef’s Kitchen first opened on August 13, 2004 and quickly grew in popularity, often having a wait list for months to enjoy a meal there.
“We did not know, had no inkling, of how profoundly we would be moved by our patrons,” Wanda Gonzales stated. “Getting to meet and know so many good people has been a gift. Your eighteen years of enthusiasm and loyalty has been deeply and personally felt. The encouragement we got from many hundreds of you helped carry us through the darkest days of our eighteen-month shutdown. We would have let go of hope for A Chef’s Kitchen without that and I thank you with my whole being. Your outpouring of love and respect for John since his passing has been a solace.
“I hope you remember A Chef’s Kitchen as a place where magic happened, aromas of deliciousness tantalized and the food was savored by all,” her message concluded.