Ambitious Chef Splits With Fledgling Alexandria Restaurant

Dadisi Olutosin, the seasoned chef who had been working up upscale comfort foods for new restaurant Executive Diner, is no longer employed there.

“It is with much regret that I announce I am no longer with the Executive Diner and Cafe in Old Town, Alexandria, VA. The owners and I had different visions for what direction to take the restaurant and could not arrive at a mutual consensus,” Olutosin shared with supporters on social media.

A spokeswoman for Olutosin says the Sequoia alum was fired after the first day of service at the neighborhood restaurant (1400 Duke Street). Executive Diner co-founder Jerry Pnevmatikatos downplayed the departure, describing Olutosin as “only a minor link in the chain.”

Earlier this year Olutosin mapped out plans to weave everything from blackened pork chops to Japanese-style pancakes into Executive Diner’s all-day menu. With that opportunity now gone, he’s turning this attention to creating something of his own.

“My business partner and I at Plated Food Groupe are working on our next project as we seek investors to open a new restaurant in the DMV later this year,” he writes.

• Sequoia Alum Shares Some Dishes Coming to Executive Diner [EDC]
• Alexandria’s New Executive Diner Is Coming to Old Town This March [EDC]