When acclaimed Napa Valley chef and restaurateur Michael Chiarello died suddenly from an allergic reaction in 2023, the partners in his company mourned his loss and celebrated his legacy.
Now, however, Chiarello’s estate—which includes his spouse and four children as beneficiaries— is battling with some of those partners over control of the three restaurants and other assets he built over his career.
The estate of Chiarello, along with his company Gruppo Chiarello Inc., which is now known as Solo Io LLC, filed a lawsuit in Napa County Superior Court seeking relief and damages from a group of investors that “embarked on a campaign of coercion, fraud and interference to try to trick, intimidate and pressure” the estate to wrest control of those assets, according to court documents filed July 14.
The family contends the economic damage caused by the “hostile takeover” could amount to tens of millions of dollars at least.
Named in the lawsuit are former Disney studio chief Richard Frank, private-equity investor John Hansen, advisor Peter Crowley, and associated businesses JH Capital Partners II and Monte Savello Limited Partnership. In the lawsuit, they are described as passive investors with minority stakes in the various businesses.
The estate argues that Chiarello created Gruppo Chiarello to protect his 60% to 75% ownership stake in the restaurants Bottega Napa Valley, Coqueta San Francisco and the more-casual Ottimo in Yountville, California.
The investors “reaped the rewards” of Chiarello’s work and national exposure, the lawsuit contends. But after the chef’s death, those investors “began a sustained war on the Estate to seize assets” and tried to “fraudulently induce and coerce” the estate to sell the restaurants and intellectual property at a fraction of their value.
In an Instagram post this week, Chiarello’s widow Eileen Gordon posted that the family had lost management control of Bottega, saying it was “an outcome that Michael could not have imagined.”
The lawsuit alleges that the investors also gave themselves sizeable cash distributions without consent of the estate, putting financial pressure on operations and decreasing the value, the lawsuit contends. And the investors have made false statements about the business to staff, landlords and others.
Chiarello was a prolific cookbook author and appeared on a number of TV shows, including the Emmy Award-winning “Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello,” “Top Chef Masters” and others. The chef also owned vineyards and had a winery named Chiarello Family Vineyards.
Gordon was separated from Chiarello in 2019, according to a press release, but she remained a business partner and trustee of the family trust.
On Michael Chiarello’s website, Gordon wrote, “Michael and I created a family trust 15 years ago so that his creations could endure and be passed down, not sold off. We are challenging the efforts to dismantle what Michael took an extraordinary lifetime to build. Given the joy, laughter, and delicious moments he gave people for decades, how could we sit by in silence?”
When asked for comment, Frank and Hansen gave a very different picture of the dispute, though they confirmed that Bottega’s senior management team has been rehired under their leadership.
In a statement, Frank and Hansen said Gordon has been estranged from Chiarello for years and is “attempting to relitigate a legally binding agreement that Michael put in place to ensure the continuation of his legacy.”
The two investors said the existing agreement outlined that the restaurants were to be sold in the event of his death.
“Rather than respect the legal process and Michael’s clear intentions, Ms. Gordon has actively attempted to derail the transition,” the statement said. “Over the course of several months, she disrupted restaurant operations, withheld vital financial information, and terminated key staff, undermining the business Michael worked so hard to build. Her lawsuit is baseless, frivolous and reflects a troubling disregard for both the legal process and Michael’s wishes.”
They also described a business relationship and friendship with the chef that has lasted three decades, quoting a speech Chiarello made not long before his death at a surprise birthday party for Frank, describing him as a father figure and “a friend who was always there.”
“Michael is profoundly missed,” the statement said. “Over three decades of friendship, he was a constant presence in Rich and John’s lives—celebrating birthdays, weddings and countless dinners at Bottega. Michael poured his heart into making each occasion special.”
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