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To mark the restaurant's one-year anniversary, there will be a celebratory event at 4 p.m. Sunday with complimentary champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
Any restaurant that can survive for a year during a tough economic time is doing something right, said owner Wayne Chessler.
"This past year has just been amazing for me," said Chessler. "The cook is different, the food is different and the design is different than traditional Westchester restaurants. It's a restaurant you’d find in the city, but it has a warm environment where people can have a good time. I knew food and the area well, so I was confident it would take off.”
Chessler is no stranger to the restaurant industry, having worked for the part 15 years as general manager of Harrys of Hartsdale and Underhills Crossing. He also worked as the general manager of a group of restaurants at Rockefeller Center.
Chessler said he personally arranged everything, from Park 143 Bistro’s decor to its drink menu. To help carry out his sophisticated vision, he hired self-trained chef Jason Holmberg in June.
Holmberg said he accepted the position over a job at celebrity chef Bobby Flay's restaurant, Bar Americain, in midtown Manhattan. Holmberg said that, while he eventually wants to open his own restaurant, he couldn't be any more invested in his current job as executive chef.
"I do everything that I possibly can here, from making the menu to shopping for the ingredients when possible," said Holmberg. "I have a creative vision to bring a different kind of dining to Bronxville that many residents probably aren't used to. I've seen that many people have approved of what we're doing here, and things will only get better."
The restaurant received a lot of publicity when its private chef's table was named Best of Westchester in 2012, said Chessler.
"I recently sat down and tried to figure out how I could make the restaurant better and couldn't come up with anything I'd like to change," said Chessler. "I seriously feel like we have a great thing going for us here. Our food is great, our style is fresh and customers know that they will be welcomed. We’re going to continue doing what we're doing for a long time to come.”
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