Chef out of Le Chéri

A bit of New Year's Eve upheaval:

Pierre and Charlotte Calmels of Le Chéri - the French restaurant that opened Nov. 20 in the Art Alliance on Rittenhouse Square - have parted company with chef de cuisine Waldemar "Val" Stryjewski.

Both the Calmelses and Stryjewski - friends for years - have kind things to say about each other.

"It wasn't a good match," Stryjewski, who worked with Pierre Calmels years ago at Le Bec-Fin, told me late Dec. 31. He has worked at a slew of restaurants, most recently a.kitchen.

Charlotte Calmels said it had nothing to do with the quality of the food. "He's a great chef," she said. The kitchen needed more of a manager. "That's what makes things even harder," she said.

Charlotte Calmels said it was unclear how they would fill the position.