Tawfik Shehata is out at Vertical

After four-and-a-half years, the mastermind behind Vertical’s Mediterranean-infused menu, Tawfik Shehata, is now a culinary free agent. The celebrated chef won’t go into the finer details of why he’s no longer at Vertical, simply saying, “myself and the owners weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, and we had different views of how things should be done.”

He’s casually uncertain as to what the future holds for him, but is grateful for the free time to spend at home and get some renovations done. “I just came from two interviews,” he tells us, keeping mum on the venues. “One was in the city, and one was outside of the city.” He’s also open to the possibility of starting his own restaurant where he can continue his culinary philosophy of supporting local and sustainable.

“I’m in no rush to do anything,” he says. “I just want to focus on my personal life now.”