Splendido owners Victor Barry and Carlo Catallo are breaking up

While other Toronto restaurateurs are forging new partnerships, Victor Barry and Carlo Catallo, co-owners of Splendido and Queen West restaurant The County General, are doing the opposite: they’re breaking up. Unlike most splits, this one is genuinely amicable, and based on the pair’s diverging interests and priorities. The custody arrangements are pretty clear-cut: Catallo will be going solo with The County, which was his gingham-clad brainchild, and is scheming up an expansion plan that would see County spin-offs in several Toronto neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, Barry will focus his energies on fatherhood (he and wife Nikki Leigh McKean are expecting their first child), as well as a still-under-wraps television series. And, of course, Splendido. He is determined to amp up the longstanding Harbord destination restaurant to Michelin-star heights. “I want to surpass everyone’s expectations,” he said, “so they have no doubt in their mind that [Splendido] is the best place to dine in Toronto.” The pair’s final service at Splendido will take place on New Year’s Eve, when Barry will serve a 10-course menu made up of all Catallo’s favourite dishes. Awwww.