Shakewell, the acclaimed Oakland Mediterranean restaurant with roots in “Top Chef,” will serve its final meals on Saturday, August 31.
“The realities of our times have caught up with us,” owner Soroush Ghaderi and his team at Shakewell announced in an email to customers over the weekend. “Despite all our efforts, we just can’t make the numbers work anymore.”
Shakewell was founded in 2014 by two former chefs, Jen Biesty from Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” and Tim Nugent from “Top Chef: Desserts,” both of whom previously worked as chefs at Scala’s Bistro in San Francisco.
Ghadelli has owned and operated the restaurant for the past year.
“Shakewell was born from the love and dedication of Tim and Jen, and they have nurtured this place beautifully for nine years,” the memo read. “When Soroush took over, with Tim’s continued support, we overcame many obstacles with the determination to keep this place going. … This is not the outcome any of us wanted, and we have fought hard because Shakewell was our home, our gathering place, our special little place in the world where we could all come together.
“Our staff – Chefs Holly and Zule, FOH Manager Nicole, Bar Manager Michael and countless others – have poured their hearts into this place and it really makes me sad to think about closing, but we have reached a point where we have no other choice.”
During the restaurant’s final day of business, Shakewell will host live music on Aug. 21, 22 and 28, as well as a wine tasting event on Aug. 27.
Food service will end on August 31, but the Shakewell team said the bar will remain open beyond that “while we assess what the future holds.”
Details: Open Tuesday through Sunday at 3407 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. www.shakewelloakland.com
First published: August 20, 2024, 4:19 PM