Atlanta chef Deborah VanTrece will close her Italian concept, La Panarda, in Cascade Heights April 13 after almost a year.
VanTrece opened La Panarda at 2317 Cascade Road SW in May 2023 with a menu of “global soul” Italian cuisine. La Panarda replaced VanTrece’s Latin soul food concept Serenidad, which closed in 2023 after less than six months.
VanTrece Hospitality Group also operates Oreatha’s at the Point in Cascade Heights and Michelin-recommended restaurant Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours in west Midtown.
VanTrece also runs Catering by VanTrece, and she was recently selected as the curating chef for the American Express Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
“Between the restaurants, the Centurion Lounge, the constant catering requests, a new cookbook and final negotiations for a network television show, I was just pulled in too many directions,” VanTrece said in a prepared statement. “Something had to give. And as much as I love Italian cuisine and the food we were crafting at La Panarda ... it was the last restaurant to open, so it was the one we chose to close.”
VanTrece and developer Shea Embry have been operating restaurants in Cascade Heights since 2022, when Oretha’s at the Point opened. Embry reached out to VanTrece in 2021 to discuss ideas for the properties she owned in Cascade Heights, with the goal of bringing more Black-owned businesses to the community.
“(Shea’s) vision for the revitalization of the business corridor was and is brilliant,” VanTrece said in a prepared statement. “She has been an ideal partner to work with and we’re looking forward to continuing our successful relationship with Oreatha’s. Soon another restaurant will move into the La Panarda restaurant space and, with the support of the neighboring residents, the area will thrive. The local community deserves that.”
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