Three years ago, chef Jorge Pineda revealed that, together with fellow chef Angel Ramos, he would be opening the fourth iteration of New York’s beloved Candle restaurant brand. From the start, the bar was high. The first Candle Cafe opened in the 1990s and was so beloved that it led to two more entirely vegan concepts: Candle 79 and Candle Cafe West.
But due to various challenges, including real estate developments and building safety issues, all of the original Candle restaurants had closed by 2020. Pineda, who spent decades working at the original locations, hoped the new Candle Cafe would successfully build on the brand’s legacy in New York. But it wasn’t to be.
In August, Pineda announced that the new Candle Cafe would be closing amid mounting debt and a difficult economic climate. Speaking to VegNews, the chef confirmed that its final day of regular service will be September 30. Pineda also opened up about the factors that contributed to the closure, including his sense that diners never quite embraced the new venture in the same way they had the original restaurants…