Old-school celebrity chef shutters signature restaurant

Bam!

You knew who was on television just by hearing that catchphrase delivered in his signature accent. Emeril Lagasse wasn't the first celebrity TV chef (that was Julia Child, for most Americans), but he did usher in a new kind of famous chef.

Lagasse wasn't just a television personality. He was an outrageous personality who also owned successful restaurants and could actually deliver the goods in the kitchen.

Lagasse helped pave the way for a generation of celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, and Guy Fieri.

All of these men, as well as women including Giada De Laurentiis, Antonia Lofaso, and Stephanie Izard, come from the Lagasse tradition of being technically good chefs as well as engaging personalities.

The restaurant business, however, is very competitive, with the average lifespan for an eatery being six years, according to data from Toast POS. That makes it surprising that a restaurant owned by Lagasse, along with his son E.J., is closing its doors after a roughly two-year run.

Emeril closes his "labor of love" restaurant

Lagasse is shutting down his Portuguese cuisine-inspired restaurant in New Orleans on Jan. 31, according to The Herald News.

34 Restaurant, a collaboration with his son E.J. Lagasse, opened its doors in October 2024 with the aim of serving Portuguese traditional dishes with a modern twist.

“This past year has been a true labor of love for Chefs Emeril and E.J. Lagasse, and an opportunity to share their Portuguese heritage, family recipes, and culture with New Orleans,” according to a Jan. 22 post on the restaurant’s Instagram page. “While rising operational costs have led us to make this difficult decision, we are incredibly grateful for the journey.”

The post hints at a comeback in the future.

"This isn’t the last caldo verde we’ll be sharing with the New Orleans community, and we look forward to what’s to come," the restaurant shared.

Celebrity restaurants that recently closed

These closures span globally known TV chefs, Food Network personalities, and high-profile chef-driven concepts that drew national attention and significant followings beyond their local markets.

• Nusr-Et Steakhouse (Beverly Hills location): The viral steak restaurant once popularized by Salt Bae (Nusret Gökçe) closed its Beverly Hills location as part of a U.S. retreat, leaving only a few remaining U.S. spots, according to The Beverly Weekly.
• Paula Deen’s Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box (Savannah, GA): Celebrity TV chef Paula Deen closed her long-running Savannah restaurants in 2025 to focus on other locations and priorities, reported Eater Carolina.
• MXO (West Hollywood, CA): Chef Wes Avila’s upscale Mexican steakhouse in West Hollywood abruptly permanently closed in July 2025, less than a year after its 2024 opening, disappointing diners and signaling challenges for high-end, chef-driven concepts, according to Eater Hollywood.
• “Cured” at Pearl (San Antonio, TX): Though not a globally famous chef’s brand, this well-loved restaurant in the Pearl complex was previously associated with culinary leadership under executive chef Steve McHugh. It closed in late 2025 amid broader leadership and concept shifts, shared MYSA.com.
• Celebrity chef Tyler Florence’s downtown SF cafes (Miller & Lux Provisions): The pastry shop and associated café concepts tied to Food Network chef Tyler Florence closed in early 2025 after Florence pulled back from those operations, according to SF Gate.
• Osteria del Teatro (Miami Beach, FL): While this closure isn’t tied to a celebrity chef brand in the strictest sense, the long-running Italian institution was a celebrity hangout destination associated with Emilio Estefan and other luminaries, and it closed in July 2025 amid industry headwinds, reported Miami New Times.

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