Omnivore - Aaron Russell leaves the Chocolate Bar

Prominent Atlanta pastry chef Aaron Russell of Decatur’s Chocolate Bar notified the restaurant yesterday that he will not return to work. Since new management took over The Chocolate Bar this year, staff members have been uncomfortable with menu changes centered around the new restaurant location in Castleberry Hill, said Russell.

It’s rumored that several other staff members also quit yesterday in support of Russell.

Russell said he has had “to endure a long, slow slide into mediocrity” since original owner Karen Britain left The Chocolate Bar early this year. Russell originally teamed with current the Porter Beer Bar Chef Nick Rutherford (both had previously worked at Seeger’s) as co-chefs for the Chocolate Bar under Britain when it opened in 2007.

According to Russell, the new Chocolate Bar menus will only be printed once a year - so seasonal changes or creativity are out of the question.

“It’s not the kind of restaurant or the kind of food I’d like to be associated with,” he said.

Russell said he’s had several job offers already, but has not yet made a decision about where he’ll go next.