More on Ubuntu: Owner announces 'amicable separation'; chef Jeremy Fox drops by L.A.

Ubuntu, the acclaimed vegetarian restaurant in Napa, Calif., released an official announcement Monday that chef-partner Jeremy Fox had turned in his resignation "to pursue other interests" in an "amicable separation." Meanwhile, Fox headed to Los Angeles. So, do his "other interests" lie here? 

Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Jeremy and other staff members had left the restaurant. Said owner Sandy Lawrence in a release Monday: "We have been delighted to work with Jeremy on the creation of this great restaurant. Jeremy was instrumental in opening and creating the foundation for Ubuntu, which helped establish the restaurant as a leading Northern California destination."

Meanwhile, Fox is here in L.A. for a few days. When reached by phone, he said he had no further comment about his resignation. In the release, he says, "Helping establish Ubuntu as a pioneer in America's fine dining scene has been a labor of love for me and an accomplishment I'm very proud of. I look forward to pursuing new opportunities."

Nor would he reveal whether a restaurant in Los Angeles might be a "new opportunity" (but one can hope, right?). "I'm here on vacation, visiting friends," he said. 

Ubuntu named chef Aaron London, Fox's former executive sous chef, as chef de cuisine.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Robert Durell / For The Times