Another California food landmark fails: Copia in Napa

Here's another sign of the fading fortunes of upscale California "food concepts." Copia opened with much fanfare during the height of the Napa food craze (our paper called it a "monument to the good life in Napa" in 2001). But the New York Times is now reporting the operation is bankrupt:

Copia, the ambitious food, wine and art museum in Napa, Calif., today filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. In addition to the bankruptcy filing, Copia announced that it had secured a $2-million line of credit to fund its day-to-day operations while it looks for other ways out of a financial crisis that had been mounting for years. Copia closed without notice on Nov. 21, sending employees home and cancelling several scheduled events. Although an initial statement from the nonprofit organization said that it would reopen today, Dec. 1, doors remained shut. Copia has struggled to find its footing since opening in November 2001, and has been laboring to meet costs since restructuring its considerable debt in 2007.