Chef Henry’s, the Eastern European restaurant in the Longwood Village Shopping Center, is closing. Its last day of service will be Thursday, August 28. In an email to customers, Evelina Brestowski, daughter of Henry and Estika, explained that the reason for the closing is due in part to her father’s Valentine’s Day heart attack, which resulted in a triple bypass surgery and resulting complications. The lease on the space, which had previously been Journeys restaurant, is up at the end of the month, and Brestowski told me that the family didn’t want to renew without her father.
Chef Henry’s had previously been on Aloma Avenue in Winter Park. It was known for its German and Eastern Europe cuisine and the apple strudel. Brestowski told me that there are currently no plans to reopen in another location, but that it is possible if her father’s health returns. “We wouldn’t want to do it without him,” she said.