The Rusty Spoon, one of the area’s premier restaurants, has been sold by William and Kathleen Blake to Michelle Lagerweij.

The name of the restaurant will change in the coming weeks to Elize. Lagerweij, who is from the Netherlands, owns a restaurant called Cafe Elize in Utrecht. The menu is expected to change along with the name.

Reanna McNamara, who has been a chef at Rusty Spoon for some time, will take over the kitchen and the Blakes will stay on to assist in the transition. William Blake said Friday that he expects them to be around for three to four weeks.

Blake said they had been looking to sell the restaurant for a while and were introduced to Lagerweij by a broker. He said that he and Kathleen were very happy about the sale and were looking forward to having some time off. He added that they plan to stay in the area and will remain involved in the local culinary community.

The Rusty Spoon opened in 2011 and was an immediate critical hit. Kathleen Blake had previously been with Primo by Melissa Kelly and was one of the early proponents of the farm to table movement. Over the years she has established herself as one of the most celebrated and important local chefs.