Where Are They Now: Sylva Senat
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
"Philly is definitely soon on the horizon."
By all accounts, Sylva Senat was one of the city's most exciting chefs. A Brooklyn-bred Haitian dude cooking vindaloo sausage, peanut rice-stuffed quail, black cumin sorbet and other modern Indian treasure at Tashan.... Come on, the story practically wrote itself. Even as Tashan hit uncertain waters and Senat was canned, there was this feeling that the chef would be alright, better even, with an even more thrilling solo project TBD.
That didn't happen. Senat bounced around, cooked at St. James in Ardmore for a while, and is now in Newport News, Virginia. "Senat restaurants in slowly branding," says Senat. "I have a great opportunity to start and build a restaurant in Virginia with a casual American-Asian concept."
He's working with PREIT (Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust), the firm behind the Vetri-fication of the Moorestown Mall; they also own the Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, where Senat's restaurant will likely be located.
So has Philly lost him for good? Not even: "[This] is going to allow me to return to my awaiting crew in Philadelphia, as we finalize the details on an upcoming signature chef-driven project. Been shopping for a space for a while. Philly is definitely soon on the horizon."
