MICHAEL LEVITON APPOINTS CHEF DE CUISINE AND GENERAL MANAGER FOR PERSEPHONE

BOSTON, MA – Chef Michael Leviton has appointed key opening staff for his new Fort Point Channel restaurant venture, Persephone. Derek Wilson, previously of Ambrosia on Huntington and The Rowes Wharf Restaurant at the Boston Harbor Hotel, will take the position of General Manager, and Jeff Pond, most recently of Tomasso Trattoria in Southborough, MA, will execute Leviton’s menu as Chef de Cuisine. Persephone, the restaurant division in the new innovative restaurant/retail concept, The Achilles Project, is scheduled to open December 15.

“Assembling the perfect team is paramount when opening a new restaurant,” says Leviton. “I’m overjoyed to have such talented people on board and am looking forward to continuing to build an amazing team.”

Leviton’s Newton restaurant, Lumiere, was named “Best New Restaurant” by Bon Appetit in 1999, “Best Restaurant in America” by Gourmet in 2002, and has received numerous “Best of” awards from Boston Magazine. Persephone will be Lumiere’s casual cousin, featuring exquisitely executed fare and pitch-perfect service presented in a relaxed restaurant environment.

The Persephone menu will feature sustainable local ingredients where possible in dishes designed to represent “simplicity and harmony with each passing season.” Organic and biodynamic wines from small and lesser-known producers will dominate the wine list, which will also devote a special section to sake. Chef Leviton is known for his commitment to sustainable “green” practices at Lumiere, and will continue this tradition in the Persephone kitchen.

The Achilles Project is a retail/restaurant concept headed up by co-owners Michael Krupp and Shaka Ramsay. The retail division, Achilles, will feature exclusive and limited-run products from competitive- to high-price point fashion lines for men and women, as well as previously unreleased collections from a wide variety of designers and artists.

The Achilles Project will be one of the first restaurants/retailers to move into Boston’s up-and-coming Fort Point Channel neighborhood.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Leviton, Wilson or Pond contact Kirsten Amann at 617-733-2791 or via email at kirsten@dalynmillerpr.com.