Citing “irreconcilable differences,” Jeannie Pierola and David Laxer parted ways after a nine-year relationship centered on Bern’s Steak House and SideBerns. Pierola injected a strong hand in guiding the cuisine of the venerable steak emporium, as well as transforming SideBerns from a struggling café/wine bar into one of the Bay area’s most well-regarded restaurants. Pierola wasn’t fazed — she’s not the type — and moved almost immediately to a temporary gig revamping the struggling DeSanto in St. Pete and working on her own project, a restaurant near Ybor slated to open soon. Laxer soon found someone to warm the spot vacated by Pierola, tagging a few in-house chefs to fill in at Bern’s and SideBerns. Only time will tell, but we suspect that even though she was the one who lost a job, Pierola will come out ahead on this one.
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.
