'Chopped' Champion Closes One Morris County Eatery

MADISON, NJ — Even when you're a "Chopped" champion, the restaurant business can be ruthless. Leia Gaccione's Central + Main American Eatery in Madison will permanently close soon.

Gaccione appeared on two "Chopped" episodes last month, winning on the first and then making it all the way to the dessert final on the "Alton's Maniacal Baskets" finale. She also owns south+pine in Morristown. Read more: Morristown Chef Makes It Far On Chopped's 'Maniacal' Finale

Central + Main operated for 3.5 years by its namesake intersection and faced tough times during the pandemic. Gaccione temporarily closed the restaurant in December as restaurants awaited another round of government funding. It reopened March 31.

The restaurant will end business Sept. 9.

"We wish you the best in your future dining experiences and remember to always EAT YOUR HEART OUT!" they wrote on social media.

Several reasons factored into Central + Main's permanent closure, according to northjersey.com. The landlord is planning to knock down the building in a year, she told the publication. Also, she is about to lose her chef de cuisine and hasn't been able to find a replacement. The pandemic also accelerated the situation.

She offered most of her employees work at south+pine, she told northjersey.com.

Gaccione spoke to Patch last month about the issues restaurants continue to face. While patrons were eager to go out, she said, restaurants could use a few more employees. As a result, south+pine didn't return to 100 percent capacity. And some nights they turned off online ordering so they could focus on the customers inside the restaurant.

But whatever happens, restaurants will keep pushing forward, Gaccione says.

"We're going into fall and winter a lot more prepared than we were the first time, and we just hope for the best and hope we don't have to just do takeout again," she said. "But if we do have to do that, we're going to do it. We're not going to stop fighting."

Read more: At Morristown Restaurants, Things Not Quite Back To 'Normal' Yet

Gaccione spent seven years as Bobby Flay's executive chef and chef de cuisine at five of his restaurants before running her own establishments. She competed as Flay's sous chef in three "Iron Chef America" episodes. Gaccione also hosted a docu-series, "Her Name is Chef," which highlights "six bad-ass, inspiring, sheroes of the kitchen." The show was released April 27.

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