Chef RJ Cooper Parts Ways with Henley | Eater Nashville

"I learned that the Kimpton Aertson Hotel’s Midtown restaurant Henley — only six months old — has parted ways with its opening executive chef, RJ Cooper. Cooper, a former fixture in the Washington, D.C., restaurant scene and the 2007 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, released a brief statement saying, “I have the greatest respect and regard for the owners and the team at Henley and wish them good luck. At this time I’m going to pursue other passions and projects.” Representatives for Henley provided a similar statement, saying that “based on a mutual understanding, RJ Cooper is no longer executive chef at Henley. Kimpton thanks RJ for his service and wishes him the best.” Cooper landed in Nashville in late 2016 to work on Henley’s opening after projects in Atlanta and Charlotte, and the restaurant is currently searching for a new executive chef; I’ll check back for updates." - Matt Rogers