Celebrity chef Donatella Arpaia abruptly pulled out of her partnership with Sienna restaurant in East Hampton, after her business partners hired strippers as waitresses.
“Donatella didn’t want to be associated with those type of ‘employees’ and promptly left,” a source told us of the “Iron Chef America” judge, who was appalled when her partners bused in 40 dancers from Midtown gentlemen’s club Sapphire New York.
As the summer progressed, it was clear that [the partners] were pursuing a different direction in food service that was not in alignment with my brand.
- Chef Donatella Arpaia
Arpaia — a former co-owner of restaurants including davidburke & donatella, who also sells a popular line of kitchen products on HSN — was announced as Sienna’s chef in May. She crafted a menu that included her “award-winning meatballs,” “show-stopping” sparkling watermelon dessert and healthy dishes developed with her heart surgeon husband.
But her partners, Jonathan Rapillo and general manager Dimitrios Zacharias, had a different idea. Dancers from Sapphire were hired as servers, and when Arpaia found out about the jiggle-joint employees, she walked away in July.
Shortly afterward, the partners ferried 40 strippers from the mammary mecca to entertain guests paying $5,000 per table with two dedicated dancers, who were told to keep their tops on. But 20 high rollers who spent $10,000 were invited to an afterparty at a private house with the 40 strippers, with no restrictions on nudity. The venue also hosted parties for racy club the Box and boozy Day & Night brunches.
Arpaia told us: “I was hired by the partners as a food consultant, with the goal to improve food quality. As the summer progressed, it was clear that they were pursuing a different direction in food service that was not in alignment with my brand. Because of that difference of opinion, I terminated my association with Sienna toward the third week of July.”
A rep for Sienna said, “We enjoyed working with Donatella. Unfortunately she was never comfortable with the nightclub aspect of Sienna and we amicably parted company on July 19. We wish her well.”