After Something About Her opened, the former sandwich shop chef of ARIANA Madix and Katie Maloney made a statement.
Ariana, 38, and Katie, 37, had a falling out with Chef Penny Davidi after the reality stars stopped talking to him about business issues that they “didn’t see eye to eye on.”
Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix opened Something About Her
Chef Penny Davidi shared her thoughts exclusively with The U.S. Sun about the new menu that was made after she left
Following Something regarding Her’s official May 22 opening, the former chef offers some observations regarding the updated menu and forecasts what lies ahead for the Los Angeles café.
Fans of Vanderpump Rules went to the store to sample sandwiches like The Diane, The Reese, and The Kate.
Nevertheless, after carefully examining the menu, 52-year-old Chef Penny is certain that it is “not her menu” and “not the sandwiches” that she had initially selected when she was hired to assist the owners.
“I did not put this together. After the opening, the famous chef gave an exclusive interview to The U.S. Sun in which he stated, “This is not the vision that I had for this place.”
“People wanted something spectacular. The sandwiches sound 𝓈ℯ𝓍y, but unfortunately, looked underwhelming.”
Chef Penny believes the menu “doesn’t make sense” in some aspects, including the “many different kinds of bread” used for each sandwich.
“They don’t know how to cross-utilize. I would not bring in five different kinds of bread for 10 sandwiches,” she remarked.
“I also would not put certain sandwiches on certain kinds of bread because the bread-to-meat ratio is completely off from what I’ve seen in photos and people’s posts.”
For example, she said she “would never put a Greek Goddess sandwich in a lavash wrap as it’s so moist and is going to fall apart.
“The shop’s new version of her Greek Goddess sandwich she had previously created is now called The Meg.Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney spent ‘way less money’ than fans think to transform sandwich shop, interior designer saysPer the new menu, The Meg is a Greek salad sandwich made with signature tzatziki, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, herb mix, and romaine lettuce on traditional lavash.Penny continued: “The sandwiches are not my creations, but they are definitely using some ingredients in each one that I introduced them to like Boursin cheese.
“I can say 50% of the menu are items that I gave them and they changed some things.”
After over a year-long delay and permit issues, the much-anticipated opening left fans – some of which had waited over four hours just to enter the café – disappointed, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed.
Something About Her sandwiches are named after iconic rom-com charactersCredit: The U.S. SunA source spilled: “The store opened 30 minutes late, leaving everyone waiting outside frustrated.
“And on top of that, the store’s POS system wasn’t working at the time, so everything was very chaotic and unorganized.”
Chef Penny, who has no plans on stepping foot inside, believes the shop might not have as much success in the long run due to Katie and Ariana “not being restaurant operators.”
“Keeping the business going will be challenging,” she claimed.
“At some point, the fans will realize that the only person they will see at the shop is Terry, Katie’s mom.”
She added: “It’s a once-and-done kind of place.
“It’s not a business that can be scaled. Unfortunately, their overhead is going to be too high and they can’t make enough product.”
TAKING SIDESLisa Vanderpump, who had introduced the VPR stars to their now-ex chef, has been by Chef Penny’s side ever since the falling out.
During part one of the three-part Season 11 reunion, Lisa even argued with Katie and Ariana about what caused the delay in opening.
After Katie told host Andy Cohen it was a “bunch of red tape” and that Penny is a “non-issue,” Lisa clapped back, saying, “I disagree.
“I think it was a multitude of things, of disagreements, of Ariana being away. Look, you can get through your drain issue and your health issue in a year.”
The former RHOBH star added that she will “regret” making the introduction if “Penny ends up hurt.”
Lala Kent also supported the chef by slamming Katie’s claims that she was only involved for “two months,” especially since the cast got a taste of Penny’s menu in this season and Season 10.
Chef Penny told The U.S. Sun: “Lisa’s been nothing but supportive with all women she works in business with.
“If it wasn’t for her, they wouldn’t be on a TV show and have the success that they have had.
“They didn’t listen to her when she advised them to speak to me and get things resolved so they can have a successful business and not run out of sandwiches and serve stale bread.”
The Drew includes whipped chive-infused goat cheese, mango jalapeno jam, and shaved pink ladyapple on an artisan baguette
The Kate includes burrata, heirloom tomatoes, shallots, and homemade balsamic onion marmalade on rustic ciabatta
Chef Penny (pictured on Vanderpump Rules) was an integral part of the business before Ariana and Katie stopped working with her