In an interview at the restaurant Sunday afternoon, chef-owner Dominique Fortin said slow business prompted his decision. The closure will affect about 20 employees.
Fortin said the overall decline of full-service fine dining in the Dayton area and across the country hurt his restaurant, as did the inaccurate impression among many Dayton-area residents that Dominique’s – which was called “C’est Tout a Bistro” for its first 11 years – was a fancy, expensive French restaurant. Although a classically trained French chef himself, Fortin served Provence-style bistro dishes in a casual atmosphere in the Oakwood restaurant.
Fortin grew up in Chartres, France, and worked in restaurants in Paris, London, New York City and Chicago. He came to Dayton in 1999 to succeed l’Auberge co-founder Dieter Krug as executive chef of the now-defunct, former Mobil four-star restaurant l’Auberge, which was also located on Far Hills Avenue, several blocks south of Fortin’s restaurant.
Fortin left l’Auberge to launch C’est Tout in 2003.
Shanon Morgan, president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association, said she was saddened by the closing.
“Dayton had been extremely fortunate to have such a talented and passionate chef as Dominique Fortin offering his delicious creations for 12 years,” Morgan said. “I truly hope he is able to find a way to continue to cook for his Miami Valley following.”
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