Matthew Cooper, general manager and executive chef, at Cache Restaurant in downtown Little Rock, is leaving at the end of the year.
Cooper is leaving the restaurant to "pursue a new opportunity," a news release said.
Payne Harding, chef and co-owner of the restaurant, will act as executive chef. Laura Woodard, director of public relations and marketing for the restaurant, said Jeff Falls, chief operating officer of RH Cuisine, which owns both Cache and 1620 Savoy, will serve as general manager.
Rush Harding, co-owner of the restaurant and Payne's father, said Cooper has been integral to the restaurant's success since it opened in December 2013.
"We hate to lose Matt, but his job over this first year was to help us get the restaurant created and to jumpstart us to being successful in the heart of the River Market," Harding, who is also CEO of Crews & Associates of Little Rock, said in the news release. "He has done that and done it well."
Through September, the lunch and dinner service at Cache has done more than $1.3 million in food sales, not including alcohol.
"We appreciate his efforts and we wish him all the best in his new endeavor," Harding continued. "Payne and I look forward to building on the success of our first year."
