The Village of Wellington just turned down Mark Bellissimo's request for the parking rule change. This rule needed to be changed in order for the Tavern On The Green, Wellington to be re-opened. Jenny LeRoy (Oz) of the famed New York Eatery, Tavern On The Green opened up a sister Tavern On The Green in the Equestrian Club in Wellington Florida. Jenny is an avid rider and comes here during the Equestrian seasons. She went into partnership with Mark Bellissimo who may not have disclosed the nature and the extent of the parking problem. Even from the beginning of the Tavern opening they had problems with the Village of Wellington. The opening kept getting delayed and the Tavern did not really get to take off until almost the middle of the season. There were negative articles being printed in the papers from the onset. Perhaps there were other folks behind these obstacles. 

Well,it seems as though Bellissimo has been in hot water  since moving to Wellington Florida. He and Glenn Straub of the Polo Club have been in lawsuits against each other over the parking, the land and other things.  Apparently this was unbeknownst to his partners. Here is an excerpt from the Press Release published by Phelps Media Group:

"Wellington, FL – June 9, 2006 – Wellington Equestrian Partners (Mark Bellissimo, Dennis Dammerman, Roger Smith, Eugene R. Mische, and The Burton Family) are pleased to announce that they will be partnering with the famous Tavern On The Green (LeRoy Adventures) to bring the famous New York City restaurant to Wellington, FL.

The newly formed group is called Wellington Tavern Partners, LLC (WTP). The long-term goal is to have this Tavern on the Green partnership as the anchor restaurant in the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center’s proposed multi-use commercial development. For the short-term, the group plans to introduce the “Tavern On The Green Café”, which is slated to open as a small-scale restaurant and catering operation in November of 2006.

Mark Bellissimo commented, “We believe that the WTP partnership will deliver a high-quality location, exceptional dining, and distinctive ambiance to Wellington. We are excited to be involved with such a positive and creative group. The fact that Tavern On The Green chose Wellington to locate is a great credit to the community. I personally look forward to working with Jenny and her team." Phelps Media Group International

Then Jean Mische who also has his share of problems and litigation with Glenn Straub and Mark Bellissimo is moving his Stadium Jumping off the property where the Equestrian Club is and is moving to Section 34, a 640 acre tract west of 50th Street  where the new Wellington Preserve community will be built. The showgrounds will take up 179 acres of the property. This is in another location from where the club is and with this move there really is no chance for The Tavern to be able to continue in its present location. 

So while Jean Mische is getting his new Equestrian Stadium Jumping move approved by the Village of Wellington, Mark Bellissimo's parking request is getting denied. Mische has been accused of not honoring a prior agreement with Bellissimo that would have created a huge equestrian community around the current Stadium Jumping facility is which is also where the Tavern On The Green was. 

It was quite a shock when my daughter and 2 of my sons came over to tell us of all of them becoming unemployed in one day! My daughter was the behind the scenes manager of Tavern On The Green taking care of pay roll, paperwork and scheduling. One of my sons was a cook and my other son was the head cook. The chef had quit and my son became the 'Chef' overnight. They loved working at the Tavern on The Green.They loved the way the owners treated the employees and were looking forward to continued growth with the restaurant.  I know that everything happens for a reason but I can not help to think how petty it is to fight over such things as what these grown men are fighting over! 

Jennie LeRoy (Oz) wanted to get the parking situation worked out with the Village of Wellington and was hoping for a rule change so they could be open again for business this coming Equestrian season. But it looks like that is not going to happen. People that live in the Equestrian Club community did not like cars parking to go to the club to eat. Some people thought it would be great because with the rule change Wellington would allow off- site valet parking but then others said that there is no reason to have valet parking in Wellington.  The motion to deny the parking rule change was verified with a vote of 4 to 1. So that's a wrap for the news in Wellington Florida for today!

Photo Courtesy of Phelps Media Group International

 Copyright © 2007 by  Katerina Gasset  The material herein may not be copied,  reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed or published. All rights reserved.  Plagiarism will be detected and is punishable by law.

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