Renowned chef Barbara Lynch is holding an estate sale while facing a lawsuit over a large sum of unpaid property taxes. According to WCVB, the sale, organized by Best Rate Cleanouts & Estate Sales, will offer items ranging from fine art to designer clothing and is set for Saturday in Gloucester. Lynch's legal troubles involve a claim filed by the city of Boston seeking $1.7 million.
Interested buyers can expect to find high-end items, including antique furniture, numerous cookbooks, and specially made chef aprons. As the doors are primed to open at 9 a.m., those eager to procure her wares must adhere to a sign-in procedure, with the earliest arrival asked to manage a sign-up sheet at risk of their place in line being usurped, as reported by Boston.com. At 7 a.m., numbers will be distributed for entry, and the address of the sale will be available online the previous evening with buyers advised to refrain from forming a sign-up sheet until after midnight on the day of the sale.
Items on offer include work from artists such as Clint Baclawski and Harry Gage, with lithographs by Henri Matisse and designer clothing from Alexander McQueen to Vera Wang. "You do not want to miss this fantastic estate sale," the listing stated, as noted by Boston.com. "As with all of our sales, everything is priced to sell, which means good deals for you!"
The impending sale at Lynch's Annisquam village home, where she moved in 2016, underscores a fall from grace for the once-celebrated Boston restaurateur. With most of her restaurants sold or shuttered, including The Rudder in Gloucester and the landmark No. 9 Park in Beacon Hill, her gastronomic legacy seems to be waning. The chef’s representative issued a statement blaming the pandemic for the closures, yet they also come against a backdrop of personal allegations. Having ventured north from her South Boston roots to Gloucester only to have her restaurant empire erode, Lynch has faced accusations of maintaining a toxic work environment and allegedly withholding tips from employees, claims that she fervently denies.
Lynch's career accolades include multiple James Beard award nominations and wins, with Boston.com highlighting her significance in the culinary industry, particularly in Boston where she revolutionized dining experiences. Yet, as the year comes to a close, these accomplishments seem overshadowed by her current legal and financial difficulties.
