Owner John Brandt-Lee impresses in his move to the kitchen at Avalon in W. Chester

Many a restaurateur has soared or sundered on the whims of a hired chef. And for an owner new to the biz - as John Brandt-Lee was in 2002 when he bought Avalon in West Chester - the situation was particularly vulnerable.

So what happens after a friendly review, like the one I gave Avalon in 2003, when the lauded talent leaves just a few months later? For Brandt-Lee, it meant that another chef with another menu and style was given the keys to his kitchen and clientele. But the new hire - the well-traveled Clark Gilbert, who knew from the start his time at Avalon would be limited - brought with him a novel concept: cook's training for the owner.

He said: "You're going to learn - if not to become a chef - to at least not let a chef have you [at his mercy] again."

It was the beginning of a fortunate new chapter for Avalon and its owner. Gilbert, now the proprietor of Gemelli in Narberth, was a fine steward for the menu. More important, he was the perfect mentor to give Brandt-Lee the fundamentals and launch him on a new career in chef whites. After several years of apprenticeship under Gilbert and two more cooks, he's been running his own kitchen now for more than a year.

And Avalon doesn't just feel renewed. This 90-seat BYOB feels like a completely new restaurant - because in many ways it is. The once wide-ranging contemporary menu with French accents has been totally refocused on Italian flavors, fresh pastas, and personal twists reflecting Brandt-Lee's newfound passion. (Ironically, he was once a steak-and-potatoes guy.)

The sleek, bi-level, stone-floored room, one of West Chester's go-to upscale destinations, has had some special-occasion starch removed, as the white linens were replaced with handsome wood-topped tables, and the bird-bath fountain near the entrance was removed for a marble-topped table laden with charcuterie and artisan cheese.

That bounty of nibbles set front and center is now one of Avalon's best assets. The dozen cheeses and half-dozen salumi there, including unusual finds such as Piedmont Raschera, Nebbiolo-encrusted Testun al Barolo, sublimely rich Gorgonzola Dolce, and Fra Mani salumi, rank among the best arrays in the burbs. (The mole-infused salami from Mario Batali's dad, Armandino, was an unexpected Mex-Italiano treat.)