I can't tell you how often I hear of a chef leaving because he or she is an artist who wants to produce great food and the owner is a business person who wants his business to stay afloat. (I'm usually told this off the record, of course.) I understand how frustrating it must be for both sides.

It would be interesting to know of any chefs who have stayed a long time at a Baltimore restaurant even though they don't have any ownership in the place. So few chefs are also good business people, and why should they be? -- it's not their area of expertise -- but I can see why they would be tempted to open their own places anyway.