COCHECTON CENTER, NY — The owner of Henning’s Local closed his restaurant in Cochecton Center and is decamping to the northern Catskills. The restaurant’s last day was Sunday, February 4.

“Our beloved space in Cochecton Center has recently changed hands,” Henning Nordanger wrote on the restaurant’s website on January 19. “Sadly, it’s impossible for our small business to sustain the excessive rent increase by the building’s new owner and unfortunately, all avenues for solutions at this location have been explored without success.”

Nordanger was born and raised in Norway and specializes in “Scandinavian-style American comfort food” using local ingredients. He called his time in Cochecton Center a “long, rewarding, and adventurous journey,” and credited the dedication of his staff and his customers’ “unwavering loyalty” with his success.

Now, he said, he is turning his attention to another restaurant, “Julia’s Local and my beautiful farm in Round Top,” he wrote. “I hope to see you in the near future, albeit, in a different part of the Catskills.”