BLVD: Restaurant news around town
March 28, 2024
Eat & drink
The Loyalist Market in Matthews has been sold, founder Chris Sottile shared on Instagram. Sottile opened the Matthews cheese shop, market and café nearly seven years ago and quickly amassed a devoted following. But the restaurant aspect of the business didn’t fit with Sottile’s long-term goals. “I saw us as a slow-paced cheese shop with a small team, with a handful of people coming in to eat,” Sottile wrote. “I was too naive in the beginning to realize we’d be a restaurant first, cheese shop second.”
Optimist Hall announced Elizabeth neighborhood favorite Customshop will open a food stall between Village Juice and Boxcar Betty’s. Chef-owner Andres Kaifer and Managing Partner Alex Bridges are planning a Spanish-style tapas shop featuring bocadillos, croquettes, tortilla española, patatas bravas and Customshop’s popular flan.
Leah & Louise is leaving Camp North End and plans to relocate to a larger space in the historic West End. The restaurant will mark its last day of service at CNE on April 21 with a ticketed dinner. An exact location and reopening date were not available at press time.
Fin & Fino opened at Birkdale Village in Huntersville in the former Dressler’s location.
The People’s Market’s bright yellow chairs and light-filled windows are a fixture along Elizabeth Avenue, next to the Visulite Theatre. Now, owner Cory Duran plans to open two more locations in 2024, one in Myers Park and one in Lower South End, offering neighbors another spot to grab a quick coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Known for hearty sandwiches, customers can expect similar deli items, a coffee bar, handmade pastries, craft cocktails, wine by the glass, and specialty retail items at the new locations.
The Myers Park market will be situated in a prominent corner along Selwyn Avenue in the Tranquil Court development. It’s the space Mellow Mushroom occupied for several years. The design for the all-day, indoor-outdoor market has an open floor plan and covered patio featuring the same bright yellow accents as the Elizabeth location. It’s expected to open in late summer.
For Duran, who always aspired to be an entrepreneur, it’s been a winding journey from opening the first market prepandemic. “For us, it’s about seeing the vision through. While our time in Dilworth was short, there was so much love and support from our customers. I had to re-focus, move forward, and finish the job that was started. Having the second chance to serve our customers in Elizabeth, and up next in the historic neighborhood of Myers Park is the icing on the cake.” — Sharon Smith
Thoughtful Baking launched “farm-to-fridge” vending machines stocked with take-and-bake meals, snacks and desserts. The bakery is known for its scratch-made comfort food. Items include chicken and veggie pot pies, shepherd’s pie, quiche, black-eyed pea hummus and pimento cheese. The fridges are located at Birdsong Brewing in NoDa and Traditions at Park Road Shopping Center. SP
Peoples Market photographs by Jessica Gaddy. Other photographs courtesy Plaid Penguin (fin & fino) and Thoughtful Baking.
