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Ninth Life at Ten Acres new bistrO tO replace stOwe’s lagniappe
by cOri n hi rsch & a l i ce l e v i t t
File phOtOs: jeb wallace-brODeur
Suddenly Steven
cheF anD cO-Owner leaves claire’s
Steven Obranovich
young chef looks forward to maintaining relationships with farmers, he says. As for Obranovich, he’s not sure what’s next. “I’m looking forward to having time to go to the president’s inauguration,” he jokes. “And I’m looking forward to cooking again.”
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FOOD 49
Some business owners are still feeling the aftershocks of Tropical Storm Irene. Earlier this fall, tOm sullIvan and JamEs DOtsOn, owners of the CIDEr hOusE BarBECuE anD PuB in Waterbury, discovered some of their floors were buckling. They were forced
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agent. No one has signed on the dotted line yet, and Blake blames the size of the space: 4800 square feet. “Any type of reasonable proposal from a qualified operator would be considered,” he adds. Nearly 5000 square feet wasn’t quite enough for CIty markEt, which checked out the place as a potential South End satellite but decided to strike it from its list of options, according to member services director allIsOn WEInhaGEn, because of parking limitations and other particulars. Though City Market has looked at spots throughout the neighborhood, it has yet to find a “suitable space,” she says, which could delay expansion
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A classified ad in last week’s Seven Days quickened our pulses: “Lake Champlain Chocolates is seeking a creative executive chef to participate in the development of a new rustic-Americana south end eatery...” it read. We imagined the savory chocolate dishes that might result — perhaps a Vermont mole? We’ll have to wait to find out. While the chocolate company is planning to open an eatery inside the former Sondik Supply building at 716 Pine Street, which it purchased last year, the details remain under wraps. “We have no time frame, but we’re looking at integrating food and chocolate. That would be a no-brainer,” says Gary COffEy, LCC director of retail operations. LCC is far from having a concrete vision for the eatery, he adds. Farther north on Pine Street, the space formerly known as Cheese Outlet/ Fresh Market is still on the leasing block, according to Tony Blake of V/T Commercial, the building’s
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As chef and co-owner of ClaIrE’s rEstaurant & Bar in Hardwick, stEvEn OBranOvICh got plenty of national attention for his “new Vermont cooking,” including an appearance on “Emeril Green.” Now his association with Claire’s has reached an abrupt end. That came as a surprise to Obranovich, he says. On November 27, co-owner lInDa ramsDEll asked him and his husband and co-owner, mIChaEl BOsIa, not to return to work. A buyout followed. “It’s still a mystery to me how it all came down,” Obranovich says. Ramsdell, who also owns Hardwick’s Galaxy Bookshop and the building housing Claire’s, explains her decision: “Michael and Steven and I ended up at a place where we had fundamentally different approaches to the financial management of [Claire’s]. It didn’t work anymore as a partnership between the three of us, so I bought them out.” Bosia says Claire’s consistently broke even under his tenure but did not make a profit, even though Obranovich worked there for less than he’d made earlier in his career as a sous-chef, and Bosia and Ramsdell contributed free labor as the business’ marketing and financial managers, respectively. “For us, that was sufficient,” Bosia says. With an eye toward increasing Claire’s local appeal, Ramsdell says, she has promoted sous-chef tOm COtE to the top role. The two of them envision a menu with less of the eclectic international fare that Obranovich made famous and more of what Cote describes as elevated comfort food and “contemporary American regional cuisine.” The
When lInDa huntEr and mark fuCIlE purchased Stowe’s tEn aCrEs lODGE in November, they knew they were taking on a historic building. But that realization was never starker than when they encountered a basement of forgotten belongings from decades of previous owners. Now benches, tables and a mirror from that cellar will become part of the décor of the renovated BIstrO at tEn aCrEs, the restaurant the couple will open in mid-December. The eatery replaces Lagniappe, the 2-year-old CajunCreole restaurant that closed earlier this fall. Its chef, Gary JaCOBsOn, will remain in the kitchen. “The guy has chops. We’re thrilled he’s Gary Jacobson staying with us,” Fucile says. Jacobson’s specialties, such as barbecue shrimp and Bourbon Street Lobster, will remain on the menu, but that’s where the similarities end. “It’s not fair to call it a Cajun restaurant anymore,” Fucile adds. Instead, Bistro at Ten Acres will be a casual spot with an expanded bar area and “good, handmade, AmericanEuropean food,” says Hunter. “Pretty much everything that leaves the kitchen will be handmade — breads, burgers, soups, relishes and desserts.” At the curved bar, which is being built atop old Jim Beam barrels, the bistro will offer Vermont craft beers and a small but eclectic wine selection; in front, a cozy seating area faces the killer views from the lodge’s front window. As for keeping the “Ten Acres” moniker, Hunter says it was a no-brainer: “It’s been here forever and we couldn’t imagine changing the name.”
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