By: Deborah Johnson Wood
After months of construction, Michigan's only European Gastro Pub will open on Wednesday, September 19. Besides being the state's only gastro pub, The Green Well, 924 Cherry SE, is the only restaurant in the Midwest whose shell and interior meet new construction LEED standards.
"Gastro pub" is a British term for a restaurant with high quality food and relaxed surroundings. Essence Restaurant Group, owners of downtown favorite, Bistro Bella Vita, created the restaurant. Like Bistro, the new eatery offers locally grown food.
"Produce, goat cheese, pork, lamb, beef, I mean, a good percentage of it is coming from a local farmer or vendor," says James Berg, a managing partner in the enterprise. "At Bistro, we were one of the pioneer restaurants in the Local First movement and we want to continue that at The Green Well."
The restaurant is part of a larger multi-million-dollar development of new townhouses, the renovation of the historic D.A. Blodgett Home for Children and an Italianate garden as part of an ongoing initiative to revitalize the neighborhood. That revitalization includes jobs. Last June, Berg projected the restaurant would create 25 jobs; that number is now 30.
Berg expects to add a patio next summer that will overlook the adjacent formal gardens. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and will serve 20 draft beers, micro-brews, wine, and cocktails.
Bazzani Associates designed and constructed the building, which is owned by Fairmount Square, LLC. The Green Well signed a ten-year lease.
Photo:
Chef Patrick Wise (left), Executive Chef and Managing Partner, and James Berg
Photograph by Brian Kelly
Source: James Berg, The Green Well; Craig Clark, Clark Communications
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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