Something big is about to happen to the culinary scene in Kelowna and it will all begin near the Best Western Hotel on Harvey Avenue.
In the middle of August the ORA Restaurant and 97 Street Bar suddenly shut its doors but now a new tenant has been found and it is just the first of many new places to open in the city. A soft opening will take place on Friday for the brand new Italian Table, a restaurant run by the Twisted Tomato group.
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“Myself, Michelle and Jason Troll and one other person who shall remain nameless for the time being have decided to start a new restaurant and entertainment group, but I can’t tell you the name of it yet,” said partner Gerry Jobe. “We will be taking over ORA and it is becoming a forward, really good, solid classic Italian place.”
The new restaurant will be family oriented and cater to all types of residents. They will have classic Italian dishes, an extensive wine list and an impressive cocktail menu. The official launch of the restaurant will take place on November 1st, 2014. This space will be the first of several new places the group will open up in the coming months.
“The Twisted Tomato is being renovated as we speak, construction began about a week and a half ago and the plans for that site are unlike anything Kelowna has ever seen, this is going to be a landmark restaurant,” Jobe said enthusiastically. “They are maturing the concept a little bit but the entrees will be more refined and the space will be absolutely gorgeous.”
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Another venture will open on November 1st, 2014 in the old 97 Street Pub next to the Italian Table, it will now become the Fleetwood Public House.
“It will be a hub for all of the people who gather around the auto district in the area, our main concept for the place will be providing Kelowna with a true public house where everyone feels comfortable going to,” adds Jobe. “It will be getting a renovation, we will be extending the bar and we will be doing live streaming of concerts through Live Nation. It will very much be a sports and rock and roll place.”
There will be live music on the weekends and live concerts streamed, including the upcoming Maroon 5 concert as well as Fleetwood Mac. The plans are to restore the 97 Street Pub “to what it used to be” and taking it to the next level. The menu will include a large selection of burgers, slow roasted foods, smoked meats and a long list of salads.
Jobe is keeping mum about whom the head chef for the new group will be but says Kelowna will be enthusiastic once their name is released.
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“The group of restaurants will be overseen by a fantastic corporate chef who I cannot name, but it will be someone who the Kelowna community will be excited about,” explains Jobe. “It’s the person who I really wanted to work with and the person who will oversee all of our culinary aspects. We’ll be announcing who that is very soon.”
Over the coming weeks more information will be released about the group and new restaurants and the changing landscape to come for Kelowna’s culinary scene.
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