COVINGTON, Kentucky – A new restaurant is opening in Covington this fall.
Bill Grise and chef Mitch Arens are teaming up to open a “new culinary venture” at 434 Madison Avenue.
The concept for the new venture has not yet been announced, but according to a press release, “it will offer something unique to the current area, blending traditional and contemporary culinary inspirations.”
Grise and Arens met and became friends while working at Nada about 16 years ago. According to the press release, the two developed culinary ideas together after work and dreamed of opening their own restaurant one day.
Now this dream is becoming reality.
“This is a big deal,” said Arens. “The two of us are finally coming together to develop this concept. The restaurant brings our story full circle and we’re excited to see it become a reality. This is just part of what we want to achieve in the long term.”
Grise most recently served as Director of Food and Beverage for Thunderdome Restaurant Group, where he “gained invaluable experience ranging from strategic business operations to maintaining brand integrity for one of the largest restaurant groups based in the Queen City,” the press release states.
Arens has been in the culinary business for more than 20 years and is the founder and executive chef of the privately owned chef company Southernly. The local business serves Southern and Cajun-style comfort food.
According to the press release, he was also the “creative mind behind” the following local restaurants:
The new store, at the corner of East 5th Street and Madison Avenue, will be just blocks from the Hotel Covington and adjacent to the former IRS site. Several projects are also underway in the area, including construction of a residential development with 16 townhomes, retail space, 257 residential units and nearly 200 parking spaces.
Grimes and Arens are in the process of developing the name and design for their new company.
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