Immediately after extra than two a long time as a destination for French-encouraged dishes in downtown Sebastopol, the iconic K&L Bistro will near later this yr.
The eatery’s French staples, like onion soup, Steak au Poivre and Mussels Mariniere, aided make a Michelin star for entrepreneurs Karen and Lucas Martin in 2007.
Announcement of its closure comes following becoming purchased by the proprietors of The Livery on Key, a forthcoming food stuff corridor, coworking and occasion area adjacent to the restaurant.
The sale is a bittersweet relief to the Martins, who as tiny-small business owners have struggled to continue to keep the doors open up through the pandemic. Regardless of the restaurant’s ongoing accomplishment, the few has been working with nominal personnel — often only as a couple with Karen in the kitchen area and Lucas guiding the bar and welcoming attendees. Their two teenage sons have also been assisting with cooking, busing tables and dishwashing.
K&L Bistro opened very long in advance of Sonoma County was a serious culinary desired destination with “chef-lebrities,” farm-to-table hoopla and multi-million dollar kitchen renovations. In 2001, the county was nevertheless a mainly rural outpost with just a handful of restaurants — John Ash & Co., Sonoma’s Lady and the Fig or Madrona Manor — that could rival San Francisco’s burgeoning food stuff scene.
K&L’s casual bistro truthful, lively bar and European experience made it an just about immediate standout in Sebastopol.
“We’re truly on the lookout ahead to the subsequent chapter in our life, and it is exhilarating and terrifying,” Lucas Martin said. “We’ve been accomplishing this a lengthy time, and we experienced a 20-12 months approach to retire. We’re on year 21,” he extra. The Martins moved to Sebastopol from San Francisco to raise their two sons, who are now grown.
The bistro, at 119 S. Most important St., will continue being open up for the following two to three months as the sale finalizes, in accordance to Greg Beale, founder and CEO of the Beale Team and Farm to Coast Collective.
A “public benefit company,” Farm to Coast Collective will work The Livery on Main and will offer on-web site administration, staffing and marketing and advertising to the food stuff hall distributors in return for licensing fees (30% of gross profits from foodstuff corridor distributors).
The Livery is slated to open up in late 2022. Both events declined to disclose the phrases of the K&L sale.
“Having the K&L house in these types of proximity to The Livery on Primary is a huge asset,” stated Beale, including that the Livery team is searching at quite a few principles but has nonetheless to land on how the cafe will be utilized.
The Livery, at 135 S. Key St., is slated to open with a number of “microrestaurants,” including vegan dishes from Santa Rosa’s Cozy Plum Bistro, Mexican-model mariscos (seafood dishes) from Santa Rosa’s El Charro Negro food truck and Greek foods from Taverna Lithi, a new restaurant from Dino’s food stuff truck owner and chef Dino Moniodis. Village Bakery is also slated to open up in the creating following losing its retail store and production kitchen in The Barlow throughout the flooding of 2019 and just lately closing its Montgomery Village cafe.
“We’re striving to produce a warm and inviting area, just as the Martins have for more than 20 years,” Beale said.
Continuing the K&L name hasn’t been ruled out, he explained.
“We really feel excellent about passing the torch together to Greg and his workforce — Sebastopolians who enjoy our tiny town as much as we do. We’re sad to depart the community that so warmly welcomed and nurtured us, but we’re satisfied to be free to take a look at some new alternatives outside the house the area,” Lucas Martin stated.
The couple strategy to move to Portland, Oregon, to be nearer to loved ones, and haven’t dismissed the notion of operating a meals organization in the long term.
“It’s a unfortunate ending to a great adore story. We tried to cling on, but we cannot economically. It is really a small psychological,” Lucas Martin mentioned.
