When Asian restaurant Lulu’s closes in February, it will be gutted and replaced by a new farm-to-table restaurant.
The lease for the new restaurant, Boltwood, has already been signed by its new tenants, Brian Huston, currently head chef at Chicago’s The Publican, and John Kim of The Brothers K Coffeehouse, 500 Main St.
Daniel Kelch, owner and founder of Lulu’s, 804 Davis St., said there is no particular reason he is closing Lulu’s beyond being “just a little tired.” He opened the restaurant 21 years ago and always planned to lease out the space, he said.
However, Lulu’s may not be shutting its doors for good. Kelch also owned Taco Diablo, which burned down in December, and Kelch said while he has made no definite plans, he is considering reopening both restaurants at new locations.
“If we rebuild one restaurant, it’s not that difficult to build two right together,” Kelch said.
As far as the future of the Davis Street storefront, Kelch said he wants future tenants to maintain the local edge Lulu’s holds.
“We wanted an independent operator with strong roots in the community,” he said.
Boltwood fits Kelch’s criteria because both managers grew up and went to high school in Evanston.
Huston said he was wasn’t planning on leaving his current gig but couldn’t turn down the opportunity to launch the new restaurant.
“The Publican was kind of my dream job,” Huston said. “They’ve let me carve out my own niche and do everything I wanted to do there.”
Huston will stay at The Publican for another two months before shifting his attention to Boltwood.
Kim, along with his brother Brian, has run The Brothers K Coffeehouse since 2005. His brother will continue to manage the coffee shop while John will transition to Boltwood as managing partner to run the front-of-the-house operations.
Both Kim and Huston hope to find a positive group of employees.
“It’s about hiring people that enjoy working with us as a team,” Kim said.
Huston, who will run the back of the house, described wanting to create an environment where “it’s a fun place to work, and people are taken care of … and excited about what they’re doing every day.”
Huston says the farm-to-table approach, where food comes directly from farmers, is something he has always done and will continue at Boltwood. Beyond that approach, he hopes to partner with local schools by buying food produced in their community gardens.
Kelch said he still feels the loss of Lulu’s is a bittersweet one.
“After you do something for 21 years, you have a lot invested in it, and it’s kind of part of who you are,” he said.
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