North Adams OKs Restaurant at Greylock Works
Chef Brian Alberg, left, and Greylock Works owner Sal Perry explain the concept behind the Break Room, a restaurant planned for the former mill on State Road.
The Planning Board on Monday night approved the addition of the restaurant, The Break Room, to the renovated mill space on State Road. Greylock Works — the former Cariddi Mill — is in the midst of a nearly decade-long renovation that has included the refurbishment of the Weave Shed into an event space, the development of co-working spaces and the installment of two distilleries.
The Break Room LLC is a joint venture between Greylock Works, owned by Salvatore Perry and Karla Rothstein, and Main Street Hospitality Group, which operates the legendary Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge as well as Eat On North (in Hotel on North in Pittsfield), Seeds Market Cafe at Hancock Shaker Village, the Tap House at Shaker Mill in West Stockbridge, Briarcliff Motel in Great Barrington, and Hammetts Hotel in Newport, R.I. Main Street Hospitality, which also operates the Porches inn in North Adams, is a part of the Fitzpatrick family portfolio.
"The Break Room is all about fostering collaborations," Perry told the Planning Board. "The Break Room will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as cater on the Greylock Works campus. ...
"There is an open kitchen, where you can see exactly what's going on and sit at the bar or sit at a table and get a sense of the vibe of the room."
Perry said the restaurant will also also be utilizing the GWorks culinary lab as a business incubator for a wholesale bakery concept that will supply regional restaurants, markets and the Main Street Hospitality portfolio. Amanda Perreault of the Tap House will be the bakery chef.
The restaurant will seat about 60 and be located next to the new cidery and rum distillery in the west end of the Weave Shed, where the main textile operations had been done more than a century ago.
Perry and Rothstein had announced the proposal for the restaurant at a North Adams Chamber of Commerce event in the fall, held in part to promote its co-working spaces. The East Studios are open for business and the West Studios are in the process of being built out. The future plans for the mammoth 150-year-old mill include condominiums that have already been approved.
The restaurant will be at an intersection of the event space, co-working areas and distilleries that will allow it to "spill out" into the wide corridor if needed to accommodate guests. The Break Room will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner and anticipates being open from about 7-7:30 in the morning to about 9:30 to 10 in the evening on the weekends.
Alberg is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and vice president of culinary development for Main Street Hospitality. He has been a guest chef at the James Beard Foundation and a part of local events for Outstanding in the Field, a national organization that promotes farm-to-table events.
"Our philosophy is collaboration and community. My goal, coming up to North County, is to further support the local farmers and growers in our region," he told the planners. "I have a really strong background in South County. We're burgeoning into other parts of the state as well. But because North Adams, to me, is such a ... I don't know, it's a cool up-and-coming community that's so embedded in the arts, and I just think that, you know, adding the level of culinary and creativity backed by community is just going to help kind of bring more people to the region."
Perry said the restaurant will be advertised with vertical banners previously approved by the board but not yet implemented.
Francis J. Morandi, a neighbor of the mill who lives on Protection Avenue, asked if he should expect noise from entertainment or smells from the kitchen from the vents on the roof.
"I don't want to be entertained like I am when the Greylock Works has a party," he said. "You know it's ridiculous to sit there and listen to boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, for hour after hour."
Perry said the restaurant would be located in the middle of the long building, would not have entertainment and that the vents Morandi could see were air intakes, so there should be no smells.
"You will not hear anything from this restaurant," he said. "And when we have dance parties, it is loud. I think we had two of them last year."
In other business, the board approved a 12-space parking lot on Montana Street for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Marc Morandi, senior director of development and advancement operations for the MCLA Foundation, said the lots are being put in at 8-10 Montana, where a multifamily had been torn down behind the science center.
He said the lot would be striped, signed and arborvitae would be planted along Montana for screening. The change of use was approved with Planner Lynette Bond, a grant coordinator for the college, abstaining.
The board also approved the request by Kendra Parker to open a pet grooming business, Give a Dog a Bath, at 52 Ashland St., with Brian Miksic abstaining because he is the landlord. Baker said she is a American Kennel Club SAFE (Safety, Assurance, Fundamentals, Education) certified groomer and also holds certifications from the International Professional Groomers and the Professional Pet Groomers & Stylists Alliance for safey and sanitation.
"I am educated yearly, continuing my education on veterinary knowledge available to grooming professionals," she said. "That way I can provide the best knowledge to our pet owners and become a good resource to strengthen the pet-owner community."
The board approved a request from Walgreens for a trade-name change for property located at 50 Lincoln St. Walgreens purchased a number of Rite-Aid locations last year, including the one in North Adams. It also approved a request from Gordmans for a business name change for property located at 78 Main St., currently known as Peebles, and from Callahan Signs to install the new signs.
Tags: greylock works, pets, Planning Board, restaurants,
