Mezze Restaurant Group Names Two New Co-Owners
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mezze Restaurant Group added two new individuals to its ownership structure on July 6.
In recognition of their many years of service and their importance to the future of the business, co-owners Nancy Thomas and Bo Peabody have announced Linda Stripp and Nicholas Moulton will become new co-owners of Mezze Restaurant Group.
"I am incredibly excited to welcome Nick and Linda as co-owners of Mezze Restaurant Group. Their contributions to date and their roles in our continued expansion are critical," Peabody said. "Linda's leadership of our events business – our fastest-growing category – has been extraordinary, while Nick's recent rise as a celebrity chef – the Veggie King on Food Network – has been nothing short of meteoric. But, more than any of that was watching them operate in the last few months during one of the hardest times in our company and industry's history. Their maturity and dedication during this pandemic proved to me that they already think like owners."
Stripp has been working for the organization for 20 years. She started with the team in 2000 and, as director of Mezze Catering + Events, she is charged with shaping the overall direction of catering operations. Stripp is primarily focused on planning and managing special events including weddings, rehearsal dinners, cocktail parties, corporate functions and galas. Her lead role is in client relations, working hand in hand with catering clients at every stage of planning to deliver exceptional service.
Moulton has been executive chef of Mezze Restaurant Group since 2014, leading the kitchen and designing and executing the seasonal menu with his team. An alumnus of Mezze Bistro, where he worked for four years as sous chef, Moulton is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and an accomplished chef dedicated to highlighting local foods from the Berkshire region. Two-time champion on Guy’s Grocery Games, Food Network’s supermarket-themed cooking competition, he has earned the celebrated title “Veggie King” and competed on Food Network once again on July 8.
"Restaurants are built by teams, and Linda and Nick have made a long-term investment in our company. They are both builders of the brand and play an important role for the future," Thomas said. "We are so excited to have Linda and Nick become official co-owners in the business."
When Mezze opened its original 50-seat bistro in a cozy Water Street building in Williamstown in 1996, guests were loyal fans, many from the local dot-com crowd, and the collective youthful energy sparked recurring dance parties on the deck overlooking the Green River. During the initial years, Thomas partnered with Peabody and grew the business to include other restaurants and Mezze Catering + Events to produce high-end weddings and galas in the Berkshires and New York City. A fire in 2001 forced the restaurant to relocate and a newly renovated Mezze Bistro opened at the top of Water Street in May 2002, doubling the dining space. The popular bistro and bar with exposed brick walls provided a fresh platform for a modern-day dining experience with a farm-to-table focus.
Mezze Bistro occupied their second home for eight years and during that time, Mezze Restaurant Group opened Eleven at Mass MoCA, and later reincarnated as Café Latino, serving patrons for eight years at its museum location. In 2007, Allium was opened in Great Barrington and, after 12 years of accolades and great reviews, closed at the end of 2018. In 2010, Mezze Bistro + Bar moved to its present bucolic setting just south of Williamstown next to Sheep Hill, a conservation property protected by the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation.
