Nudel Closing After 13 Years in Lenox
LENOX, Mass. — Nudel restaurant is ending its 13-year tenure in the fall with the hope that a new owner will continue its legacy.
Earlier this month, owner Bjorn Somlo took to social media to announce that his time with the eatery is coming to an end. It will be wrapping up on Labor Day weekend and has switched to "NudelBAR" in the meantime, opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
"Hospitality is a full contact sport and there's a lot of people out there that really love punching down but it was always the good ones that saved us," He said during an Instagram Live video on Aug. 11.
"We got to find a core group of people that ate and tasted with their mouths and appreciated what their eyes saw and were excited to see things in motion. They were excited to see change and effort and they were excited to see honesty, a pulling back of the veil of fine dining. It was wild and it also going to come to an end."
Nudel opened in August 2009 for lunch with chef David Wurth, whom Somlo described as an "incredibly talented chef whose skills in the kitchen are only dwarfed by his kindness."
The owner further detailed the restaurant's modest start.
"We started with this being me a young, driven, arrogant, passionate, vulnerable chef who loved cooking and wanted to make good food with great ingredients," he explained.
"When we started, we couldn't afford olive oil and butter in the same weeks. We didn't have enough refrigeration and we slowly grew and we learned. We learned a lot about food, we learned a lot about hospitality, learned a lot about people. We got to watch young men and women grow up, which was fantastic and we also got beaten up pretty good."
Somlo thanked the many staff members who have cycled through Nudel throughout the years and the people who have enjoyed its cuisine.
"We're hoping that the space will be taken over by someone that will bring new life and energy," he concluded. "We'd love to see a new generation that is passionate and we'd like to make the space available to them."
In 2019, Somlo reopened the historic Lantern Bar & Grill in Pittsfield. Nudel's five-year chef de cuisine Raymond Stalker moved to The Lantern to put a unique farm-to-table twist on the classic menu.
Sous chef Ryan McIntyre then took over at Nudel and will cook its last meals under Somlo's ownership.
The Lantern went strong for over a year and weathered the pandemic once it hit, along with Nudel. It reduced the size of its bar and adapted to fast, more casual dining that was equipped for takeout. Nudel also adapted to takeout and created several themed pop-ups including Cap'n Mac's, Lucky Duck, Logan's Lodge, Spring Chick'n, Nudel in The Park, and Nudel Bar.
In April, it was announced that the Lantern would be closing. Somlo cited "the pandemic taking its toll and the combination of ongoing family health issues."
Last month, he told the Pittsfield Licensing Board that he will not let the liquor license be rescinded and that he is "pursuing all options."
"I really want this piece of Pittsfield history to keep on going with or without me," he said to the board. "And know that the good work we did is going to keep going as well."
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