NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Three veterans of the restaurant industry are experimenting with a collaborative that will offer distinctive experiences in a single space. 

 

Chris Bonnivier, a well-known chef, had purchased the former Desperados' assets at 23 Eagle St. and wasn't sure what to do with it after an earlier partnership failed. He took inspiration from recent pop-up eateries to partner with Michael Kelly and Joseph and Leila Segala. 

 

The chefs will split the rent three ways, reducing financial pressures in a tight industry, provide each other some back up in a crisis, and reopen a vacant storefront on Eagle. They see this as a sustainable model.

 

"I love community and I think if we all help each other we might be better off," he said. "I really want to help Eagle Street flourish and improve."

 

The Segalas were the first to open as Eagle Street Cafe earlier this month offering breakfast and lunch; Kelly is planning to open as Fewd, using the front portion for hot cocoa, baked goods, ice cream and small bites at night. Bonnivier is considering hosting specialty dinners as Radici.

 

Kelly's operated food trucks, was executive chef at Jacob's Pillow, and had been a partner in the former Valhalla in Adams. He said Bonnivier was really the fulcrum that brought the concept together.

 

"I was just kind of aimless. I wasn't really doing anything," he said. "I called Chris up on a whim, and I was just like, 'what are you up to? He said, nothing. But I got this space.' So I came and looked at it, and we had to brainstorm some ideas. He came up with a really good one, which was to have kind of a collaborative in the space. And I was like, that's a really good idea."

 

Kelly brought Segala into the mix after a couple others didn't click. 

 

"We asked Joe what his concept wanted to be, and I knew what Mike was doing," said Bonnivier. "This idea was great for Joe."

 

Segala's worked as a chef for 20 years, including for Publyk House in Bennington, Vt., and Main Street Hospitality.

 

"He decided it was time to open his own business and make a place where we can bring everybody together, new friends, old friends," said his wife and partner Leila Segala, while her husband was taking care of a rush of orders last week. 

 

"A lot of places are going out, and there's not really a whole lot of breakfast and lunch places. Being the one that does the errands, I hear a lot of people want places to go for a sit-down and a nice hometown breakfast and lunch. So that's kind of how we came on."

 

The cafe's partnered with Six Depot Coffee out of Great Barrington and focuses on fresh ingredients. 

 

"We're just looking to bring something a little bit different, a little bit more upscale," she said. "Something that just really is going to appeal to people that want to sit down and have something a little bit nicer than Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks. Everything is handmade from scratch."

 

The cafe's popularity was evident as a stream of customers came through mid-morning and kept Joe Segala at the grill. Leila said she'd posted on Facebook about the opening and people were coming in and introducing themselves because of the post. 

 

"Everybody says, 'what a fantastic idea to have three separate entities doing something together,' because it's a little bit of something for everybody," she said. "We had a lot of positive feedback once people understand it ...  

 

"I think it's a really good use of space — three really good, really well-known chefs with good reputations."

 

Inside, the restaurant has taken on something of a neutral tone with black and white pictures of days gone by. Bonnivier said the lighting and decor was a shared decision and they're thinking of ways to use the outdoor space.

 

The sign for Fewd and a counter is on the right as you walk in. This corner kiosk will have desserts and pastries and homemade ice cream, but Kelley said he'll also be changing things up.

 

"I may do a call back to an old Cornucopia [food truck] menu or an old Valhalla menu that was really popular," he said.

 

While the businesses are separate in terms of menus and staffing, the group will likely do some collaborations.

 

"Once we've all kind of established our own individuality, we can start doing things as a whole parties, functions next year, outdoor activities," said Bonnivier. "Everybody's got to have their own little identity — then we can kind of go crazy. ...

 

"We just kind of work out our methods through the winter time, get everything figured out. Because this is brand new. There aren't any places that are like this inside the city."

 

Bonnivier noted that restaurant industry can burn people out fast; this collaboration means they can help each other out in a crisis. For himself, it's a way to step back a little, return to his roots and help them grow — thus the name Radici, Italian for "roots."

 

He had continued to rent the closed space over the past year and a half while working on his real estate business. 

 

"I want to be here for the community ... I didn't want to shutter the doors and give up, because I believe in this community, and I think that Eagle Street absolutely needed this," he said, adding that the building's owner, Yina Moore, has been very supportive. "A couple people have compared us to Park Street in Adams already."

 

Moore, posting on Facebook, noted that the building had survived the near collapse of the former Moderne Studio next door and its two-month demolition. 

 

"Today, a collective of partners re-opened 23 Eagle St. as a food establishment that brings the local communities together, as this location has always been," she wrote. "Thinking about the challenges that we had, decisions that we made, and differences that we put aside. All that I can think of is the beauty of 'resilience.' I hope that the resilience of this building mirrors the resurgence of Eagle Street, and is certainly reflective of the tenacity of this community."