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North Adams License Commission OKs Wine & Beer for State Food & Drink

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The License Commission approved a beer and wine license Tuesday for State Food and Drink LLC at 508 State Road.
 
"We've been in business, I think, since November of last year, and what we're just trying to do is expand the options of our diners to have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with dinner," said owner Matt Bertles.
 
Bertles and his husband, Tu Le, opened the restaurant in the space that had been occupied by the Break Room in Greylock Works.
 
He said service would be inside only and there would not be a dedicated bartender as the alcohol would be served from cans and bottles. He has some experience with alcohol service in running prior restaurants and said all the servers would be trained by the time the license arrives. 
 
"We're constantly looking for more help," he said. "Finding staff has been a big concern of ours, but we've got great staff right now. ...
 
"We have two months, I think, between now and when we possibly would have the license. So everyone will be up to date by then."
 
Chair Rosemari Dickinson said the state has been two months to approve licenses. 
 
"It is the turnaround. It is definitely it seems to be eight to 10 weeks for sure, and I'm not sure what's happening with the state, but every little question has to be answered," she said. 
 
Bertles acknowledged he was in no hurry to get the license and two months would not be an issue. The license will be from 11 to 11; Bertles said breakfast service is more pastry and coffee and dinner is 5:30 to 8:30, with closure by 10 but 11 would offer some flexibility.
 
"I don't know how summers are going to change the dynamic of people staying late, coming in later," he said.
 
The board also approved a one-day alcohol for Jared Decoteau as Howling Inc. for the Pride event on June 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. Service will be a contained area on Holden Street. 
 
Another one-day application was for a Berkshire Food Project fundraiser at Greylock works on Sept. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. 
 
Board member Elizabeth Mach said it will be a ticketed event with a "Chopped" style chef exhibition. Event chair and Casita owner Mariah Forstmann, also a board member, is spearheading the event with chefs coming from local restaurants.  

Tags: license board,   alcohol license,   

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Main & Mill: A Vibrant New Restaurant on Main Street

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — You can now enjoy another eatery on Main Street by well-known restaurant siblings Colleen and Sean Taylor.

Their restaurant Main & Mill opened for the first time Tuesday, bringing their vision of creating something vibrant and new to downtown North Adams.

"We have created Main & Mill to be part of our day. It's very seasonal ingredients, thoughtful cooking, beauty, beautiful presentation and dishes. And we really wanted to be part of the community, the downtown area, and start a vibrant area on this end, which has been shuttered for a while," said Colleen.

The building is owned by Ginko on Main Street LLC, which has granted 20 years exclusive possession of the property to Latent Builds as the developer. Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, behind Ginko, are development partners with Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry of Latent.

The bank closed in early 2021 and was purchased by Ginko late that year. Plans for the property unveiled three years ago envisioned a restaurant, retail, a park and rooftop bar. 

Colleen saw potential and said she initially wanted the building when it first went up for sale. Being good friends with Rothstein and Perry, she helped them design the kitchen and the bar before learning in March that she could lease it as a restaurant space, something she told them would be a great idea.

She said one of the most important things about the restaurant was the collaboration between Rothstein, Perry, and the Wadsworths, who put a lot of time and energy into the building.

"If Sean and I had done it, we would not be able to do what the collaboration supported. The collaboration of the three of us being able to really have that kind of money to put in down here. The design that the architecture firm that Carla and Sal own is stunning," she said. "The time and effort, everyone came together to do this in a really trusting manner."

The two wanted the restaurant to be an all-day venture, so people could eat at any point throughout the day, all week long.

"We wanted it to be open for coffee and socialization in the morning where people can meet, have their cup of coffee, have a quiche, a vegetarian quiche, or croissant or yogurt. Something intentional with their coffee," she said. "Then move into a lunchtime for the downtown business or anybody, and then go into supper, dinner, with drinks later into the evening. So have it really be open all day long, so that there wasn't a void on any particular day."

They also wanted to do something different than the other restaurants they owned.

"We didn't want to mimic any other restaurant in town. We wanted to bring something that was inspiring, something that had some familiar things that people would see, and other things that we would bring to them for them to experience," she said.

As a woman business owner, Colleen said she wanted to bring a female chef into the kitchen. 

Colleen brought on Chef Anna DeRose, who she said puts twists on a lot of her dishes.

"So we have a creme brulee, but our creme brulee is topped with marshmallow," she said. "Our creme brulee is like almost two desserts in one. It's a s'mores creme brulee. So you could have a s'mores, and you could have a creme brulee - but when you put both of them together, fireworks go off."

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