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In his role as corporate executive chef, Evan Campbell will oversee the food program at The Stables at Belmont and its forthcoming market in Libbie Mill-Midtown, as well as The Franklin Inn. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The Stables at Belmont Market is expected to open at Libbie Mill-Midtown in the first half of 2021. (Photo courtesy Libbie Mill-Midtown)
“Like everyone else in town, we sort of had to shift gears,” says Evan Campbell, a chef best known for running the kitchen at the Museum District restaurant The Stables at Belmont.
In response to the ever-changing food scene, Campbell, who was recently named corporate executive chef, along with owner Steve Gooch, plans to introduce a forthcoming market dubbed The Stables Market at Libbie Mill, in the multiuse residential and commercial complex Libbie Mill-Midtown.
While the duo originally had plans to open additional restaurants, as with many in the food and beverage community, the coronavirus pandemic forced them to shift gears and experiment with new approaches.
“It seems sensible to try and emulate the same feel [of The Stables] in a manner that fits with the current culture of dining,” says Campbell, who will continue to cook at The Stables.
The 2,540-square-foot market will blend favorite dishes from The Stables in a convenient to-go format, along with made-to-order items, pantry staples, and grab-and-go options.
“We’ll offer some fast-casual stuff on site, sandwiches, salads, some bowls, things like that,” Campbell explains. “The idea is you can come pick up dinner for the family to cook later, or you can sit, grab a sandwich and a beer, and sit outside for your lunch break.”
Gooch is especially excited about the Libbie Mill location, noting that the nearby apartments surrounding the future market present a built-in clientele.
“The customer base that the apartments bring very much mirrors what we’re looking for demographically,” he says. “It meets the upscale neighborhood feel that we’re looking for, and with 350 units just in the building we’ll be in, the food can reach a lot of people.”
The project is still in early development, and Campbell and Gooch, also owner of the Museum District eatery The Franklin Inn, currently undergoing renovations, are working on how best to adapt restaurant cuisine for market distribution, along with curating an inventory of items to fill the shelves.
“We’re currently shopping around for the things people expect to be able to buy at a market, like cold drinks and snacks,” Campbell says, noting that there will be plenty of local beer and wine. “It’s certainly new territory for me, as someone who’s been a restaurant lifer, but as the space is being developed and built, that gives us time to find that information.”
The construction of the physical space is just beginning, and the preliminary architecture and design work, headed by Johannes Design Group and Helen Reed Designs, is nearing completion. Gooch estimates that the market will be open sometime within the first six months of 2021.
“We’re excited to bring restaurant-style quality food, which The Stables has done a great job of providing in the Museum District, to the Libbie Mill neighborhood,” Gooch says. “Patrons can look forward to convenient but still upscale service in a popular location that accounts for the many lifestyle changes that have come about in recent months.”
