New Distillery, Other Openings

A new grain-to-glass distillery and tasting room is set to open in Elk Rapids. Ethanology Distillation, providing locally-sourced spirits, will open at 127 Ames St. near Kolu’s restaurant and Blue Heron Gallery by early June.

Spirits are made in small batches, and 100 percent of the ingredients come from northern Michigan farms, says Nicholas Lefebre, Ethanology’s founder and owner. “If we can’t source it in northern Michigan, we won’t distil it,” he says.

Due to the small capacity of the distillery, customers can expect a revolving menu of spirits; recipes depend on the availability of farms’ seasonal ingredients. Lefebre relies on “quality over quantity… If it’s ready, it’s ready, and we’ll put it in bottles.”

Ethanology will open with a vodka with ingredients from Valley View Farm in East Jordan. The distillery’s Eros gin will be the first in the state to have a 100 percent Michigan wild foraged botanical blend. A white whiskey and a “rum replacement” honey alcohol are also in the works. Corn and rye from Shooks Farm in Antrim county will provide the base for the distillery’s whiskey products.

Cocktails range from a $6 starter drinks to $14-$15 for specialty cocktails; bottles will be available for purchase from $30-$80. A limited amount of memberships to the distillery’s Cuts Club will be available late in 2017; perks will include discounts for life, and a “Barrel by Name” program, involving a three-day intensive workshop concluding with personalizing your own barrel.

The 3,400 square foot space includes a spirit house and tasting room/lounge. All spirits are milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, and bottled by hand on-site. The lounge includes a bar and outdoor patio seating with a 15-foot glass garage door allowing guests to walk in and out freely.

“It’s a sensory experience… everything is open air, we want [our customers] to feel the warmth of the entire process,” says Lefebre.

In other local moves:
Downtown TC-based Asian-fusion restaurant Georgina’s will be opening a location in Grand Rapids. The new location for the four-year-old restaurant is set to open this summer at 724 Wealthy Street SE., near The Winchester and Donkey Taqueria. Anthony Craig, owner and chef, says he “chose Grand Rapids for his second location because the market reminded him of where he grew up in South Tampa with red brick roads and lots of people exploring the neighborhoods,” according to a statement. “Georgina’s is a gathering of all my family through food and their spirit,” says Craig. 

A Traverse City staple since 1929, Potter’s Bakery closed its location at 130 Hall Street downtown. Potter’s announced the news on Facebook, writing “new things are happening at our main location so stay tuned… see you over on 8th street!” The Hall Street location had been open since 2012.

Former northern Michigan bakery owner and long-time bread and pastry chef Jason Gollan will provide artisan baked goods from a new space at 537 W. 14th Street. The 1,260 square foot Common Good Bakery broke ground yesterday; Gollan aims to open the beginning of June. The bakery features distinctive equipment from abroad – an oven will be delivered from Italy with other machinery coming from France. The oven baking chamber is insulated, allowing the efficiency of a modern oven with the consistency of items baked in brick oven, what Gollan calls “a blend of the old and the new.” He adds he wants the business to be a “leading positive influence in the community.” In addition to pastries, Common Good will have a simple breakfast and lunch service with a selection of pressed sandwiches and many vegetarian options.

Nationwide chain restaurant Dickey’s Barbeque Pit plans to open its doors the first week of May in the new building along Munson Avenue in front of the Campus Plaza. Andre Bushell, owner and operator of the franchise, says patrons can expect to get a “different taste” than they might expect from your average chain, offering the “highest quality non-frozen produce and meats.”

The restaurant will bring roughly twenty jobs to its 1201 E. Front Street location, including some who chose to relocate from downstate. Due to its proximity to Traverse City Central High School, the restaurant does not plan to obtain a full liquor license but will offer bottle service. There will be outdoor seating during the summer.