As opening day nears for The Friars’ Table, a new restaurant in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square district, Cleveland Capuchin Ministries and Edwin’s Leadership and Restaurant Institute are overseeing last-minute preparations, including hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 25 at the restaurant.
Located at 1305 Euclid Ave. in what once was Cowell & Hubbard jewelry store and most recently a restaurant, The Friars’ Table is more than just a restaurant, according to Father Phil Bernier, OFM Cap. Father Bernier, pastor of nearby St. Peter Parish, said he got the idea for an eatery several years ago while he was ministering with the Capuchins in California.
After returning to Cleveland in October 2020, Father Bernier said with assistance from the relative of a former parishioner, he reached out to Brandon Chrostowski, who created and operates Edwin’s.
The nonprofit gives formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the restaurant and hospitality industry. It operates Edwin’s restaurant at Shaker Square in Cleveland as well as a butcher shop and a bakery. Edwin’s graduates have a 95% employment rate and less than 1% recidivism. Chrostowski’s story and Edwin’s previously were featured in Northeast Ohio Catholic magazine.
“This is a business and a ministry,” Father Bernier said. “It’s a partnership among three nonprofits, the Cleveland Capuchin Ministries, Edwin’s and Playhouse Square. It’s the right place. There is no place like this. Everything aligned,” he added.
The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Sunday, beginning the week of Dec. 1. For the first couple of weeks, it will serve dinner only, phasing in lunch within two weeks.
Chrostowski said he developed a menu that is reflective of monastic and Bavarian cuisine.
“It’s truly a spiritual menu with simple, of the land food,” he explained. Chrostowski said he researched monastic foods, talking with members of some monasteries including the Benedictines and Franciscans.
“We will offer choices that will feed the soul,” Chrostowski added. He said the menu would have prices that would be family friendly. The menu includes soups, salads, stews, main dishes like herb roasted chicken, braised lamb shoulder, salmon St. Celestine and fettucine de horicia. Among the featured desserts are V feudi Saint Compote, fruit cake, hyssop beignet, almond and carmel tart, sorbet and a monastic cheese plate.
Chrostowski said Edwin’s bakery will provide a special rustic-style bread for the new restaurant. Meat will come from Edwin’s butcher shop and special fruit cake has been prepared and is aging in preparation for opening day.
Father Bernier said The Friars’ Table would be a good place to eat before catching a show at one of the Playhouse Square theaters.
“The Friars’ Table is more than just a restaurant; it’s a beacon of hope for the city of Cleveland. With a mission deeply rooted in the values of simplicity, dignity and community, the restaurant aims to bring together residents and visitors alike in an environment that nourishes both body and soul,” said Father Bernier.
According to Chrostowski, “The goal of the restaurant is to give the city not only a great restaurant, but hope. We want to create a beautiful space where people can come together over good food, and leave feeling inspired and uplifted.”
Interior work continues as opening day approaches. One recent afternoon, workers were doing last-minute painting while others installed carpeting in the main dining room and kitchen equipment was being installed.
Chrostowski displayed ceramic-style bowls, plates, cups and simple flatware that will be used in the restaurant. Colors are earthy and rustic, he said. Servers will wear simple uniforms consisting of a light sweater, a simple, brown apron and jeans.
Some décor was obtained from the now-closed St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Father Bernier said, including a confessional door, some arched wooden doors, wrought iron railings and some stained glass.
A table made by a friar in 1955 that previously was used in the Franciscan friary in Washington, D.C. will be used in the restaurant. And Chrostowski is working with a craftsman in Ohio City to create a new, 25-foot wooden table for the eatery. He said including the bar/lounge areas, the restaurant can serve about 180 people.
Chrostowski said the restaurant is designed with efficiency in mind to allow servers to interact with the customers.
Father Bernier compared dining at The Friars’ Table with an opportunity to prepare for a liturgy or a visit to the theater.
“Our hope for The Friars’ Table is to become a gathering space where people from the neighborhood and those visiting the theater can form a community in an inviting room where men and women employed by the Table, whether they were formerly incarcerated, are seeking a new home In this country or are among the working poor, can learn the skills necessary to find opportunities for a new start in life. These dreams all intersect around a table of simple, wholesome food to nourish both the body and the soul.”