The Neighbors (Instagram), the second-floor retail shop in East End Market will be taking over the management and operation of the in-house incubator kitchen in their space this fall.
Up until this point, the kitchen had been overseen by Johnny Tung of Bento Group and Sonny Nguyen of Domu, under the name Domu Lab, and played host to pop-up foodpreneur ‘residencies by Danilo’s Pasta Bar and Michelin-awarded Camille.
“With all of the upcoming tenant changes at East End Market, now felt like the right opportunity for us to introduce our own food concept catering to the foodie and cocktail enthusiast clientele that we’ve come to know over the last three years,” says Jacob Zepf of The Neighbors.
Zepf has brought in Matt Hinckley of East End’s Hinckley’s Fancy Meats as the executive chef for the new project; which shouldn’t be a surprise as Hinckley and Zepf recently opened Mid Drive Dive together in College Park. Hinckley named Leah Cordova of Mid Drive Dive as the Chef de Cuisine, and she will be in charge of the kitchen’s day-to-day operations.
According to a press release issued earlier this week, the menu will focus on “healthful and shareable plates. The goal will be to mirror The Neighbors’ creative cocktail program and the space’s aesthetic with colorful ingredients from local purveyors with fresh platings.” It will abandon the chef’s table experience of its previous occupants with a more relaxed open seating arrangement for lunch and dinner.
The new concept will open in September following some minor kitchen renovations, with the full menu launching at the end of September and full hours coming in October and November.
Danilo’s Pasta Bar’s last day of service is scheduled for August 31.
