Cava

July 19, 2009

Digging Up Success at Cava


By Kristi Kates 7/20/09

Now might not seem like the best time to open a brand new restaurant - not even in the tony enclave of Bay Harbor, the billion-dollar Northern Michigan community carved out of a former limestone quarry and cement factory.
Yet even during an economic recession in which salaries are falling like the old quarry’s rocks, expectations remain high for any business that makes it onto Bay Harbor’s exclusive Main Street. Local restauranteur Chandler Symons sees the economy as a challenge, not a roadblock.
“In regards to the economy, I don’t believe just because it’s harder to make a living out there, that we should just roll over,” Symons emphasizes, “I think we need to go out there, work harder, try harder, and get after it. We need to run more efficiently, but not run away. We have a wonderful staff, and that is what made it possible to make our expansion.”

MODERN GLOBAL
That expansion being Symons’ restaurant Cava, which now occupies the space formerly held by Latitude, Bay Harbor’s previous flagship downtown restaurant. Cava - Italian for “quarry” (a takeoff on the development’s former purpose) - aims for quality cuisine that Symons terms “modern global.”
“Quality in food and service are the highest standard,” Symons says with conviction, “Chef Tommy (Kaszubowski) writes both menus for Chandler’s (in Petoskey - one of Symons’ two other restaurants, the third being Pierson’s at Boyne Mountain) and Cava, so we keep the food options separate. We rotate a lot of our staff through all three restaurants, so you can see familiar faces at all of them. The feel at Cava is different though; much larger and more modern. Chandler’s is very small and quaint, much more difficult to get a table in the summer. At Cava, we have redone the lounge so it has a very urban feel. It’s nice to have some space - we’re definitely not used to that!”
And as far as Cava’s menu goes, it’s an ongoing process.
“Chef Tommy Kaszubowski and I worked on the menu together,” Symons explains, “I think we wrote it and rewrote it a hundred times trying to get the right mix. We are still evaluating and changing, and probably will always do that. Basically we tried to incorporate small plates - that’s a trendy term for appetizers - sushi, salads, and entree-sized plates. There was a pizza oven here, so it seemed only natural to run pizzas as well; they have been very popular.”
A sampling of Cava’s menu items begin with salads, from the $7 Greens Salad (farm greens and white balsamic vinaigrette) to the $15 Grilled Big Eye Tuna Salad; sushi runs $10-14 per roll, while small plates start at $7 for Steamed Edamame (soybeans in the pod), and go up to $15 for Beef Carpaccio. At lunch, appetizers such as Guacamole ($10) and Vegetable Frites (fries - $9) are available, along with pizzas ($11-14) and sandwiches such as the $10 Club Wrap and the $12 Grilled Salmon Sandwich. Dinner entrees start at $18 for a Wagyu Beef Burger, up to $41 for Filet with Roasted Potatoes, or $33 for BBQ Short Ribs (pizzas are also still available at dinner); desserts start at $10 and range from Panna Cotta (essentially a vanilla custard) to Kahlua Brownies.
“For breakfast, the Hash and Eggs Benedict are our best sellers,” Symons says, “at lunch, the Lobster BLT and the Patty Melt win. Dinner is across the board from sushi to pizzas; scallops are great sellers too.”

ALL FOUR SEASONS
Cava has also scheduled live music for seven nights a week, which looks to feature many of the same reliable performers you see playing the usual circuit of Petoskey bars and restaurants in the summer.
They’ll also be serving outside on the patio for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and expect to be doing a lot of catering events as well.
The staff at Cava expect that the reputation they build in the summer will carry them through the slower winter months. Chandler Symons is nothing if not self-assured.
“I think we’ll fare just fine in the winter,” Symons declares, “it’s no different here than in Petoskey. We won’t have the summer business, but there are plenty of people that live here year-round, and visitors on the weekends for color tour and winter activities. We just have to watch our controllable expenses and make sure we stay efficient.”

Cava is located at 795 Front Street, Bay Harbor, telephone 231-439-CAVA.