Suffolk welcomes new kitchen for the arts
Released Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 6 p.m.
- On Monday, July 15, Arts Kitchen's grand opening will be celebrated by staff along with Thomas Yannuzzi, executive director of the Suffolk Cultural Arts Center, and Edward Beardsley, owner of Arts Kitchen.
On Monday, the Suffolk Cultural Arts Center introduced a delicious new menu for residents and art lovers looking for a light snack.
Arts Kitchen, located at 110 W. Finney Ave. in the SCCA, opened with a bang with a packed special open house on Monday, July 15. Suffolk residents and SCCA officials came out to support the restaurant as staff served delicious food, drinks and hors d'oeuvres accompanied by live piano music. In between celebrations, Arts Kitchen owner/operator Edward Beardsley had the chance to talk about the restaurant. He reflected on how he came to SCCA.
“The pandemic was what originally brought me here. There have been some changes, but I decided to give it a whole new spin by renovating the exterior of the center, renovating our outdoor patio and renovating our restaurant,” Beardsley said. “Arts Kitchen was actually the first restaurant I ever owned in Suffolk, a little breakfast and lunch place on West Washington Street. When I was trying to think of what to name the center's new restaurant, 'Arts Kitchen' immediately came to mind because it's a cultural arts center. It just made sense and kind of tied everything together. So that's how the new Arts Kitchen came to be at the center.”
Beardsley said the kitchen will serve traditional lunch fare like salads, soups and sandwiches, as well as an “extensive” tapas menu ranging from avocado and papaya salad to lamb chops and shish kebabs. Dinner includes a four-course prix-fixe menu that changes weekly.
“…You can choose an appetizer, a super salad, an entree and a dessert. That means you get to try something new on our rotating menu every week,” he said.
As the name suggests, Arts Kitchen works with the Suffolk Art League to organize various showcases of local Suffolk artists, and Beardsley says being based in downtown Suffolk has allowed him to get to know many “incredible” local artists.
“So I basically started calling local artists and asking if I could show their work. So I actually reached out and asked my friend, Chris Jungenat, if I could show her work and she decorated it for me,” he said. “… I'll rotate artists and invite any artist who's interested in showing their work. I really [it] I especially want to celebrate artists who do this because I think going out to eat can be a much more enjoyable experience if you can see great artwork.”
The Arts Kitchen's goal is to celebrate the arts, Beardsley said, and they're partnering with the Suffolk Art League to host Saturday's Art Hop. Janice Gay Maker's “Longing” solo exhibit will be on Saturday, July 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 118 Bosley Ave. Afterwards, the Arts Kitchen will host Chris Jungenat's “Adventures and Lost Girls” solo exhibit from 5 to 7 p.m.
Arts Kitchen is open for lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11am to 4pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 9pm, and Saturdays from 4pm to 9pm.
