In the Middle Ages, alchemists sought to transform ordinary metals into gold. Now, a couple from Harford County hopes to conjure the same spell to bring in business at their new Hampden restaurant Alchemy.
Debi Bell-Matassa and Michael Matassa expect the eatery at 1011 W. 36th St. to open the first week of August. "We want to create something magical on the plate," Bell-Matassa says.
Dishes include house-smoked trout crepe, snapper with pancetta and butternut squash soup. Bell-Matassa will bake all the pastries and desserts in house. Brunch items will include cinnamon rolls with cream cheese Limoncello frosting and a breakfast souffl�.
A graduate of Napa's Culinary Institute of America, Bell-Matassa caters a lot of weddings and bah mitzvahs and her corporate clients include Boordy Vineyards and Northrup Grumman.
The couple are investing $225,000 to open the restaurant, the bulk of which was spent to purchase kitchen equipment and redo the heating system.
The nearly 3,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 115. Lunch will cost between $8 and $11, while customers will pay $12 to $20 for small plates and entrees at dinner.
The couple sold their Harford County restaurant Fusion Grill and Catering in 2006, after seven years of operation. Now, Bell-Matassa says, they are eager to reenter the restaurant industry since food is their life.
"It just feels good to have a place again. We think Hampden is going to be a wonderful space for us to be. Everyone has been welcoming and friendly."
The couple was initially attracted to Hampden because a number of their friends live in the neighborhood and own businesses in the area.
"We have a lot of attachments to people in the community," Bell-Matassa says. "It's turned into quite a food mecca," Bell-Matassa says of Hampden.
Source: Debi Bell-Matassa, Alchemy
Writer: Julekha Dash