Business & Tech

West Concord Restaurant Proposal Clears Another Hurdle

Plans for a 156-seat farm-to-table eatery on Comm Ave are progressing through town boards.

Concord’s ZBA approved, subject to conditions, an application from residents James and Kristin Canty for a special permit, site plan approval and parking requirement relief for the restaurant they’re proposing for 24 Commonwealth Ave.

It’s an important step for the Cantys, but by no means is it the last one.

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As Kristin Canty outlines on her blog, the next steps will be planning the interior design and kitchen, and applying for a liquor license. Once the kitchen design and liquor license are approved, they can break ground on the 156-seat restaurant.

Writes Canty: “We appreciate all of the feedback that we received during this process and we will take to heart people’s concerns. We know that parking is the biggest concern and we will do our best to work with our patrons and educate them as to where to find parking nearby. We will work hard to be good neighbors.”

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This spring, Kristin and Jim Canty bought the green-and-white building at 24 Comm Ave from the Mandrioli family, which had operated the West Concord Supermarket there for just shy of a century. They purchased the property with plans to redevelop it as a restaurant that will attract locals and out-of-towners as well.

“We’re from town, and we want a nice farm-to-table restaurant,” Kristin, who grew up in Concord and has lived here with Jim for more than a decade, said in a previous interview. “I’m doing this because I want to have a place to eat, and I want West Concord to have another good place to eat.”

The plan is for Kristin Canty—who directed and produced “Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms”—to be the face of the restaurant, while Jim helps out with the business behind the scenes.

For the Cantys, farm-to-table doesn’t stop with local produce and proteins that are free-range, grass-fed and all that good stuff.

In an interview over the summer, they explained the concept for the restaurant includes sourcing from farms that use nutrient-dense practices, cooking with animal fats, emphasizing fermented vegetables and simmering stocks for 24 hours or more.

“If your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, then it won’t be in our restaurant,” Kristin said at the time.


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