[ad_1]
Customer Troy May, left, with cafe hostess Shannon Weaver, center, Friday, April 14, 2023, at the new Kohl’s Kitchen and Cafe at the Forge campus in Loveland. Mai said he works at the premises and has been there regularly since they opened. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)
Two Loveland business owners have launched a new venture in southwest Loveland, opening a restaurant and cafe on the Forge campus, out of an old Hewlett-Packard kitchen.
Jeff Nofsinger, owner of Tresh Hartman, Fresh Plate Dining & Cafe, and Origins Wine Bar & Wood Fired Pizza, opened Cole’s Kitchen & Cafe to Forge workers in early February, serving coffee, snacks and Mondays. Food for people in the area.
Hartman said she and Nofsinger met about 10 years ago through the Loveland Business Development Center, adding that they are both from the same area in Indiana.
Nofsinger said the idea for the collegium came during the outbreak of “how to navigate the new waters and survive in the new economic climate.” He said they had thought of ways to work together for a new business or merge their businesses together, but came up with the idea by working with the Warehouse Business Accelerator.
“The connection was made in the old HP kitchen in the Forge campus about how we could provide on-site food,” he said.
The first commitment to creating the space was to provide on-site catering for the Forge’s tenants and employees, which meant renovating an old kitchen that hadn’t been used in nearly 20 years, he said. And while much of the kitchen was remodeled and renovated, Nofsinger said they were able to reuse some of the existing equipment, including some freezers and prep tables, along with other smaller pieces.
“Back then, they kept things going and it held up well,” he said.
Hartman and Nofsinger were able to open the space to Forge members in February. The two owners are excited about the potential for the new space at Monday’s grand opening.
Hartman hopes that what she offers to customers is what keeps them coming back.
“The food is wonderful,” she said. “We’re doing everything at home.”
The menu ranges from breakfast burgers and sandwiches to sandwiches and melts around lunchtime. The couple is planning to have special food and drink days, including happy hours on Thursdays and pizza on Green Friday, Noffsinger said, adding that he plans to bring in one of his mobile pizza ovens to make pizzas outside.
Noffsinger also said their kitchen is used only by Kohl’s, a commissary kitchen used by both Hartman and a food truck from Berthoud.
While Hartman said the space can be used for special events or meetings, Nofsiger sees it as more of a restaurant or cafe and more of a food and beverage experience.
Beyond that, he said, he hopes to partner with the Thompson School District to provide the restaurant as a place for students to get outside-of-the-classroom experiences.
“It’s really creating a pipeline of students who are interested in cooking,” he said. “It gets them out of the classroom and into some work-based learning.”
Hartman said what’s unique and special about Kohl’s is the use of the old HP kitchen and dining space, capturing the history of Loveland’s most influential companies.
“There’s a lot of excitement that something is being done in this old HP kitchen,” she said. “There’s a lot of nostalgia, people have a big heart for HP.”
“We’re tapping into the demand in southwest Loveland,” Nofsinger said, later adding, “We’re doing just as well as any other local business in this community.”
Kohl’s Kitchen & Cafe is located on the Forge campus at 815 14th St. SW B100 on the south side of campus next to Lightning Motors, open 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday; The kitchen closes at 2pm, but the cafe stays open until 3pm.
[ad_2]
Source link
