New Union pub, coffee bar, brewery to open in downtown Carson City
A new restaurant is opening in downtown Carson City, according to reports from the Reno Gazette-Journal and Nevada Appeal.
The Union — a partnership of Reno-based investors — is scheduled to open this summer at 302 North Carson Street, site of the old Lake Tahoe Brewing Company, which closed in January 2016 ahead of its owner Michael Candelario's arrest on fraud charges.
Steve Neighbors of the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation said The Union was chosen above other bidders for two reasons.
"The Union was not the high bidder," he said. "We had a number of people interested and we did substantial due diligence. We ended up picking The Union because of the team's reputation and because of the uniquessness of The Union."
Chef Mark Estee, owner of Liberty Food and Wine Exchange in Reno and Chez Louie inside the Nevada Museum of Art, headlines the five-partner venture.
He is joined by Hub Coffee Roasters owner Mark Trujillo, Vast CEO and Founder Tanya McCaffrey and her general manager Nick Meyer, was well as chef partner Tommy Linnett, who has worked with Estee for 11 years.
Neighbors referenced Candelario as the chief reason why the Foundation's selection process took so long and due diligence was exercised in choosing The Union.
"What's unique about The Union is there are three incredible people," he said. "They just seemed like a really good team and were solid, responsible people based on our due diligence."
The Union, though, promises to be much more than the pub and brew house that the Lake Tahoe Brewing Company was.
Neighbors said the new business venture will literally be three-dimensional, tripling as a restaurant, coffee house and brewery.
"They are thinking of opening in phases," he said.
The first phase will be the restaurant and pub, Neighbors said, serving third-party brews.
The second phase will be the coffee house, followed by a third phase: An in-house brewery that will serve The Union's own brews.
Neighbors said he believes the licensing process to operate an on-site brewery has already started.
"It's my understanding they are in the process of filing for a brewer's license," he said.
Permits and licenses for the brewery portion of the business are expected to take longer than the restaurant, Estee told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
But he said he is hopeful the first phase will be open before summer pending remodeling work.
When the Lake Tahoe Brewing Company closed more than a year ago, it left behind several pieces of commercial-grade equipment still in place and ready for use. This includes commercial brewing hardware.
The pub's fare will be truly eclectic, Estee said, featuring a diverse collection of Italian, Basque, New Orleans, Asian, South American and more on the menu.
Estee told the Nevada Appeal that his operation will also focus on local ingredients from area ranches, farmers and even the Greenhouse Project in Carson City.
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