FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 23, 2023

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ReMain Ventures
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ReMain Ventures Announces Selection of Local Team to Run the Corner Table Cafe and Culinary Center at 22 Federal Street

Nantucket, Mass.---The Corner Table and Nantucket Culinary Center, run for the last seven years by Greg and Joy Margolis, will retain the name as it reopens under new leadership and management, ReMain Ventures announced today. The team, formed under the name Un Altro, will be led by operators Taylor Oliver and Andrea Solimeo of Ventuno, Via Mare and Pizzeria Gemelle, in partnership with Chris Sleeper and Mayumi Hattori of Pip & Anchor and Asher Smith, formerly of Smith Solute.

The team was selected for their experience, business plan and alignment with ReMain Venture’s mission for the building. Under their leadership, the Corner Table and Nantucket Culinary Center is scheduled to be open for business by Nantucket’s annual Daffodil Festival in late April and carry on the tradition of a community cafe and cooking school.

“Our number one goal is to provide continuity to the Nantucket community,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Ventures. “We are thrilled that this team not only understands the importance of the Corner Table within the fabric of the community, but also has the experience, the skills and the vision to jump right in and open its doors to provide us with a place to gather, to eat and to feel at home in the downtown.”

The group brings decades of experience with hospitality, food excellence and building local, sustainable, year-round food systems. Oliver and Solimeo, owners and operators of three beloved Nantucket restaurants—Ventuno Restaurant, Pizzeria Gemelle and Via Mare—come to 22 Federal Street with a celebrated history as respected island business owners.

“The Corner Table Cafe has brought life to the downtown community for the last seven years,” said Solimeo. “It offers a place of repose, collaboration and connection. The Margolis’ legacy, plus the ongoing vision and commitment of ReMain Ventures, forged a path. We now have an incredible opportunity to innovate and enrich, while honoring an institution that has been so meaningful to so many in our community—my own kids included. We are so excited for the evolution of the cafe.”

The downstairs cafe will continue to operate as a year-round, all-day gathering spot for conversation and relaxed food for all ages. The offerings will include coffee, prepared sandwiches, salads and snacks with a local, sustainability focus.

“Nantucket is our home, and we have an obvious affinity for this little stretch of Federal Street,” said Oliver. “The Culinary Center won’t just be about education, but also about connection and belonging. We’ll highlight and mobilize local talent, use our resources for social good and establish deeper connections to those with shared values across the culinary, food and hospitality worlds. We’d like to be a beating heart for Nantucket, circulating vitality throughout the island to build a more resilient, connected and thriving community.”

On the first floor, by partnering with Pip & Anchor, the team will host a regular series of pop-up opportunities for customers to purchase a mix of groceries and produce, prepared foods and makers' goods. These offerings will include locally grown food.

“Pip & Anchor is a mission-driven project committed to being part of a stronger, more equitable food system that nourishes our local economy and community,” said Chris Sleeper. “We share so many values with Dre, Taylor and their teams, especially a love of hospitality—this is the common thread running through this project and our work at Pip. We’re excited to join forces and continue to make local food more accessible to our community.”

The team’s deep roots in hospitality, food, education, community and social good will allow them to tap into their existing connections to build a robust and engaging cooking school that will appeal to a wide audience. Plans for the top floor also include creative uses for the dining room for both special occasions and community events.

Greg and Joy Margolis will be involved in the transition as the new business operators open their doors. The cafe will be open by Daffodil Festival weekend in late April and the Culinary Center and first floor pop-ups will progressively come online over the subsequent months.

ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband Eric to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, ReMain Nantucket has worked in conjunction with ReMain Ventures to revitalize Nantucket year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses. For more information, visit www.remainnantucket.org.

Un Altro, Italian for “another one,” is led by operators Taylor Oliver and Andrea Solimeo in partnership with Chris Sleeper and Mayumi Hattori of Pip & Anchor and Asher Smith, who has managed teams, projects and organizations all over the world. Oliver, Solimeo and Smith will lead day-to-day operations. Sleeper and Hattori will partner on education, community events, and pop-ups, advise on local food sourcing and lead development of a ‘Pip Stop’ market to create even more opportunities to connect food growers, makers, buyers and eaters.