New Ownership for Sylvia’s Restaurant – Welcome Madison’s’!

 

New Restaurant owners Carolee Wuis and Steven Black look forward to new venture. Photo: Karen Graham.

New Restaurant owners Carolee Wuis and Steven Black look forward to new venture. Photo: Karen Graham.

For Black this will be something of a homecoming. Both he and Wuis grew up in the area and were high school sweethearts who drifted apart and eventually found other partners. Through Facebook, they reconnected and got married last summer. They have decided to test that bond by going into business together, and with an accounting background, Wuis will take charge of the finances and Black will be in charge of the restaurant’s operations.

Black brings decades of restaurant experience to the new business, having managed corporate stores for Prime Restaurants including familiar outlets such as East Side Mario’s, LeBifteque, and the Biermarket, as well as restaurants closer to home- remember Frankie’s in Millbrook? He worked there, too. His most recent experience was managing a sports bar style restaurant in Belleville called Dem Bones, which had its own smoke house and plenty of big screen televisions. In fact, the first question the current staff asked of him was whether he would turn Sylvia’s into a sports bar. The answer is no, but there might be a television tucked into a corner somewhere so morning coffee drinkers can catch a glimpse of the news.

The new owners plan to keep the staff and many of the favourite menu items, but there will be some changes in both the look and the food. They expect renovations to take roughly 10 days, as they redo the floors, spruce up the walls and add some new kitchen equipment. When they re-open, their hours will be extended to 5pm, but they also plan to offer limited dinner menus late in the week serving some of Steve’s specialities including grilled steak and salmon entrees. These items require the appropriate beverage for full enjoyment, so they are applying for a limited liquor license to allow patrons to consume beer and wine at dinner.

The business will truly be a family affair, and gets its name from Black’s daughter, Madison, who has been teaching English in China for almost two years. She is expected home in June, and will be working at the restaurant learning the ropes from her father. With her recent experience in the Far East, she might inspire new menu ideas for her seasoned restauranteur father. After living on the other side of the planet, both she and Black are looking forward to reconnecting in this new venture for all of them.

By Karen Graham

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