A private dining room on Bridge Rd to be opened by celebrity chef Curtis Stone later this year is one of three hospitality venues on the drawing board in and around the restaurant precinct.
The venue will be operated by Curtis Stone Events, which is a partnership between Stone, his brother Luke, and business partner Chris Sheldon.
To be called Grace, after Sheldon's daughter, the dining room will be run out of premises formerly occupied by Stephanie Alexander and her Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder at 48-50 Bridge Rd .
It will seat 120 people and offer "bespoke" function menus with "naturally produced ingredients".
Stone describes himself as "an LA-living Melbourne boy" and has three restaurants in the US. Although he he does not plan to be on the ground in Richmond, he will have a significant involvement in the venue's food, menu planning and development.
The venue is scheduled to open in November. Meanwhile at the river end of Bridge Rd, Burnley Brewing Company is pursuing plans to expand into the next door premises at 650.
A third venture, if approved by Yarra City Council, will see DeMaria's Grocer add a licensed outdoor cafe area to its Richmond Traders shop on Church St.
The application seeks a permit to sell food and alcohol in the outdoor area adjacent to the Church St footpath and for a licence to sell and display liquor in the delicatessen. The cafe space would seat 52.
