A new Southern-food restaurant by the founder of Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails will open next month as part of the DeSoto Central Market on Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street.
Chef Stephen Jones helped open the Hotel Palomar restaurant but is now shifting his focus from the contemporary cocktail lounge to a more specific type of restaurant called Yard Bird + The Larder.
“It’s what I know — Southern, country-classic American cooking. I’ll be working closely with the community as I meet with farmers to deal with fresh produce. I’ll also be sourcing both local and organic products,” Jones said.
Jones said customers can expect a “chill, relaxed, environment” and his signature Southern-style food. Jones, who has his roots in Southern cooking, said his new restaurant would be more focused — “a new direction of food” — compared to his work at the Blue Hound.
Jones said he chose the name because he didn’t want to be generic.
“‘Yard bird’ is actually a reference to chicken,” Jones said. “The ‘larder’ reference comes in with the turn-of-the-century farmhouses, where pickling and canning is usually done in the larder.”
Jones said he wants his restaurant to cater to a large demographic of people, including the “young, adventurous college student,” and he plans to do that by making his menu’s prices and ambiance as appealing as possible.
Nicole Underwood, director of operations at Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation, said the DeSoto building has been important to the revitalization of Roosevelt Row.
“The developers have worked so hard and have been crucial to bringing it to life. These buildings and others — we would like to see more of these projects come back to life with new blood that’s still being celebrated,” Underwood said.
She said the building is significant because it provides history to the area. She said Roosevelt Row CDC promotes these kind of projects.
“We want to have strong relationships to celebrate and highlight the efforts of the revitalization of the DeSoto building,” Underwood said. “We need this kind of business to function as a pilot project for other businesses — the DeSoto building project has certainly done that.”
Greg Esser, founder of the Roosevelt Row CDC, said projects such as the preservation of the DeSoto building have created new opportunities for young businesses.
“The quality of life here is defined by small artists who contribute to the community,” Esser said. “All these developments are for the betterment of the community.”
He said Yard Bird + The Larder, which opens mid-February, will add to the quality of dining experiences in the neighborhood.
“That’s very consistent with high caliber and quality you’ve come to expect with chefs in the area,” he said.
Contact the reporter at syong2@asu.edu
