Stella’s next concept

Big news for Greenville’s restaurant community: Stella’s Southern Bistro Executive Chef and owner Jason Scholz has hired former Devereaux’s Chef Spencer Thomson to join his team. Thomson most recently held the position of Executive Chef at Nose Dive after Greenville’s top restaurant, Devereux’s closed. When Scholz found out the talented and acclaimed chef was shopping new opportunities, he knew he had to snag him up before someone else did.

That’s not the biggest news. Scholz has purchased a building at the Village of West Greenville and will be opening a second restaurant concept there as early as November, but most likely after the first of the year. Scholz says he and wife Julia have been looking to expand for a couple of years and have looked at that location several times. Stella’s Southern Bistro opened 6 years ago in Simpsonville, and though quite a drive from downtown Greenville, quickly became on of the best restaurants in Greenville County. This well respected chef has big plans for the Village location, formerly occupied by Sucker’s Soda Shop and more recently Coffee to a Tea.

“This is going to be a completely different concept than Stella’s with a much bigger emphasis on breakfast and lunch,” says Scholz. The space will seat around 60 people. The dinner menu hasn’t been decided, but Scholz is interested in tapping into the new “anything goes” restaurant model similar to that of Two Burrows Larder or Butcher and Bee in Charleston. Butcher and Bee, famed for their lunchtime sandwich and side menu, has a rotating schedule of visiting chefs, special menus and pop-up style dinners. Scholz is considering themed nights like Fried Chicken Thursdays or Vietnamese night.

Chef says for now, he and Thomson are in the kitchen playing and planning. He’s bought the building and hired a great chef. Next comes figuring out a time frame.