Danielle Lewis and Michael Goldberg don’t plan for their business to fail.
The owners of the restaurant, Chocolate and Vines, located at 757 University Ave., moved to Rochester from New York City two years ago with dreams of opening a restaurant.
Frustrated with their jobs and tired of the rapid pace of New York City, Lewis, 29, and Goldberg, 27 — who have a combined 20 years experience in the restaurant industry — decided on Rochester before they even visited the city.
“I knew absolutely nothing about Rochester,” Goldberg said.
But the couple already knew what the business model would be.
Chocolate and Vines — which opened in November — offers a tasting menu that pairs specialty wines and microbrews with gourmet chocolates, cheeses and desserts.
Wine pairing restaurants and bars are popular in large cities, but Chocolate and Vines is the first restaurant in Rochester strictly dedicated to this type of menu. “It’s about mixing and matching and making it into more of an experience rather than just a meal,” Lewis said. “We’re a spot for blending different things we’ve found through research and travel and bringing them to one spot.”
Audra Stuckey, who recently dined at Chocolate and Vines, was impressed with the service and the menu choices. “Everything was amazing,” said the Rochester resident. “They are very helpful and make sure you get a good drink and dessert pairing.” The 1,200-square-foot restaurant has a modern décor mixed with Old World charm — colorful stained glass windows, aged wood floors, gold stenciled walls and eggplant suede seating.
There’s also a billiards room, which holds special meaning to the couple, who met playing semi-professional pool.
Employing two part-time employees, Lewis and Goldberg said they hope to hire more workers as the weather improves and seating increases with the outdoor patio and porch (the restaurant currently seats 32), which was restored to its original luster during the extensive renovations.
The house — originally built in 1907 — went through 18 months of renovations. Throughout the process, Lewis and Goldberg had to work closely with the city’s preservation board. But because it was important to uphold the historic and unique touches of the house, they went through a number of contractors. “We were a headache for a lot of people for that year and a half,” Lewis said. “This was not an easy job.”
But it seems the city is pleased with the restorations and the new business.
“This is the essence of what the Rochester community is all about,” Mayor Duffy said about the business in a released statement. “Michael and Danielle have created a one-of-a-kind restaurant in our city and they have added to the vitality of the Neighborhood of the Arts.”
And the menu isn’t the only thing that’s unique about Chocolate and Vines. While the restaurant inhabits the bottom floor, the couple lives upstairs. “We have none of the overhead,” Lewis said. “We own the building, we live here, we work 90 percent of the hours — we’ve cut out a lot of the costs that 99 percent of other restaurants have to cover.”
Source: Democrat and Chronicle