By PETE WALTON
The Bradley Beach Planning Board will conduct an online public information session tonight (April 23) on a proposed new oceanfront restaurant.
Earlier this year, the Borough Council leased an unused beachfront building to the owners of CavÈ Bistro in Avon for use as a “farm-to-beach” restaurant.
Lynn Tellefsen and Douglas Stehle of Caveman Culinarian LLC plan to invest $340,000 in the former utility building, which would remain borough property. The lease is for five years at a rate of $5,000 a year, with an option for a five-year extension.
The bid was the only one received by the borough after its last request for proposals.
The new restaurant would open in 2021, with work on the building at Ocean and Park Place Avenues scheduled to begin after Labor Day.
Barry A. Cooke, attorney for Caveman Culinarian, sent a letter to the Planning Board on April 14, outlining the scope of the hearing and detailing who would take part.
The review is limited to the following topics: hours of operation, lighting, outdoor seating, gargage removal and environmental consideration.
Stehle and Tellefsen will participate in the hearing, as will architect Joseph Molinari.
The renovated building would contain seating for 40 people on two levels. The existing roof would be removed and a covered dining area would be added above the first floor.
According to the proposal, the top of the second level dining space “is designed to be lower in height than the current rooftop of the utility building, thus having no impact whatsoever to views enjoyed by the neighboring residences.”
“This solution for needed additional seating preserves the green space at the south of the building,” Tellefsen and Stehle said in their proposal. “Alternatively, we would at least need outdoor seating to the south of the building using a non-permanent overhead structure and decking or patio flooring.”
The north-south footprint of the building would remain the same, while there would be an addition to the west side for a kitchen.
Architectual drawings presented by the successful bidders refer to the site as “Salt Pavillion.”
“Our ‘farm-to-beach’ kitchen would be the first of its kind restaurant on the beachfront at the Jersey Shore,” Tellefsen and Stehle said, adding that they would be “focusing on the quality of food and nutrition, without sacrificing taste.”
“The kitchen would serve a creative menu of 100 percent housemade plates using only the best ingredients available and will offer ‘to go’ and orders for pick-up,” according to the proposal. Vegetarian and vegan options would be offered on a regular basis. Local suppliers and a mobile herb garden would be used to supply ingredients.
Only reusable foodware would be used for onsite dining and no styrofoam would be used in takeout containers.
The restaurant would operate from mid-April through mid-October. It would serve breakfast until 10 a.m. as well as lunch and dinner seven days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, staying open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Information on how to access the informational hearing online are available at the borough’s web site, bradleybeachnj.gov.
