The Plate Prepares
to Serve on Central Ave.
By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Staff Writer
12/15/11

The town is getting another new choice for eating, as The Plate will be opening to serve patrons in the Central Avenue business district next year.

Located at 27 Central Ave., right next to At Home Elder Care, The Plate will be the latest offering on the town’s food scene.

Chef/owner Suzanne Lombardi, one of the movers and shakers in local culinary circles, had been looking for an opportunity to put her talents to work for the pleasure of her fellow Milton residents.

“I looked for almost two years. I was being very stubborn. I wanted to stay in Milton,” said Lombardi, who grew up in town, and now lives in East Milton with her husband Andrew D’Amato and their daughter Ruby.

The menu has not yet been published, but Lombardi plans on concentrating on specialty sandwiches, soups and baked goods, using quality ingredients and local produce.

“I’m a morning person. I’m a baker, so I love getting up early, and I love breakfast in general,” she said, explaining the concept for The Plate.

Her business will be very produce-centric, as Lombardi has been a key player at Brookwood Farm, the community farm in the Blue Hills. That makes her a big advocate for eating and cooking as a locavore.

Having only 800 square feet of space, The Plate will not have a large dine-in area. There will be a small area with pedestal seating for those who choose to eat there, but much of the business will be takeout.

“We’ll also, kind of at the chef’s whim, have things for people to come by on their way home after work and take home and bake off,” Lombardi said.

Selectmen recently approved the awning and sign for The Plate. Build-out work has been ongoing for the past several weeks. Lombardi is hoping to be open for business in mid-January.

In past endeavors, Lombardi created, launched and sold successful gastronomic wholesale outlets that helped put her name on the map. She was the creative force behind Dancing Deer Baking Co., the now-national corporation that concentrates on all natural, quality ingredients in its baked goods.

Her next venture involved running an artisanal candy company called Tiny Trapeze. She sold the company to Whole Foods Market in 2004.

The Plate will be her first retail venture.

“I started Dancing Deer in my kitchen in Hyde Park, which was totally illegal,” she said. “By the time I sold my shares [in the company] in 2000, we had built the company to a national brand.”

Running a retail business will be a new experience for her, but one for which she thinks she is ready.

“This will be more intimate and hands-on. Hopefully the same customers will come in through the doors every day. It’ll be a place, that if you’re a foodie, you can really talk food and trends and ingredients. All of us will be knowledgeable about food. We’re excited,” she said.

And she wears that excitement on her face. Listening to her describe ingredients for homemade condiments, such as fennel relish, Lombardi’s passion for what she does is evident.

Recently she has been testing recipes for the perfect English muffin, a key ingredient to the breakfast sandwiches she plans to offer.

“Our tagline is ‘handcrafted comfort food,’” she said.

Also working with Lombardi will be retail manager David Willox, who lives in town. Lombardi may look to hire other employees.

Lombardi feels opening her business in the rapidly changing Central Avenue district will be a positive thing for the area.

“One of the things I love about the location we’re in is that it’s such a heavy populated neighborhood,” she said. “We have met a lot of neighbors who are really excited about us. They are very supportive of us. …That’s been terrific.”

Lombardi said the initial hours for The Plate will be Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is a plan to eventually expand into night hours.

“I’ll be so happy when we can get in there and start cooking,” Lombardi added. “I love it. That’s what I do. It’s very satisfying.”

(For more information, visit The Plate on Facebook. A Website, www.theplatekitchen.com, is under construction.)