Chef Matt Daughaday is one step closer to opening his own restaurant. The former executive chef of Taste announced today, Feb. 9, that he plans to open Reeds American Table in Maplewood at 7322 Manchester Road, the space formerly occupied by Home Wine Kitchen. Daughaday said he could open doors as early as June, pending a successful finalization of the lease and the results of a liquor license hearing at the end of the month.
Daughaday said the multi-level space will require few changes. “It’s almost a turnkey situation,” he said. “I like the space the way it is. Stylistically, we’ll make it our own, but I don’t think it needs too much.”
Daughaday, whose middle name is Reed, said the restaurant’s moniker also alludes to “the meaning behind what a reed is … It can get blown over by a storm but stands up stronger.”
The initial Reeds team includes pastry chef Summer Wright and Andrey Ivanov, who recently left his post as wine director at Elaia and Olio. “I have a person to run the floor and front of the house,” Daughaday said. “This will give Andrey the ability to focus on the beverage program.”
The menu is still in the development stages, but Daughaday sees Reeds as “a family dinner sort of atmosphere” including a traditional lineup of soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees and larger items that will be a continuation of his cuisine at Taste.
-photo by Carmen Troesser
This article appears in February 2015.