By Charly SHELTON

The monthly meeting of the Montrose Shopping Park Association was held on Thursday and the big story was the new restaurant in town. Or rather, the new Rest in town.

Rest Farmhouse Inspired is a new café and bakery located in the 2400 block of Honolulu Avenue, taking over the location previously occupied by La Fleur Bakery. Rest officially opened on Tuesday, July 12 but the owners stopped by the MSPA meeting to promote the business and share some details on what to expect from the new café.

“Rest is the name of our new store and restaurant and it is the realization of a longtime dream that we had of being foodies, searching out the best local [produce], getting to know our farmers and how we feed our families. That’s what we’re going to bring to Montrose,” said Executive Chef Kristina Evans, speaking at the meeting with co-owner Theresa Rosette. “So we’re hoping that it will be that little quiet place that you can step into when life gets a little too hurried, and eat something that makes you feel good about what you’re eating.”

Rest offers Farmhouse Inspirations, a selection of salads, wraps, sandwiches and even a seasonal pate, as well as coffees and teas complemented by fresh-baked pastries. The restaurant is a counter service location with a small amount of seating inside and patio seating outside. Evans said it’s the perfect place to grab a bite whether diners have the time to stay and eat or have to take it to go.

In addition to the restaurant, they also have a retail area featuring kitchenware, exclusive items and a smattering of different house-made jams, including a bacon jam used in their Farmhouse Inspirations menu.

“[The retail area is] what we’d like to think of as a really chef-forward retail space. So anything that I’m using in the back of the house as executive chef, you can have access to in the front of the house,” Evans said. “Also we think the kitchen should be a beautiful place so we have lots of small family vendors that we are working with who we’ve researched and have gotten to know, and so we’re carrying some really exclusive items. All of our items are either from this really small, exclusive, family operation or they’re completely sustainable.”

Rest Farmhouse Inspired is located at 2420 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose and is open Tuesday through Saturday.

  Charly Shelton