Mullane's Parkside Café, once a popular vegetarian restaurant, closed in 2004 but will have a presence once again on Race Street when it opens this spring.
New owner, Ellen Faeth, found a home for Mullane's in Over-the-Rhine. The vacant space had been unoccupied for nearly fifteen years, and renovations have taken up the bulk of the past year.
"The original Mullane's attracted a lot of people that were forward thinkers and enlightened people, which really helped develop the previous area in Garfield Park," Faeth said. "We're hoping that the people that are attracted to our particular menu will represent and will help develop this side of the Gateway District."
Faeth says the new Mullane's will be utilizing local products when possible, including produce, meats, and eggs as well as organic grass fed products. Faeth says she hopes to have a plot for the restaurant to grow their very own produce in order to decrease travel time for other suppliers.
"We need to get back to the basics of living, like the way our grandparents lived," Faeth explained. "Organic is the way to go because we our poisoning ourselves with all of the additives in our current foods. I am extremely dedicated to getting back to the basics."
Faith, a local artist and musician, has started offering live music and gatherings on the weekends with coffee and desert even though the restaurant isn't ready to open.
"Once an artist goes into a neighborhood and puts on a creative spin, people usually follow," Faeth explains. "I really want to support those people and I think it is important to develop a cultural life in our city. We used to have a much more varied and vast cultural atmosphere, and I want to bring that back into people's lives."
Writer: Lisa Ensminger
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