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Meghann Ward is moving into the former Church space at 69 Kilmarnock St. in Fenway, as Boston Restaurant Talk previously reported. The former chef de cuisine at Coppa has teamed up with her stepmother, Marlena J. Ward, to develop a new dual-purpose restaurant venture called Tapestry, representative of a conglomeration of cooking styles.
Tapestry will be divided into two spaces with two separate concepts under one roof, similar to Church's previous operation, which had a live music venue and bar in one space and a restaurant and bar in the other.
The front part of the space, called "expo kitchen," will be a pop-up driven restaurant with pizzas, sweet and savory little bites, and an oyster bar, Meghann Ward told Eater. It will also serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. She has plans to open up the kitchen but will make only basic cosmetic changes to the restaurant's interior.
"The front is already so full of natural light and exposed brick," she said. An outdoor patio will add to the relaxed vibe of this section of the restaurant.
Expo will be more wine-driven than its neighbor — Church's former band venue, in the other half of the building.
"It's going to be a mid-century, Havana-style [restaurant]," Ward said of the rear space, with more intimate-style dining than the "wild crazy pizza" side. The space will be called "club room," and will have a fireplace, plush seating, and a full dinner menu, with an innovative cocktail program.
Ward is awaiting a November 4 hearing to transfer the liquor license for Tapestry, which she hopes to open in early March 2016. Ward's stepmother, who was vice president of financial planning at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, brings years of experience to what Ward called the "women-owned, independent family business" at Tapestry.
"This project is allowing me to hone in on all the things I love about cooking and entertaining, and I never thought I'd find a space that would allow that to come together," she said. "It's kind of a dream come true."
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated Marlena Ward's title as director of financial planning instead of vice president and the front part of the restaurant as "Expo Bar" instead of "expo kitchen."
