Taster\u2019s pizzeria is taking another slice of the Snowmass Center.<\/p>\n
The owner of the popular Italian food eatery that has had the corner spot in the center for the past 19 years is planning to take over an additional 1,300 square feet in the space that was home to another locals\u2019 hangout for Snowmass residents, The Village Tavern.<\/p>\n
The Tavern, formerly the Mountain Bayou among other eateries through the years, will not reopen, Jordan Sarick, principal of Eastwood Developments and its Eastwood Snowmass Investors affiliate, said Friday. <\/p>\n
That offseason change allowed the owners of Taster\u2019s to expand his footprint and menu. The two locations will bookend Sundance Liquor & Gifts store, and Taster\u2019s owner Stacy Forster said Friday it all \u201ckind of come to pass fairly quickly so I\u2019m still working on concept and names. I\u2019ve got to get in there and clean it first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forster said the new place will maintain a diner feel and this summer will only be open for breakfast and lunch. If he can \u201cget all the legal stuff in order\u201d he would like to open for the Fourth of July weekend. <\/p>\n
He plans to incorporate dinner and the full bar for the next winter season. That in turn will help him when the Snowmass Town Center undergoes its major renovation.<\/p>\n
The Snowmass Center is under review for a massive remodel and expansion. The second location \u201cwill give them flexibility around construction and help them stay open during construction,\u201d Sarick said.<\/p>\n
Forster is no stranger to construction issues. He had to close his Aspen location<\/a> at Rio Grande Place in August after more than 10 years because of the city of Aspen\u2019s construction for its new office building. <\/p>\n \u201cMy thinking is that when we move into the new Snowmass Center, we\u2019ll have bigger space, bigger full bar, and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner,\u201d Forster said. \u201cIt will almost be a merging of the two ideas. This is giving me a lead up to that, and dealing with menu items and seeing what works.\u201d<\/p>\n On May 18, Snowmass Town Council finished its preliminary review<\/a> of the proposed Town Center redevelopment. That allows Eastwood to move ahead with prepping and submitting its final development application. Sarick said Friday they are not sure on a time frame for the final submission.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, everyone has pencils down and is working away,\u201d Sarick said. \u201cThere is a lot of work but everyone is really excited. It\u2019s an exciting project. These days, for us to have lots of work, and lots of exciting work to shape the future of the village, is a great thing.\u201d <\/p>\n Since the Town Center opened, the space that Forster is taking over has been Pour La France, then Wildcat Caf\u00e9, then Spencer\u2019s, then Village Tavern, then Mountain Bayou and back to Village Tavern, according to a town officials.<\/p>\n Taster\u2019s, which opened in Snowmass in June 2001, is one of the very few Snowmass restaurants that stayed open in some fashion during the early weeks of the pandemic<\/a> and has remained open. Forster said Friday it wasn\u2019t hard to stay open because they are primarily set up for take-out and delivery anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time \u2026 I was thinking about our family\u2019s income and the employees\u2019 income,\u201d he said. \u201cBut then I quickly realized the locals were really appreciative to have a place to go and something open and it is nice to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n dkrause@aspentimes.com<\/p>\n