3/21/13 - The owner of a popular restaurant and a Howell native are embarking on big plans to renovate a historic spot in the downtown area. The owner of The Root Restaurant and Bar in White Lake, Ed Mamou, has purchased the Howell Theater. Plans have been in the works for a couple of weeks but yesterday marked the official closing. The building will be completely renovated and restored with an upscale menu featuring local, natural ingredients. The Rootâs Executive Chef James Rigato says the theater is very personal to him, having grown up right across the street from the historic landmark, which sat vacant for years. Rigato tells WHMI he feels this is an opportunity to reinvent the space into something that will draw visitors from across the region. He stressed theyâre not trying to bring in anything over-the-top but they want to showcase the community and feel the theater has run its course, which has been bank-owned for a few years. He's anticipating a lot of questions from the community and acknowledged that change can bring sadness or some resistance but promised not to disappoint with the new venture. Rigato says the theater has some obligations left to fulfill and will continue operations until then. There was talk of The Root moving into The Heart of Howell development but a formal agreement never came to fruition. Meanwhile, The Root has captured the coveted âRestaurant of the Yearâ title by the Detroit Free Press and Rigato was a recent finalist in Food and Wine Magazineâs People's Best New Chef contest this month. Although he didnât win, he was the only Michigan chef nominated from the Great Lakes region. (JM)
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