When Solstice opened in downtown Lakewood less than a year ago, Annabella Andricks was content to focus on the dessert side of things. After all, it was work she knew well, as the owner of the successful small baking company Dramatic Snax (and one bite of Solstice’s sweet offerings demonstrates her massive talent for it).
But less than a year later, quite a lot has changed. Though Andricks still helms the dessert menu, she’s now got a hand in the rest of it, too, stepping into the role of back-of-house manager after the departure of founding chef Cory Miess.
In March, the restaurant’s seven-person ownership team splintered, as first announced online by LBM, the Viking-themed bar with which three of Solstice’s original owners were associated. An Instagram post shared on LBM’s feed announced that Miess, Eric Ho and Ben Lebovic had “stepped away from the restaurant due to differences in management styles,” while front-of-house manager Bradley Kaczmarski officially departed in June.
Now, Solstice is fully woman-owned, with Andricks joined by general manager Andrea Tsiros and events manager Rachel Rosen (both former employees of Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar, which previously occupied the restaurant’s space). Though everyone is mum on the nitty-gritty details of the split, Andricks says everyone agrees that it’s for the best.
“You go into something with multiple people and big ideas, and you do the best you can to make everyone’s vision happen,” she says, “but sometimes you have to pivot.”
Having done exactly that, Solstice’s newly slimmed-down team of co-owners is focused entirely on the future. In the kitchen, Andricks works alongside one-time sous chef KC Carty, who has stepped into the role of head chef, to continually tweak and revamp Solstice’s menu. Together, they’re finding the restaurant’s culinary footing — and feedback from the community has helped.
“We heard that the original menu was a little too complicated,” Andricks says. “We’re still making elevated bar food with a twist, but it’s been simplified to be more inviting.”
Indeed, many of Solstice’s new offerings are more familiar than before, with unexpected ingredients here and there to keep things interesting. Starters include wings in a smoky brown sugar jalapeno sauce ($10) and banh mi sliders on Japanese milk buns ($15); entrees range from a straightforward burger with the works ($18) and an 8-ounce with cheddar potato cakes ($32) to cold sesame noodles with marinated tofu ($16) and a grilled cobia sandwich with pickled fennel ($20).
Also of note are Solstice’s French fries. Once perfectly tasty but largely unmemorable, they’ve gotten a serious upgrade. Now, they just might be among the best in the city.
“We were trying to get them as close to light and airy as possible,” Andricks says, “so one of our staffers did a ton of research and found this method of boiling them in a water-vinegar solution, like some kind of mad scientist.”
Despite Solstice’s newly streamlined management team, that collaborative, everyone-gets-a-say work style continues to be representative of the restaurant’s overall approach to food and to business in general.
“I think the best ideas come from people feeling like they have a say in things and being able to express their ideas and opinions,” Andricks says. “We have an all-star staff, and we’re definitely including them in our processes.”
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