On March 3, Bobby and Stephanie Kimball will open their coffee shop/restaurant,
Blend, in Covington. The space, which is located at 14 E. Fifth St., will seat 30, and food will be available to-go and for delivery via bicycle.
Bobby, a former chef, left the food industry about 10 years ago to become a comedian and magician. And in the last few years, he and Stephanie, who has also worked with food, decided it was time to open a restaurant of their own.
“In the last few years, it hit me that life is too short, so why not do what we’ve been dreaming of doing,” Bobby says.
Blend is a family affair, with Bobby and Stephanie’s daughter helping manage the restaurant, as Bobby still has a full schedule touring and performing. He built all of the cabinets, and all of the magazine racks are made from reused pallets.
Blend’s menu will focus on simple but gourmet dishes, and will feature four salads, two soups and about eight sandwiches for lunch. A few highlights include the quinoa salad with seasonal vegetables and a roasted garlic vinaigrette; vegetarian French onion soup that can be made gluten-free and vegan; and the Adult Grilled Cheese with aged cheddar cheese, sliced apples and prosciutto on sourdough bread.
There’s also a breakfast menu, including the Eggamuffin sandwich and maple wrap, which is a thin buttermilk pancake wrapped around eggs, sausage and a potato hash that you can dip in warm maple syrup.
All of Blend’s food is fresh and locally sourced, including the coffee, which is from
Seven Hills Coffee in Blue Ash. Bobby is even smoking the turkey in-house and making the sausage.
“We want Blend to bring a sense of community to Covington,” Bobby says. “It’s really coming into its own, and it’s such a great area with lots of revitalization going on.”
Bobby wants Blend to be a place where people come to gather, and not just for great coffee and food. He plans to host pop-up dinners featuring local chefs and open the place to local groups for meetings.
“We’re reaching out to drug outreach groups who want to hold meetings for the friends and family of addicts,” Bobby says. “We think it’s important for families to have somewhere to go.”
Bobby also wants to see local art on the two large, bare walls in the dining area of Blend. Artists will receive 100 percent of the sales. If you’re interested in displaying your work at Blend, contact Bobby at 812-912-1448.
Blend’s hours are Monday-Thursday form 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with later hours on Friday and Saturday for music and open mic nights (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.).
By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter
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