Sushi Bears expanding to Main Street

With cooking lessons booked until June, Dan Wells, owner of Sushi Bears in Findlay Market, is bringing his culinary knowledge to Main Street. 

Wells is opening a 1,700-square-foot space called Main City Station March 30, on the corner of Orchard and Main Street.. MCS will house Well's own Panda Chef, a cafe, complete with table service and and kitchen that will serve and teach Thai, Indian and Sushi cooking classes. To cater to people who want to try out their newly-learned cooking skills at home, MSS will also house a small market. 

"There aren't many places around where you can get all the ingredients you need to cook the food we offer lessons on," Wells says. "People can take lessons then buy what they need to make it at home, all in the same place." 

Sushi Bear will still operate its Findlay Market location, which has been open for a year and a half and hosts cooking classes every day. Wells has been looking for a location to expand with the high, and growing, demand for classes they offer. The idea for the co-op space was formed after finding the large space at a cheap price. Renters will use utilities, internet and a security system. 

With the large space, Wells knew they could rent out some of the space to other tenants and have found two so far. Flashbox and The Cincinnati Film Festival are confirmed and a vintage and upcycle jewelery retailer is in the works.  Flashbox, a photography company, will house its offices in MSS but will also have a permanent photo booth on site. Each month, the photo booth will be designed by a local artist and be open to the public for events, like Final Friday.

The Cincinnati Film Festival will host screenings of local and independent films, as well as plan their upcoming three-day festival.

Main City Station hosts a grand opening party Final Friday, March 30. 

By Evan Wallis