BAKERY TO START FROM SCRATCH AGAIN
Why did the bakery cross the road? To get to another size.
Scratch Bakery in Phoebus is moving across the street from its shop on Mellen Street. “We’re hoping within the next three months,” owner LaShonda Sanford said. She needs more space as she expands from a bakery into more of a full-service restaurant.
The focus will still be on baked goods (from scratch, of course) and an ice cream menu that will grow to include sundaes and banana splits and other frozen treats. It will add a coffee bar, with espressos, lattes and more. And the food menu will expand from daily specials (such as the popular chicken pot pies that sell out every Thursday) to a more fully realized menu.
Sanford envisions opening around 7:30 a.m. to accommodate breakfast and staying open until 8 or 9 p.m., though the new hours are still in flux. Her vision, she said, is for “the feel of Starbucks/Panera meets Scratch Bakery.”
She said the new location will have 20 seats, free WiFi and a covered patio.
Scratch Bakery, 36 E. Mellen St., Hampton. 757-224-8430, itsmade fromscratch.com.
Changing chickens
Chuck Lee, who has developed an audience in
Hampton with his creative flavor profiles and his signature mumchuck sauce, is closing up shop – at least for now.
Chuck’s Famous Chicken and Seafood at 2040 Coliseum Drive has closed its doors, and signage for a Choong Man Chicken has gone up in its place.
The Choong Man
(CM) Korean barbecue chain specializes in tikkudak chicken, which is fried and then baked over charcoal for extra crispness. CM is primarily in located in Virginia, and this will be the first one in Hampton Roads. No opening date has been advertised.
Lee, a U.S. Air Force veteran, operated Chuck’s Famous Chicken and Seafood on Magruder Boulevard for several years before moving near the coliseum in 2017. He said he had been struggling with business and competition lately, but he hopes to open again in a new spot.
“I would love that,”
Lee said. “I enjoy cooking. I’d like to keep going if I find the right place.”
International eats
Bonanza Social Kitchen and Espresso opened this month on
Monticello Avenue in Williamsburg, bringing an international flavor built around Korean cuisine.
The eatery also features Japanese ramen, Hawaiian-style poke bowls, breakfast sandwiches and international coffees. The restaurant aimed for a comfortable setting where people could meet and eat at any time of the day. A photo on Bonanza’s Facebook page displays an impressive display case stocked with baked goods.
Owner Steve Oh said Bonanza should acquire its liquor license in January, and will open a full bar with a wide range of cocktails.
Bonanza Social Kitchen and Espresso, 200 Monticello Ave., Williamsburg. 757-808-6032, www.facebook.com/ bonanzasocialkitchen.
Mike Holtlzclaw, 757-928-6479, mholtzclaw @dailypress.com