NEW EATERY TO BLEND OLD, NEW
Tonico to open in former Capital Roots headquarters
TROY, N.Y.>> A new type of eatery is coming to the city, with plans to blend old traditions and contemporary style.
Expected to open in late spring or early summer, Tonico will be a cafe and tonic bar serving food and beverages made using slow, traditional techniques of generations passed.
The new business is being created by the husband-and-wife entrepreneurial team of Adam Elabd and Yiyi Mendoza, who moved to the Capital Region from California about a year ago. Both have backgrounds as herbalists, and Elabd has worked in education, teaching classes on fermentation and herbalism, including most recently at The Arts Center of The Capital Region. He also wrote a book on fermentation, “Fermenting Food Step by Step.”
“It felt like the one thing that was really missing was actually making food and sharing it directly with people, feeding people,” Elabd said.
Tonico will bring that opportunity for Elabd and Mendoza, while offering a new kind of dining experience to the city.
Tonico will be located at 40 River St., at the corner of Washington Street, in the former Capital Roots headquarters. This setting will serve as “a space to feed people and nourish them,” Elabd said, noting this is something he and his wife have been yearning to do in recent years.
The couple aim for Tonico to be
an approachable eatery that people can enjoy.
“What we’re doing is really making traditional foods using traditional techniques, but with our own contemporary touch,” Elabd said, “making food and drinks that are relevant in our current times, right now, to our community, but using these techniques and methods and inspiration that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old.”
Those old school methods include such things as fermentation, drying, curing and slow-cooking. Tonico will also use traditional cooking materials like glass, wood and clay vessels, which Mendoza crafts herself.
With these ancient cooking methods come health benefits the modern American diet doesn’t often offer, Elabd said, with Tonico’s practices more natural and connected with the cycle of nature.
The business will use local produce, area farms and even wild ingredients when available. An on-site garden, where outdoor dining will be available, will grow herbs for the kitchen, as well.
The cuisine at Tonico will be drawn from several different cultures around the world, including the Middle East, North Africa, Mexico and Asia.
“We’re not specifically honing in on the techniques of any one specific culture,” Elabd said.
But there is one major common theme: Everything will be made in-house.
Hours are not yet finalized for the eatery, but the owners plan to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu items will include parfaits with housemade yogurt, multigrain bowls with smoked turkey and a variety of small plates with fermented and cured foods.
The menu will change frequently with the seasons, but some standards, like bone broth soups, will remain year-round.
“There will always be something new and exciting on the menu,” Elabd said.
Beverages will include on-tap kombucha, ginger beer and jun, along with some local craft beer and cider. Tonico will also have a menu of cocktails made with medicinal herbs and house-made bitters. In the past few weeks, Tonico has introduced some of these beverages at pop-up events in downtown Troy, to which Elabd and Mendoza have received positive feedback.
Tonico will be at Takk House for Troy Night Out on March 31 and The Half Moon Market in ALbany from April 28-30.
“We’ve really been excited to see other people being excited about what we’re making,” Elabd said, “seeing that the community is really ready for what we want to offer.”
What originally drew the entrepreneurs to Troy was the pottery community and its many artisans of all different mediums. They intend to bring this into the new business by using locally made dishware and tables, in addition to serving local food. Tonico will also hold classes for customers to learn how the different foods are made.
Once open, Tonico will be staffed by family members, making it “the epitome of a family business,” Elabd said. He and Mendoza believe this will help them achieve the cozy and comfortable atmosphere they are aiming for.
Although it’s their first time opening a restaurant, Elabd and Mendoza say starting Tonico feels natural for them. They expect Tonico to serve the community as both a casual everyday lunch spot and a place to share a special evening, depending on the occasion.
“We’re hoping that people will be interested in the newness of it, but also be really happy about the comfort of the foods and space,” Mendoza said.
For more information and updates on Tonico visit www.tonicotroy.com, www. facebook.com/hellotonico or follow @hellotonico on Instagram.