By Jill Nagy
\nFolks in and around Whitehall nostalgic for Roma\u2019s pizza and lasagna will soon be able to enjoy them again in the restaurant\u2019s newest incarnation, the RailYard Taproom & Family Restaurant.
\nA consortium of five local couples now own the property on Route 4 in the Village of Whitehall and are aiming for a May reopening.
\nWhen the group first bought the property, specifics of the re-birth and its name had not been determined.
\nThe new owners have completely gutted the building and are now \u201cstarting to put everything back together,\u201d according to Cheryl Putorti, one of the owners. The men of the investment group did most of the demolition work, she said, but the new construction is largely in the hands of Hudson Falls general contractor Josh Willis.
\nWalls have been moved. The kitchen is in a new location and the dining booths will be replaced by roomier ones. A new bar will offer local craft beers.
\nThe menu is still a work in progress, awaiting the hiring of a chef, but the new owners are working with Marilyn Grady, whose family owned Roma\u2019s for many years, to learn the secrets of Roma\u2019s pizza and other local favorites, Putorti said.
\nAfter many years of talking and dreaming of reopening the Roma, the group learned that the building was coming up for auction by the Washington County Local Development Corp.(WCLDC)
\nThe 10 investors pooled their resources and bought the Route 4 property for $71,000.
\nThey secured a $150,000 loan from the WCLDC and set to work.
\nThe new owners are Francis and Cheryl Putorti, Erik and Laurie Ross, Michael and Kathy Putorti, Dan and Debbie O\u2019Rourke, and Tom and Patti Abbott. All are new to the food and hospitality business except for the Putortis, who own Putorti\u2019s Market in Whitehall.
\nPutorti said by February, the insulation, wiring , and lighting were largely complete and work was underway on the new kitchen. The taproom and back bar are close to completion.
\nThe owners are working with a food distributor and looking for a head chef and 20-25 full and part time employees. Putorti said there is interest in the chef\u2019s post, but no decision yet.
\nThe RailYard will be open year-round for lunch, dinner and evening drinks and light fare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Jill Nagy Folks in and around Whitehall nostalgic for Roma\u2019s pizza and lasagna will soon be able to enjoy them again in the restaurant\u2019s newest incarnation, the RailYard Taproom & Family Restaurant. A consortium of five local couples now own the property on Route 4 in the Village of Whitehall and are aiming for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n