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Earlier this month, Roanoke Times business reporter Jenny Kincaid Boone reported that a new restaurant will take the place of Wertz's in downtown Roanoke. Just last week, I saw an advertisement for the new place, Horizon Bar & Grill, in our newspaper (see photo).
Wertz's owner, Gary Crowder, told Jenny he closed the restaurant for personal health reasons but will continue to sell produce on the market.
On Friday, I was able to chat with one of the new proprietors of Horizon, Scott Lockhart.
Lockhart and his mom, Debbie Spangler, are partnering up to run the new restaurant. The mother/son duo have already been running Divinity Catering in Roanoke for about a year.
Scott's background is as a Johnson & Wales graduate who has cooked at restaurants in Jacksonville, Fla., Atlanta and Denver. After he moved back to Roanoke, he worked as a chef at Teaberry's in Cloverdale.
According to Lockhart, he wants to cater to a lunch crowd that has limited time and is in a hurry, so midday fare will be casual and fast. He expects to offer soup, pasta, sandwiches, salads and daily specials "with a unique twist."
Dinner will be more upscale and varied, he says, with a focus on unusual game such as quail, venison, buffalon and pheasant. Lockhart said he was heavily influenced by his time in Denver and likes to add a "Southwestern twist" to his dishes.
I hope Horizon really will be unlike anything else we've seen in Roanoke. It'll definitely be worth checking out once the doors are open!