With a Chef Now on Board, Veselka Bowery Plans for Early November

veselka7Daniel Maurer

Forcella isn’t the only Bowery newcomer that’s experiencing delays. When we last checked in with Tom Birchard, owner of Veselka, he had hoped to open his Bowery outpost in September. Now he says it’ll be “about a month” before the borscht martinis are flowing, adding that he’s “pushing hard” for November 4 or 5. The good news: As of yesterday, Veselka Bowery has a chef in Michael Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan got his start as the sous chef at the esteemed Chanterelle before moving on to become executive chef at David Waltuck’s other defunct restaurant, Le Zinc. More recently, he was opening chef of Greenpoint restaurant Anella, and then executive chef at Flex Mussels

“David [Waltuck] is Jewish and his family came from Eastern Europe,” said Mr. Birchard, “so Michael knows about pierogis and boiled beets and stuffed cabbage.” And let’s not forget, Mr. Sullivan will have what Mr. Birchard described as a “team of really accomplished Polish and Ukrainian women” at his service. For now, the chef is planning some “Ukrainian field trips” to Greenpoint and Brighton Beach, and soon after, he’ll begin narrowing down a “plethora” of planned menu items, with the goal of friends-and-family dinners in late October.