Movies.Music.Art.Fashion.Food
If you are a filmaker, musician, fashion designer, or artist and interested in having your work showcased at cherch, email joey@cherchlounge.com.

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A Special Thanks...

La Clear Construction, Inc
Crystal Cove Advisors
OC Golf Technology
Total Concept Designs
B Designed
Ambiance Visuals
On the Edge design
Final Cut Collective
Tracy at Sunset Signs
Kohani & Associates
Eric Willens @ Michaels Law Group
Kathryn Tran from Tran & Esparza
Travis L. England @ H.M.B.D
Barbara Giasone @
Orange County Register
Theresa Harvey @
Fullerton Chamber of Commerce

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Upscale restaurant moves forward in the downtown. Cherch construction ongoing at the southwest corner of Harbor and Commonwealth.

By BARBARA GIASONE
Staff Writer

Young restaurateurs Nicholas Lombardo and Joseph Hartman, who rode out the city's moratorium on issuing hard liquor licenses, are moving forward with their upscale restaurant plans now that the council adopted a new ordinance for food and drink operators. A new logo, "Cherch," is emblazoned across the window in the former Heirlooms of Tomorrow building at the southwest corner of Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue. Inside, workers are framing the kitchen, building out the VIP section and positioning electronics for the main stage.
"We hope this sets a new direction for the downtown," said Lombardo, 29, who with Hartman, 32, was determined to stick with a chic menu with cocktails despite the council's push for a beer and wine license.

When the property became available for lease last year, the pair involved investors from Newport Beach, La Mirada and Long Beach. Lombardo and Hartman pooled $300,000 of their own money for the project, and bought a Type 47 (hard liquor) license for $37,000.

After explaining the plan at the Sept. 4, City Council meeting, Lombardo was encouraged by the panel's enthusiasm for opening a 5,394-square-foot restaurant at the key intersection. But a fatality three days later linked to heavy drinking in the downtown prompted the council to discourage Type 47 licenses. Police Capt. Greg Mayes emphasized the purpose of the moratorium was to prevent additional new establishments from selling hard liquor. He said the biggest concern was the type of patrons the Cherch owners were targeting don't exist.

Councilman Don Bankhead reminded the council the Cherch concept was planned before the moratorium. However, with the Type 47 moratorium, The Cherch owners had to sell their liquor license for $35,000. But they didn't give up. "As a kid I dreamed of owning a restaurant," said Lombardo, who started working as a host at age 15, and then shifted to bartending at age 21. Hartman launched his food career at age 19 cracking crabs and shucking oysters at Cioppino's in San Francisco.

The two met at Joe's Crab Shack in 2001 in Garden Grove, and two years later had the Cherch concept in motion. Lombardo moved on to bartend at the Slidebar in Fullerton while Hartman concentrated on the project. To promote an American fusion with "flair sauces" concept, the pair enlisted Chef Nathan Sherrill, who was the executive chef at Mahe, and worked with Wolfgang Puck at Spago.

Cherch will open later this year with live comedy, fashion and music shows. Seating is 168 including the patio.

"People ask, 'Why the name Cherch?'" Lombardo said. "It's just whimsical; there's no religious connection at all."