Edwins Too switching restaurant concept in Cleveland’s Shaker Square

Edwins Too is scheduled to open in Shaker Square on Friday November 20.

Edwins Too is scheduled to open in Shaker Square on Friday, Nov. 20.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Brandon Chrostowski is drastically shifting concepts at Edwins Too, the prix fixe-focused restaurant in Shaker Square he opened late last year in the former Fire Food and Drink space.

The restaurant had been operating on a six-month lease, which is up Saturday, May 15. As the lease deadline neared, Chrostowski had a decision: Keep Edwins Too going with the planned pairings of courses and wines, or switch gears.

Never one to sit still, and knowing that warm weather was coming with patios to help business at his nearby flagship Edwins Restaurant and Leadership Institute, Chrostowski opted to expand the focus entirely.

Edwins Too will be converted into an incubator restaurant-business space that will offer pop-up opportunities for chefs and product trials for entrepreneurs. It’s being billed as culinary innovation hub, makerspace, event venue and restaurant. (Edwins Too will continue to serve weekend brunch and host private and seasonal events.)

The new approach is being made possible through an amenable landlord and private donations exceeding $60,000 that Chrostowski was able to garner in a matter of days for the space at 13220 Shaker Square.

Here’s how the concept will work: By appointment and for a fee (grants are available), Edwins Too will offer chefs a chance to work their magic in a licensed, commercial kitchen for recipe testing, production, distribution and service. It also will operate as a full-scale event and catering venue. Requisite professional support services will be available: Individuals will be guided to navigate through business and financial plans, learn how to create a limited liability company, determine costs and understand ordering.

Chrostowski has always been about staying ahead of the curve as best he can with his ventures. Edwins was founded on the principle of offering recently released incarcerated individuals the chance to learn fine-dining skills from cooking to front of house and more. He has created a life-skills campus and management-training program while expanding culinary offerings to a butcher shop and diner in Cleveland’s Buckeye neighborhood.

The incubator-business approach is not one he invented. Similar ones in the area have been tried.

In 2014, Platform Beer Co. opened on Lorain Avenue in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood with an initial incubator, mentoring approach. It trained brewers in the myriad of skills needed to run a brewery – not just how to make beer on a commercial system, but in offering a primer in everything from real estate to marketing. The brewery eventually evolved away from the incubator approach.

But the concept is one that works as a natural extension of Chrostowski’s second-chance mission. And it couldn’t come at a better time. Coronavirus restrictions and the pandemic’s impact slammed the restaurant industry over the past year. The residual effect is being felt now: The labor force for those who are open, or who want to open, is thin.

That’s the motivation fueling the new concept.

“Why don’t we make this space where our current students, our graduates and the community at large can come in and cook in a licensed kitchen?” he asked. “They want to do their own dream; we can help them accomplish that here.”

Prospective business owners who want to make their own jams or hot sauce? Want to prep a food truck or hold an event? How about canning or pickling? Edwins Too offers a home.

“All these young chefs or line cooks that want an opportunity to be chef, they can use the space for a dinner. Their names are on the place for a night. We staff the place with liquor, and we staff the place with servers. All they do is cook, and we work out a percentage cut where everyone wins. So now this place becomes someone else’s restaurant one night a week.”

In addition, Edwins Too can order food at wholesale prices for chefs to hold lunch, stage dinner or offer takeout. The restaurant operates with social-distancing and other health measures in place, including routine disinfecting of high-touch surfaces, deep-cleaning protocols and air purification.

“It’s a proper stage for your dream,” he said.

The ultimate effect of the approach could extend beyond offering a platform for a chef. It might be an economic salve for the 10-acre Shaker Square complex, which is in receivership. But the short-term goal is about beefing up employment ranks.

“It’s starting to develop more talent, it’s starting to farm more talent, on the East Side of Cleveland,” Chrostowski said. “That’s what this is all about.”

The restaurant owner also sees the concept as a potential “future of Shaker Square.” He said he will re-evaluate at year’s end and, possibly, continue with a five-year lease extension.

“You talk about a community-driven concept? This is what it can be. … I think it’s the future of developing talent.”

Related coverage: Edwins Too set to open this week - sneak peek (photos)

More info: Edwins Too will be open Monday through Saturday by appointment. To submit an application and reserve space, go to edwinstoo.org or call 216-400-6091. Brunch hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. And tune in at 7:05 a.m. Wednesdays for “Beer with Bona and Much, Much More” with Munch Bishop on 1350-AM The Gambler. Twitter: @mbona30.

Get a jumpstart on the weekend and sign up for Cleveland.com’s weekly “In the CLE” email newsletter, your essential guide to the top things to in Greater Cleveland. It will arrive in your inbox on Friday mornings - an exclusive to-do list, focusing on the best of the weekend fun. Restaurants, music, movies, performing arts, family fun and more. Just click here to subscribe. All cleveland.com newsletters are free.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.