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Vagabond Kitchen Finds New Home in Downtown Wheeling

Photo by Alec Berry Matt Welsch unpacks the refrigerator in preparation to move his business, the Vagabond Kitchen, to a new location on Market Street.

True to its name, Matt Welsch’s Vagabond Kitchen has bounced around since opening in 2014, but on Friday the chef announced a new permanent home at 1201 Market St., across the street from its original residence at the McLure Hotel.

Most recently, the restaurant operated in the cellar of First State Capitol along Eoff Street. For now, the business will remain closed as Welsch and staff ready the Market Street location and tweak the menu. Though he did not specify a grand reopening date, Welsch hopes to be back in business by the end of November.

He views the move as a way to cement his business further in downtown Wheeling and participate in the changes taking shape. As for the building itself, which was formerly the home of the Nogales Mexican Restaurant and the Tiki Bar and Grill, Welsch believes it will suit his personal style and enable him to create a unique dining atmosphere for patrons and tourists alike.

“I think it’s going to be a very attractive location. This place is nice (referring to the First State Capitol), but it’s not my aesthetic,” Welsch said. “It’s about how the food is presented. It’s about how the food arrives.”

He hopes to establish a warm environment, and he has specific plans for particular decorative details. Welsch said he plans to work with local artists to have murals painted against the restaurant’s interior walls, and he wants to showcase photos of both historic Wheeling and his personal travels.

Welsch’s hook as the “Vagabond Chef” is that he’s traveled around the world and collected various culinary experiences, which he references in his own creations. The location will also sport custom oak tables made locally, as well as a bar of the same material.

Welsch raised more than $22,000 in an online Kickstarter campaign in 2015, and this funding along with a small business loan has allowed him to open the new location.

He said the business will operate from Tuesday to Saturday, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., for lunch and dinner. Welsch expects to stay open later on Friday and Saturday evenings to accommodate local nightlife. He said a Sunday brunch may be an option in the future.

Welsch plans to hire for some key positions, as well as for servers and bartenders. He said the lunch menu will remain similar to its current form, but said he will build a new dinner menu.

“I hope we can make it a flagship location,” Welsch said. “I want to give people a reason to stay downtown.”

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