New owner, new chef are familiar faces at Local Eatery

LACONIA — As the old adage goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and Local Eatery is a prime example. The restaurant is now under new ownership with a new chef, but will still offer top-notch cuisine in the cozy downtown setting.

Seth Wingate has taken the helm of Local Eatery, and while many of the staff will remain, he has called upon esteemed chef Kaylon Sweet to put together a revamped menu full of farm-to-table offerings.

From server to owner

Wingate started working at Local Eatery in 2019, waiting tables part-time, and worked briefly with the restaurant's late founder Kevin Halligan, until he sold the restaurant to Reuben Bassett. He continued to work for Bassett, and throughout the years, his responsibilities expanded.

“I got to see different aspects of the business that I hadn’t picked up on before,” Wingate said. “I’m kind of a data person, and during COVID, I went to [Lakes Region Community College] for software development, and got into data analytics. So, I did that part-time for the restaurant.”

He and Bassett had talked “really casually” over the past couple years, but they became more serious earlier this year, when it looked like a change in ownership was going to be a reality.

“Being exposed to the business side, I just learned more and more. And at some point, it seemed like ownership was a possibility,” Wingate said. “I have experience with a lot of stuff here, with the exception of cooking.”

The restaurant briefly closed its doors during the transition, allowing Wingate to get his ducks in a row. This is when he contacted Sweet.

Sweet is no stranger to Local Eatery, as he also worked alongside Halligan, between 2016 to 2018.

“I’m the only new person on the crew right now, but I’m the most OG person here,” Sweet said. “It’s weird being the old new guy. I was a line cook and the sous chef here, so it is cool to come back full circle.”

The change has created quite a buzz in the local community, as customers recognize Wingate from his time waiting tables over the last seven years. Others know whatever Sweet touches seems to turn to culinary gold.

A Sweet deal

Sweet, known by many as “Sweets” or “Sweet Mercy,” is a bit of a rock star of the Lakes Region dining world.

He was most recently leading the kitchen staff at Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery in Meredith, and before that, was chef-owner of Osteria Poggio in Center Harbor.

“I worked at five-star restaurants, and have done anything from summer camp kitchens to super high-end fine dining,” Sweet said. “We are looking to get back to that locally sourced without being over the top about it. We want to source local, but most of all, we want to feed people good food, and give them a good experience.”

But the story goes much further back. He said he found his love for making food while working at a McDonald’s.

“I went from McDonald’s to cooking at the James Beard House in a year,” he said.

A graduate of Southern New Hampshire University’s culinary school, Sweet went on to Apicius International School of Hospitality in Florence, Italy.

“I went to college and was a music major, dropped out to pursue music, and my first cooking job was McDonald’s, and then I did a bunch between that,” he said. “Short-order breakfast cook, UPS truck driver, ice cream truck driver. I used to build log cabins. I didn’t have education, and ended up back in the late night shift at McDonald’s. And I didn’t hate it. I liked the process.”

What he didn’t enjoy was working up front or at the window, where teachers would come through and seemingly judge him. A big part of his life, he said, has been proving people wrong, and striving to reach to the top.

“I asked if I could work out back and I liked it, and I was like, 'Maybe I will go to culinary school,'” Sweet said. “I went to SNHU, and White Barn Inn, in Kennebunkport, was my externship, and once again teachers said I wouldn’t get the gig, because I wasn’t talented enough. I’ve always been a little underestimated, but I am always a hard worker, and food is just something I get.”

Sweet admits his menu creations can be wild, and sometimes might look strange on paper. He said sometimes people will ask him how he comes up with things, and he’ll have trouble explaining, because it's just what he knows will taste good.

“Coffee and peanuts with orange and chili makes total sense to me, and when people have it, it makes sense when they taste it.”

The menu includes a crab Rangoon fried rice, which he said has been a hit right off the bat. One item he is most excited for is a vegetarian Irish dinner, with no corned beef involved. There is also a rib dish he said is “pretty with a lot of fun, poppy flavors.”

Sometimes, simplicity prevails.

“There’s really nothing better than a smashburger,” Sweet said.

He has connections with many of the staff, as well as the community. Sweet expects to see a lot of familiar faces coming in, who know what he is capable of, from his local success over the last decade.

Sweet said the staff has been incredible during the leadership change, saying they have “been tossed in the pool and started swimming.” He knows he is different than who they’ve worked with before, but have bought in, and appear to trust the process.

Wingate said Sweet has great visions, and is an ideal choice, because he comes with a perspective on the restaurant from the formative years, working alongside Halligan.

“I’m really stoked to see what we can do here,” Sweet said. “There is so much potential for really great things here, and not to dog on anyone else, but there is so much the same. When Seth and I sat down, we said we wanted to be different. We want to be something that is unique and worthwhile.”

For the menu and all the details, visit the restaurant in Veterans Square, or learn more at laconialocaleatery.com.

'He crushed it'

Sweet has opened, as well as closed, businesses in the past, and said he knows exactly where Wingate’s head is. While they have a base to start, there is still a lot to be done.

“To be able to do two soft openings in less than a week, and then back open fully, is a lot,” Sweet said. “Massive kudos to Seth. He was a part of the business, but that’s a huge step. He crushed it. I’m super stoked.”

Bassett still owns the building, but said the hope is to set Wingate up for that ownership, as well. Days prior, when Bassett said he was passing ownership to Wingate, he said in an interview one of the reasons he bought the business was to preserve what Halligan began in 2012.

“This is a great story about someone who has been a server and is now taking over,” Bassett said.

Close-knit staff, devoted clientele

Wingate and Sweet both said the staff who surround them is what makes the machine run. They are looking forward to see the dessert creations Madison McLelland will come up with. But it is the entire unit that Wingate said makes Local Eatery.

“We’ve got a really close-knit staff here, and they were a huge source of support and encouragement,” Wingate said. “Our patrons, our regulars in town, it was incredible to see the response from the community when the announcement was made.”

Many of the regulars were there for the soft opening, and some even brought flowers, showing how excited they were to have the restaurant back open, with a familiar face leading the way. Wingate sees himself as a steward for what Halligan created, and with the help of a great staff, and a top-tier head chef, he sees a bright future for the restaurant.

“It meant a lot to me to keep Local Eatery going,” Wingate said. “Local Eatery means a lot to me, and means a lot to the staff, and means a lot to our regulars.”