MILTON — A new restaurant and bar has opened its doors in Milton, with the Milton Tavern launching a soft opening on Wednesday.

The Milton Tavern is located at 430 Geyser Rd. The building, which is the former home of Jay’s Bar and Grill, was taken over by current owners Micah Henzel and Joseph Muia III in March.

Henzel formerly worked as a sous chef at Nanola in Malta and Henry’s Tavern in Ballston Spa, while Muia III spent a decade working at Dozer’s Bar and Grill in Milton. Now, the two are combining their experience into a new venture.

“So I’ve got the restaurant experience, Joey’s got the front-of-house experience,” said Henzel.

It is the first venture as owners for the pair, who “gutted” the restaurant during renovations, Henzel said.

Henzel, who also owns MJG Construction Group, said the bar has new tables and chairs, and a newly renovated kitchen, patio, and bathrooms. 

“The only thing that stayed is the original bar,” Henzel said.

The renovations moved quickly, with Henzel saying they initially entered the space in March.

“I was here 12 hours a day for pretty much three months,” Henzel said.

Henzel said the Milton Tavern will offer 14 beers on tap, as well as selections of wine and bourbon. Their food offerings include a variety of New England bar pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and wings. The tavern also serves nachos, chips and dip, salads, soup, and a variety of entrees, including grilled hanger steak and grilled marinated chicken breast according to their menu.

Henzel added that the bar will be “neighborhood-friendly,” also offering a kids’ menu.

“We’ve got prosecco on tap, so we think that’s going to be a big seller,” said Henzel. “We’re going to have a claw machine for the kids, and dartboards. It’s going to be a nice neighborhood place.”

The Milton Tavern will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Henzel also said they will consider adding a brunch option “when football season starts” in the fall. 

Henzel, who is an area native and also said he worked at restaurants such as Longfellows and Olde Bryan Inn while growing up, said it is meaningful to establish a business in the community.

“It’s great.” Henzel said. “I love Saratoga. It’s my favorite town in America.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Green Mountain Electric Supply is looking to purchase a building in the W.J. Grande Industrial Park to serve as its New York headquarters, according to an application filed with the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency.

The company is seeking to acquire 10 Skyward Drive, which is currently home to SKS Bottle and Packaging, to serve as its headquarters for the company’s New York management and finance team, and a warehouse for electrical materials and supplies, according to a submitted project description. The building is 143,000 square feet, the documents state.

Green Mountain Electric Supply is a “wholesale supplier of electrical supplies” and has 16 branch locations and two distribution locations in New York, the documents state. Based in Colchester, Vermont, they currently have Capital Region locations in Albany and Queensbury, according to their website.

Green Mountain is seeking tax exemptions from SCIDA for sales, real property, and mortgage recording taxes. Over a five-year span, the company would receive an estimated $91,000 sales tax exemption, an estimated $105,000 mortgage recording tax exemption, and an estimated $1,366,408 real property tax exemption, according to the documents.

The company is being represented by Jeremy H. Speich of Harris Beach PLLC in Albany. Green Mountain would pay $14 million to acquire the building, and approximately $18.2 million in total, the documents state. 

At their meeting on July 11, the industrial development agency voted unanimously to move the application to a public hearing. 

MILTON — A new restaurant in Milton, Neighborhood Kitchen, opened in March, offering a variety of Italian-American takeout options and emphasizing a “neighborhood feel.”

Neighborhood Kitchen offers takeout and delivery, with customers ordering by phone, in person, or online. The restaurant opened in March at 312 Rowland St, and is operated by partners Chip and Wendy Lawrence, and Brian Donaldson, who is also the head chef.

Chip Lawrence said he and his wife Wendy grew up in Milton, and have “fond memories” of visiting Mary’s Country Store, which formerly operated at the location.

“It was this iconic little country market, before the big supermarkets, and certainly before Milton was developed,” said Lawrence. “We have fond memories of penny candy, and Hershey’s ice cream. Just going there for market stuff.”

Neighborhood Kitchen is open seven days a week, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. The restaurant offers a variety of breakfast sandwiches, and serves sandwiches, salads, and smaller portions of pastas and main dishes at lunch, Lawrence said.

The main dishes include a variety of offerings such as chicken parmigiana, chicken and filet involtinis, pork pinwheel, and more. One dish, Chicken Luisa, is named in honor of Luisa Cirelli, the former owner of Villa Luisa, who Donaldson had worked for.

“Brian worked for her 20 years ago, and learned a lot of his culinary skills from her,” said Lawrence. “That dish is paying homage to Luisa and her family.”

The restaurant also features a variety of pastas, such as gnocchi bolognese and short rib ravioli, as well as additional offerings such as a crispy chicken sandwich and a variety of salads. The restaurant offers family-style meals and catering, with Lawrence saying they have catered “a lot” of graduation parties, and will cater a wedding next month.

The restaurant does not have indoor seating, but has set up several picnic tables outside. Neighborhood Kitchen is also working on putting together ‘track packs,’ picnic-style lunches customers could bring along during a visit to the Saratoga Race Course, said Wendy Lawrence.

The restaurant delivers to a roughly five-mile radius, Chip Lawrence said, stretching into downtown Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, and into Galway and Greenfield. They also feature a small market section, which offers selections of candy and market items in a nod to Mary’s Country Store.

“We were bringing that Mary’s Country Store piece back from when we were kids,” Lawrence said. “The kids would ride their bikes there. … That’s bringing back that neighborhood experience.”

The Lawrences own The Basin Grill in Schuylerville, and formerly ran Circa ‘21 at McGregor Links Country Club in Wilton. Donaldson had worked for the Lawrences at The Basin Grill, and had partnered with the pair to run Circa ‘21, Lawrence said.

Donaldson had the concept for Neighborhood Kitchen, described by Lawrence as “higher-end Italian-American takeout,” in the works for roughly a decade, and eventually found the former Mary’s Country Store location on Rowland St.

“We’ve done restaurants for 30 years, but this is a whole new concept,” said Lawrence.

The building had sat vacant for a number of years following the closure of Bongiorno’s Pizzeria. The Lawrences and Donaldson purchased the building in April 2022, and after renovating the space, officially opened in March of this year.

Lawrence gave credit to Town of Milton officials, saying they were “such great partners” throughout the process.

“The Town of Milton, from the supervisor to the building department, they were so supportive,” Lawrence said. “Now we’re open, it’s been very well-received. It’s just nice seeing Brian’s passion bleed right through.”

Four months in, Lawrence said the restaurant has already begun to receive regular customers, and emphasized the goal of providing a “neighborhood vibe.”

“We’ve got so many regulars,” said Lawrence. “We’ve got a ton of support from customers who visit. … That’s what we want, that whole neighborhood vibe.”

Lawrence said Neighborhood Kitchen is working to carry produce and products from local farmers, noting that eggs for their breakfast sandwiches are from Thomas Poultry Farm in Schuylerville.

In the future, Lawrence said the group would consider potentially opening additional locations in other Saratoga County communities. 

“We want it to have that neighborhood feel,” Lawrence said. “It’s been very well-received. … It’s so rewarding to see.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Brilliant Group, owned by Annie & Andrew Brill, has acquired The Saratoga Winery, the group announced in a press release. 

The Saratoga Winery is a winery, restaurant, event, and live music venue. It was formerly owned by Tara and Rich Nimmo.

“We are very excited to start this next chapter of our lives and of the business,” said Brilliant Group president Annie Brill in the release. “The Winery is an institution in Saratoga. We feel honored to be at the helm and to purchase a restaurant with such great notoriety and reputation.”

Ms. Brill is the general manager of The Saratoga Winery, and Mr. Brill is a sales manager at Mazzone Hospitality. They have a combined 35 years of industry experience, the release states.

“Saratoga has such a great restaurant scene with loyal customers who love to support great local businesses,” Brill said. “We already have a great thing going at The Winery. Andrew and I are not looking to reinvent the wheel here, but to elevate the food, drink, and overall customer experience. We are also excited to bring our extensive background in events to The Winery and offer even more public and private events to our customer base.”

This is the company’s first restaurant acquisition. The release states that The Brilliant Group’s mission statement is “to offer unique and exceptional hospitality experiences to a local audience.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Artificial intelligence has rapidly altered the technology landscape, and a group of local business leaders have begun to centralize the discussion in the Capital Region.

Sean Austin, CEO of Helios Life Enterprises, and Craig Hall, founder of Marketing Wiz, have established a group to “open up a dialogue” around AI, its effects, and its future, said Hall. The ‘AI Breakfast Club’ hosted its inaugural meeting at Saratoga CoWorks in downtown Saratoga Springs on June 23.

“We said, ‘What if we put together a conversation with some leaders and try to bring some of the best minds in the region together to really open up a dialogue?’” said Hall. “Because we’re well-positioned here in the Tech Valley region. We have a lot of great minds, we have a lot of great industry leaders. The truth is, we don’t know what the future looks like, but it’s on us to kind of shape what that future’s going to be.”

Hall said it is “humbling” to be a part of the group, saying he believes AI is the next major shift in technology.

“This is a platform shift on par with the Internet, with the industrial revolution,” said Hall. “Really, it’s going to shape the way we as human beings interact with each other, interact with the world, and ultimately interact in our professions.”

The group featured other local business leaders including Anne McEntee, CEO of Digital Services at General Electric, Kris Walker, senior engineering manager at the Walt Disney Company, Gabby Lichtenberg, director of membership at The Business Council of New York State, Candy Huff, founder and managing director of Celsius, and Tia Felock, founder of TiFe Executive Consulting, among others.

The group discussed a wide variety of topics, including AI’s effect on a variety of industries, government legislation regarding AI, and the future of artificial intelligence and its impacts.

“I thought the conversation was amazing,” said Hall. “We had a wide-ranging discussion that went from policy to small businesses, large businesses in various sectors, financial services, software design, renewable energy, and we, I think, agreed that we want to continue to shape this as a group and build this community.”

“I think it probably went even better than the highest optimism,” Austin added. “Very optimistic, that idea that we can make something more from this.”

Hall said AI can “empower and enhance people to do more, and to access a depth of knowledge they otherwise might not have.”

“Young people coming into the workforce … they’re going to have access to a depth of information and knowledge that otherwise was reserved to 15 to 20 years of experience,” Hall said.

“Technology is going to move forward,” said Austin. “The internet moved forward, social media moved forward. … No matter what, it’s going to happen.”

Austin said that AI “can impact everybody now,” and also emphasized the potential local impact, saying, “the Capital Region has a unique opportunity to take advantage of (AI).”

“I grew up in the region,” added Hall, who is a graduate of Siena College. “I’ve been a part of what has been this long-term trend over decades of this technological advancement in the region, and I think that being a part of this conversation today is kind of humbling, in some ways.”

“Saratoga is a very unique spot,” Austin said. “I guess like anything, you want to invent the future you want to live in. We say, why not Saratoga?”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In the summer of 2020, the Saratoga Hospital Nursing Organization offered licensed practical nurses (LPNs) of the Ambulatory Practice the opportunity to pursue an associate in applied science (AAS) in Nursing at Maria College.

This program was made possible through funding by the Saratoga Hospital Foundation Nursing Scholarship. In May, five LPNs graduated from the program and are prepared to take the board examination to become a Registered Professional Nurse (RN) of New York State.

The new graduates are Renee Summers, Heide Mahay, Rebecca Stanislowsky, Mikayla Carlson and Sara Morizio.

Registered nurses are academically prepared to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient and client outcomes. The support of the Saratoga Hospital Foundation and the Nursing Scholarship is instrumental in providing the members of the Nursing Organization with opportunities for ongoing professional development.