(Editor's Note: Garden City Life is scheduled to interview the owners about their new enterprise on Tuesday, Sept. 14, which is after the production schedule of this issue. The full interview will appear next week, but in the interest of keeping our readers informed, we compiled the information presented below.)

Garden City Life spoke with M Kazemi of Kazemi M & Co., Inc., currently occupying 860 Franklin Avenue to clarify reports discussed at the Sept. 9 Village Board of Trustees' meeting that a new oyster bar and cigar lounge is proposed for his address. Kazemi explained that he had been negotiating for a new lease with the landlords (Albanese Development Corporation) without success when he was informed that he would have to vacate the premises as a new lease had been signed with the owners of Waterzooi at 850 Franklin Avenue. Kazemi said that while he would have liked to stay at the Franklin Avenue location or found another location on Franklin Avenue before moving, the company has a large wholesale operation at 415 Second Avenue in New Hyde Park and will be moving their inventory there in the meantime.

The new oyster bar and cigar lounge will be owned and operated by Garden City residents Chris Werle, Ed Davis, and Jeff Piciullo. Last winter it was announced that Franklin Avenue would be graced by the new bistro, Waterzooi, a unique tribute to Belgian cuisine and ales. Located at 850 Franklin Avenue, in the heart of Garden City's Main Street, this establishment has brought renewed attention to the Franklin Avenue dining scene, with reviews appearing in The New York Times and Newsday, as well as publications dedicated to ales and pubs.

Davis, Werle, and Piciullo, when interviewed by Garden City Life for the grand opening of Waterzooi had explained then that they chose to open a Garden City bistro because they believe in Garden City and feel confident that Franklin Avenue is an ideal location for such a venture. Piciullo also explained that one of the reasons they chose the site was the plentiful parking in the lot behind the restaurant. In fact, the trio have stated at planning and design board meetings that they do not feel that parking will be an issue for either restaurant, even when Kings Super Markets opens at 888 Franklin Avenue.

Davis, son of Robert and Sue Davis of Garden City, grew up in the Village, attending the Garden City public schools. He credits his Garden City High School instructor Kathy Maher for his current success as a chef. He says that "everything has come full circle now -- I grew up here and came back here" and now he is the Chef de Cuisine at Waterzooi. He added, "We wanted to put back into the community." Davis attended Johnson and Wales and the University of Providence and formerly was employed as a chef at the Garden City Hotel and the Newport Grill.

Jeff Piciullo noted that he and Chris Werle "have been friends since the fifth grade. We opened our first pub together in 1990 -- that was our first venture together. We wanted to add food to the pub, but our landlord wouldn't let us build the kitchen in the first place, so we established Croxley Ales. There are two locations, one in Rockville Centre and the other in Franklin Square. Our pubs were just in time for the micro-brewery surge. We match good beer with good food." He added that all of their ventures have stemmed from a "mutual love of beer."

The use of the site as a restaurant is an as of right use (permitted within the zoning codes of the area in the Village). Some residents, speaking on the subject of making information known at the Village Board meeting noted that this was the first they'd heard of the proposal and that whether as of right or not they would appreciate more notice of changes in the Village. Buildings Superintendent Mike Filippon explained that often applications before the Village for site plan approval are handed in right at the deadline and not made known to even Filippon himself until right before Planning Commission meetings. Agendas can't then be distributed to the papers and the POAs with a greater lead time unless the deadline for applications is changed and late applications are held over to the next month, which he fears will create bad feelings with businesses.