Photo Credit Lucy Pavalock

We’re so psyched to share this news!

 

In recognition of their many years of service and their importance to the future of our business, co-owners Nancy Thomas and Bo Peabody have announced Linda Stripp and Nicholas Moulton will become new co-owners of Mezze Restaurant Group.

 

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Nick and Linda as co-owners of Mezze Restaurant Group. Their contributions to date and their roles in our continued expansion are critical,” said Bo Peabody. “Linda’s leadership of our events business – our fastest-growing category – has been extraordinary while Nick’s recent rise as a celebrity chef – the Veggie King on Food Network – has been nothing short of meteoric. But, more than any of that was watching them operate in the last few months during one of the hardest times in our company and industry’s history. Their maturity and dedication during this pandemic proved to me that they already think like owners.”

 

Linda Stripp has been working for the organization for 20 years. She started with the team in 2000 and, as director of Mezze Catering + Events, she is charged with shaping the overall direction of catering operations. During her tenure, the number of Mezze-catered weddings has grown from a dozen annually to more than 40 full-service weddings alongside cultural receptions and galas, birthday and graduation celebrations, and intimate dinner parties each year. Linda is primarily focused on planning and managing special events including weddings, rehearsal dinners, cocktail parties, corporate functions and galas. Her lead role is in client relations, working hand in hand with catering clients at every stage of planning to deliver exceptional service.

 

Nicholas Moulton has been executive chef of Mezze Restaurant Group since 2014, leading the kitchen and designing and executing the seasonal menu with his team. An alumnus of Mezze Bistro where he worked for four years as sous chef, Nick is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and an accomplished chef dedicated to highlighting local foods from the Berkshire region. Two-time champion on Guy’s Grocery Games , Food Network’s supermarket-themed cooking competition, he has earned the celebrated title “Veggie King” and will be competing on Food Network once again this Wednesday, July 8.

 

“Restaurants are built by teams and Linda and Nick have made a long-term investment in our company. They're both builders of the brand and play an important role for the future,” said Nancy Thomas. “We are so excited to have Linda and Nick become official co-owners in the business.”

About Linda

During her tenure at  Mezze Restaurant Group,  Linda worked in a variety of different positions including opening chef and sous chef. Before joining Mezze, she worked under Brendan Walsh at The Elms Restaurant in Ridgefield, Conn. Prior to her stint at The Elms, Linda was an entrepreneur founding and operating The Natural Kitchen Catering Co. and The Natural Merchant Café in Southbury, CT. During that time, she developed the company’s overall business strategy, created menus, managed food costing and purchasing as well as hired, trained and supervised staff.

 

Aside from her cooking experience, Linda holds a BA in English and a Masters in Education from Fairfield University. She maintains residence in Williamstown, Mass., with her husband and three children.

Photo Credit FED Guides

About Nick

Producing simple food that is bright and full of life, Nick is dedicated to the nose-to-tail philosophy and is involved in the harvesting and butchering of ingredients for the restaurant’s menu. He places an emphasis on plant-based foods and wild ingredients that grow in the Berkshire region and believes in supporting sustainable agriculture. As a chef focused on regional cuisine, he holds a strong commitment to the farm-to-table movement while building awareness of Berkshire food culture and an understanding of the region’s terroir, a significant part of the growing mission of Mezze Restaurant Group.

 

Two-time prizewinner and returning competing chef on Guy’s Grocery Games , Food Network’s supermarket-themed cooking competition, Nick has been a guest chef at the James Beard Foundation since 2010 presenting the culinary artisanship of the region with a team of Berkshire chefs. In 2015, he presented Mezze Restaurant Group’s first solo dinner at the Beard House – The Berkshires’ First Taste of Spring.

 

Prior to his time at Mezze, Nick held the position of head chef at Public Eat + Drink in North Adams, sous chef at The Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and stages and apprenticeships at renowned restaurants Blantyre (Relais & Chateaux), Wheatleigh, L'Espalier and Craigie on Main. He lives in North Adams, Mass., with his wife, two sons and daughter.

Chef Nick Moulton will be grillin' up a storm

on Food Network this Wednesday night!

Tune in to Guy's Grocery Games on July 8th at 9 pm

for a backyard baller-themed tournament.

Food Network’s supermarket-themed cooking competition

Guy’s Grocery Games is set in the Flavortown grocery store

where talented chefs compete against each other

during several cooking challenge rounds.

Chef Nick is a two-time champion where he took home winning prizes totaling $36K in 2019.

He's back and we're cheering him on to bring home the win again!

Follow Chef Nick on Instagram @mezzenm.

Photo Credit FED Guides

Mezze Restaurant Group is committed to local food with an emphasis on the highest quality ingredients. Working with like-minded, small family farms using sustainable practices, the restaurant group strives to bring the freshest ingredients possible, directly from the farm to the table. In addition, restaurant bar menus feature small-batch microbrews, local spirits and seasonal, small-production wines.

 

Co-owned by Nancy Thomas, Bo Peabody, Linda Stripp and Nicholas Moulton, Mezze Restaurant Group is comprised of Mezze Bistro + Bar in Williamstown and Mezze Catering + Events, which provides full-service event planning. 

 

Collectively, Mezze Restaurant Group’s restaurants have won several awards including the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence and OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice.

For more information, visit mezzerestaurantgroup.com . Follow Mezze Bistro + Bar on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram and Mezze Catering on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To receive Mezze Restaurant Group’s weekly e-newsletter, visit mezzeinc.com and click on ‘email signup.’