The three owners of Nous once worked together at Amuse; opening is set for April
By Jim Flint for Ashland.news
Three restaurant employees who first crossed paths at Amuse in Ashland have teamed up to launch a new Ashland eatery at 358 Main St., the former home of Pie + Vine, which recently closed.
Julie VandenBerg, Molly Shaughnessy and Charlie Hutchinson plan to open Nous (pronounced “noo”) in early April, featuring the cuisine of the Alsace region of France.
The menu will blend French and Germanic culinary traditions, showcasing pork in a variety of preparations. The region’s rich heritage is also reflected in its renowned wines and beers.
“We intend to transform the space into a cozy but elevated French countryside-inspired spot,” VandenBerg said. “We want to bring in lots of life and make the space verdant.”
She says she has always liked the German term “gemütlichkeit,” which has no direct English translation but roughly means the state or feeling of warmth, friendliness and good cheer.
“We want to bring as much of that as possible to our space,” she said.
50 years of experience
Equal partners in the business, the owners have a combined 50 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Hutchinson will be the new restaurant’s chef, VandenBerg the hospitality specialist, and Shaughnessy the beverage director.
Nous is the French first-person plural pronoun meaning “us” or “we,” which the partners say is the perfect summary of the company’s ethos.
Shaughnessy summed it up this way:
“Nous will not be a stand-alone restaurant. We want to be an integral part of the community, the sum of its parts,” she said.
Aspects of that modus operandi, she said, will include respect for staff, and interacting with the community with care and gratitude.
“We also hope to have regular workshops,” VandenBerg added. “While guest speakers lead discussions on various topics of interest, we’ll offer pairings with food and wine.”
All three of the owners have worked at French restaurants. They love the French cuisine, but wanted to do something a little bit different, while still having ties to France.
Discovering a ‘culinary mecca’
Shaughnessy traveled to Alsace in 2021 and characterized it as a “culinary mecca.”
“The area also has a striking geographical similarity to our own Rogue Valley,” she said. “Alsace is nestled at the base of the Vosges mountains, with a climate very similar to our own.”
As the three partners explored whether Alsatian cuisine was the right fit for both them and Ashland, they discovered the region’s deep-rooted viticultural traditions and close-knit communities — an atmosphere that immediately resonated with them.
Ashland has seen its share of restaurant closures in recent years, but the partners are optimistic about the prospects of Nous.
“There is never a perfect time to do anything,” VandenBerg said,“ but events aligned between the three of us just when the right space became available.”
In early December the trio put in an offer to the owners of Pie + Vine, and the deal closed Dec. 31. Pie + Vine owners Lisa and Tom Beam, who operate several other restaurants in Ashland, had been thinking about downsizing their holdings.
Progress toward the April opening has been going well, despite the challenge of all three partners working full time at other establishments. VandenBerg has been running front of house at Cowhorn Kitchen & Wine in Jacksonville, and worked stints at Amuse and Gogi’s before that. Shaughnessy has been managing the team at Larks since 2019. And Hutchinson has been the vineyard chef at Irvine & Roberts for more than two years.
Admired the Amuse model
When all three were at Amuse, they discovered they enjoyed working together. They also took note of the Amuse model.
“Amuse has a good thing going in many ways,” VandenBerg said. “We learned that a chef-owned and -operated business leads to consistency — in quality of food, service and ambience.”
Nous will incorporate locally sourced meats and produce into a small and manageable menu, while prioritizing elevated service standards and efficiency.
“We knew that we work well together,” Shaughnessy said. “It’s always nerve-racking, going into something so emotional as opening a business, but we know we make a great team.”
Chef Hutchinson is developing some signature dishes for Nous, including tarte flambée, a flatbread that will feature prominently on the lunch menu.
“It has a cracker-thin crust with crème fraiche, wilted onion and speck,” he said. Speck is a type of Italian cured ham that’s cold-smoked and flavored with herbs and spices, a close relative of prosciutto.
“Dinner will have an array,” he said: “Choucroute garnis; sauerkraut with house-cured products such as rillons, shanks, hocks, hams; and a variety of sausages, spaetzle and various schnitzels.”
Also featured will be Alsatian staples like trout, and French classics like oignon gratinée, steak frites, cassoulet and fresh pretzels from the Nous hearth.
If reading this has your taste buds doing the tarte flambée tango, hold tight — you’ll have to wait until next month to get your first bite.
Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].
