Sneak peek: New DV8 Kitchen has more seating, baking power and mail order
The East End of Lexington is on a sweet roll with the opening of the new DV8 Kitchen.
The bakery and restaurant will open to the public on Aug. 31, said Rob Perez, who owns the business with his wife, Diane. It’s the second location of the popular concept that focuses on providing second-chance employment to those recovery from substance abuse.
Rob Perez said the new location is a little different from the original DV8 Kitchen off Broadway.
“The physical building it’s old, it’s funky, and I think it’s the best of both old and new,” Perez said. “We love being part of the East End community.”
It joins a very “carby” neighborhood: Nearby are Martine’s Pastries, Frank’s Donuts, Spalding’s Bakery, La Petite Delicat and coming soon a Biscuit Belly, just down the street from Magee’s Baking Co. And in the next month or so, the second location of Manchester Coffee Co. is expected to open next door to DV8.
The new DV8 Kitchen will have much more seating than the original location: Inside there’s space for about 75, plus covered dining outdoors, including along the Town Branch Trail, which is under construction.
Perez said their cafe next to The MET development was essentially ready to open a year ago but delayed until road work on Midland Avenue and Third Street was finished enough to let customers enter with ease. Even though it still looks a bit of a mess, Perez said there is no issue entering.
Lewis Street, off of Third Street, is open, the new entrance on Midland will be open soon, and the parking lot is ready. A new playground at the Charles Young Park across the street opened last week.
DV8 Kitchen menu, breads
The daily menu will be very similar to the first location, focused on breakfast and lunch with salads, sandwiches, soups and of course the popular, famous cinnamon rolls.
But with the second location, DV8’s commercial bakery will expand its offerings to other restaurants.
“We have a 1,000-square-foot bakery for wholesale baked goods,” with lots of room for growth, Perez said of the new location. “We do brioche buns, Southern biscuits, sourdough, 12-grain wheat and we also specialize in laminated dough, which is croissants, and cinnamon rolls made out of the same laminated croissant dough.”
They began baking there last month. Already they have launched a mail order program.
“We tested it last December, sent bread and jam products to almost every state last year,” Perez said.
The expanded mail order program is designed to give more people jobs with a higher rate of pay, Perez said
DV8 helps those in recovery
Besides the great food, what makes DV8 Kitchen so special, Perez said, is “our staff.”
Many people on staff are in recovery from addition, he said, with about 70 percent coming directly from incarceration, and about 40 percent from generational poverty.
“We are fortunate to work with these folks to figure out how to deliver a second-chance employment opportunity to them. And they seem to do well,” Perez said. “I really think that one meal at a time, we do just as good as any restaurant in town, and we’ve been nationally recognized many times ... I’m really proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
DV8 Kitchen East End
Where: 594 E. Third St. #100
Hours: Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Online: dv8kitchen.com
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
