Nana's reopens in Durham with new celeb chef owner
Historic Nana's restaurant will reopen its doors on Tuesday, owners announced last week.
The space underwent a complete renovation and is now being led by MK Hospitality and chefs Matt Kelly and Nate Garyantes.
"Restaurants in communities are important at all different levels," Kelly said on Tuesday.
After a five-year run that saw three re-openings, Kelly closed the doors on Saint James Seafood in Durham in October 2022.
The same month, Kelly announced he had bought Nana's from longtime chef and owner Scott Howell.
"I saw a lot of restaurants closing over a period of time, (and) they weren't just necessarily pandemic related," Kelly said at the time, noting the closures of Magnolia Grill and Four Square. "With Nana's, I was just saw it as an opportunity to, kind of keep a, a Durham foodway still open. It's a restaurant that's important to a lot of people and has a lot of history in the community."
When Kelly began plans to purchase Nana's, he had no idea that Saint James would end up closing its doors.
"The expectations of Saint James closing or the lease getting terminated when it did was not really in the plan," Kelly said.
Kelly also owns and operates Vin Rouge, Mateo Bar de Tapas and Mothers & Sons. He said part of the appeal of Nana's was being able to establish relationships in the neighborhood.
"Something I really enjoy is like building those relationships daily, and I just saw this powerful corner," Kelly said. "It was also the ability to control, to be your own landlord and have long term control."
Howell, an eight-time James Beard Foundation award semifinalist, opened Nana's in 1992 at 2514 University Drive. Howell closed the restaurant in 2020 due to the pandemic.
So what will the future of Nana's look like?
First, don't expect it to flood every time it rains. About four years ago, the City of Durham addressed the issue which plagued the space for 20 years.
Most of the changes are in the interior design by Sundholm Studio. Guests will notice inspiration from vintage Ralph Lauren and the North Carolina woods.
