News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Formerly The Fresh Palate, a restaurant space sits empty in the Center Building in downtown Alpena on Monday. A new, upscale restaurant called Samantha’s on 2nd will be moving into the location.

ALPENA — After sitting unused for a year, a new upscale restaurant is moving into the Center Building where The Fresh Palate was for 15 years.

The new restaurant is called Samantha’s on 2nd and it is co-owned by chef Samantha Steele and Shelly Adamski and Ron Adamski.

Steele said she hopes to have her new restaurant open in early April.

In a press release announcing the new business, Steele said the restaurant’s menu will offer a wide variety of options and the food will be made of the highest quality ingredients. She said cooking is more than just a hobby for her and she is excited to share her talents and recipes with the people in Alpena.

“Cooking and making food for people has always been my passion,” Steele said. “We are committed to creating everything from scratch, using high-quality ingredients, and serving food that brings people together.”

Steele brings a wealth of expertise and experience to her new venture, having trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Duchess County, New York, and managed renowned restaurants such as the Apache Trout Grill in Traverse City and VI Grill in Suttons Bay.

A glance at the menu shows there are appetizers, like sea scallops, mussels, crab stuffed mushroom, and humus, while there is a wide variety of fresh fish in the seafood section.

There are many different sides a customer can purchase a la carte.

Vegetarian options as well as salads are also going to be offered.

Desserts, like creme brulee, cheesecake, and chocolate raspberry layer cake, will surely be popular for people who like to follow up their meal with a sweet.

The outdoor dining option that helped make the Fresh Palate popular will also return for Samantha’s on 2nd.

Center Building owner Karen Bennett said the new restaurant is a welcome addition to downtown and it will continue to bolster the food and beverage sector in it.

“We are excited to welcome Samantha’s on 2nd to the Center Building,” she said. “This fantastic new addition brings an excellent option for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch, further enhancing the vibrant and growing food and beverage scene in Downtown Alpena.”

Although the former Fresh Palate has been unused, there has been interest in it. Last fall, Mammoth Distilling announced it intended to open a tasting room for its liquors, but, for unknown reasons, the development plan was canceled.

Alpena Downtown Development Director Anne Gentry said she is excited about Samantha’s on 2nd and what it means for the downtown. She said The Fresh Palate was an anchor business and people who live in Alpena or visited from out of town made frequent stops at it. She said when the new restaurant opens, other nearby businesses should benefit from it like they did from Fresh Palate.

“We are excited about having another restaurant opening in that space because that is definitely the heart of downtown,” Gentry said. “I don’t think there is a single business that hasn’t felt the effect of it being empty for a year. People tend to go there for dinner or lunch and then maybe grab an ice cream or a drink and maybe shop a little.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.