Buyer comes forward to keep Blue Plate Kitchen open in West Hartford

West Hartford’s Blue Plate Kitchen, originally slated to close at the end of August, will survive under new ownership. Miguel Proano and Carlina Fontaine have purchased the restaurant in the town’s Bishops Corner retail area, with plans to continue its “modern comfort fare” tradition with expanded options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Blue Plate Kitchen’s founder Jay DuMond and his wife Lisa Cole initially said in early August that they would close the North Main Street eatery because of the effects of COVID-19 and related restrictions on dining. When Proano heard the restaurant was for sale, he contacted DuMond, who also owns City Steam in Hartford.

The sale "happened very quickly,” he said, and they transitioned to new ownership swiftly.

This is the second time in two years that Proano has taken over as the owner of an established Hartford County restaurant. In January 2019, he and his wife, Nancy, reopened Pastrami on Wry in Manchester, buying the business from its founder Corey Wry and leaving most of its menu, recipes and decor intact. They added a few new menu offerings and touches, which Proano plans to do at Blue Plate.