Mill Valley Kitchen to open in Pescara's former downtown Rochester spot in 2024

Jeff Kiger, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Oct. 24—ROCHESTER — A new restaurant— Mill Valley Kitchen — will move into Pescara's former downtown Rochester spot in the hotel-turned-student housing.

Titan Development, the local firm that owns the

University of Minnesota Rochester Student Life Center

formerly the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at 150 South Broadway Ave., announced Mill Valley's plans this week.

Northern Hospitality & Co., which also operates the

Benedict's restaurant

in Titan's nearby

Hilton hotel,

plans to open Mill Valley Kitchen in the summer of 2024 in the former Pescara street level space.

Pescara closed in April,

after 14 years as a popular spot in downtown Rochester.

Mill Valley Kitchen, which will lease the space from Titan, will offer both sit down dining plus grab-and-go choices. The public will access the restaurant in the mostly university-occupied building via the main Broadway entrance and through the skyway access during the restaurant's hours of operation.

Construction is expected to begin this winter.

This will be Northern Hospitality's second Mill Valley Kitchen. The original restaurant is based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

"I am excited to be expanding our footprint in Rochester and contributing to the rapidly growing landscape of downtown in conjunction with Titan Development," stated Northern Hospitality owner and executive chef Michael Rakun in the announcement. "We feel that our concept of focusing on wellness and nutrition is ideal for a community like Rochester with a strong emphasis on health."

The "health-focused" restaurant is described as a tribute to the Mill Valley region of Northern California. Its menu features signature dishes like miso glazed seabass with gingered quinoa, flatbreads, hummus plates and other seasonal entrees.

"The restaurant will provide another great dining option for students, professionals and visitors of downtown," stated Titan CEO

Andy Chafoulias

in the announcement. "As we continue our efforts to revitalize downtown, we are thrilled to see Mill Valley Kitchen participate in those movements."

The addition of Mill Valley is the latest change to the building that operated as a hotel for decades in the heart of Rochester.

As part of a deal with the University of Minnesota,

Chafoulias' company made an estimated $7.63 million in renovations to convert it into "a student housing and dining facility with ancillary recreational space." It reopened as the Student Life Center this fall.

The university is leasing nine floors — floors 3 to 11 — to use the 200 former hotel rooms to provide up to 400 student beds.

The university's lease is for $3.06 million annually for 12 years with the gross rent increasing 1.75% a year. The deal includes the university paying a pro-rata share of real estate taxes and utilities, which was estimated at $1.01 million for the first year.

Under the agreement, Titan provides "a full-service dining program for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week during the academic year" for the students.