HOULTON — One of downtown Houlton’s iconic eateries is now under new ownership.
Rob Lawless and Kathryn Harnish officially took over operation of the Vault Restaurant last Wednesday from Ralph and Miriam Zuriak. The Zuriaks opened the restaurant 11 years ago.
“It has always been a dream of mine, having my own restaurant, going all the way back to my teens,” Lawless said. “Working for yourself is certainly a good thing. We have both worked in the corporate environment. It’s time for us to work for ourselves.”
The couple are also owners of Took a Leap Farm — a small goat farm and creamery well-known in northern Maine for its inventive and tasty gourmet cheeses and are also actively involved in the Houlton Community Market during the summer months.
“This is such a great historic building with character,” Harnish said. “I love looking in the window at night. It looks warm and cozy and just a place you would want to be.”
The Vault originally opened in 1927 as Farmer’s National Bank, but it lasted a short time due to the Great Depression. The original bank vault is still in the restaurant, as is a second vault in the basement and a third, smaller vault, on the second floor which serves as a 1-bedroom apartment.
The location has also served as a jewelry store, lawyer’s office and the Harvey Insurance Company over the years.
“We really are dedicated to the preservation of the downtown,” Lawless added. “It’s sad to see vacant storefronts. We really want to push the idea that yes, people can make a go of it in downtown Houlton.”
Lawless starting making soups for the County Co-Op and Farm Store, since he is on the board of directors for that group. The soups proved popular with customers, which led him to expand his culinary skills.
For the past month, Lawless and Harnish have operated a meal delivery service, Make Dinner for Me ( http://www.makedinnerfor.me/), preparing meals in his home and delivering them to customers. And while that business had a small, but dedicated clientele, the restaurant provides a much broader customer base. Lawless said he may still continue doing meals for Make Dinner for Me, but on a smaller scale.
The couple plan to continue operating their Nigerian dwarf goat farm.
“We know that changes in ownership can be a scary thing, especially when you’ve grown to love a place, but we want to reassure all of you that we’re not turning The Vault into a sushi restaurant or a Mexican cantina,” Harnish said. “Far from it. We’ll be serving all of the favorites that have made the restaurant a success, along with some new specials that we hope you’ll try and enjoy!”
Lawless will be doing much of the cooking along with sous chef Mark Williams. The existing staff of Zac Olson, Kayla Olson, Jessica Olson, Kim Buzzeo, Beth Millett and Darielle McKee have all been retained.
Lawless added Ralph Zuriak passed along all of the secret restaurant recipes as part of the sale.
Harnish did say they would be adding a few newer items to the menu and are almost certain to feature some of their gourmet goat cheese products. They would also like to introduce more locally-grown products from Aroostook County and others from around Maine.
“This is a successful restaurant with a lot of faithful customers,” Lawless added. “So our motto is ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’”
The Vault is open Wednesday-Saturday from 5-10 p.m. Reservations are suggested, but not required. For more information, call 532-2222 or visit their Facebook page.
