Owner In Residence: Vellum Revives Main St. Tradition

Peter Roumanis pushes back against attempts to label his forthcoming downtown restaurant with a single descriptor. Vellum, he says, both will and will not be casual, fancy, Italian, French, expensive, affordable, classy and accessible. 

 

Here's another one, not taken from Roumanis' own words: timeless. 

 

Whether or not the food itself is timeless, we'll leave to the food writers. But as a business, and as redevelopment project, no word better fits the bill. 

 

"We really want to identify with the site," says Roumanis. "We want the restaurant to be a natural outcome of the building."

 

That commitment begins with the restaurant's name. Though 209 South Main is more recently known as half of the Full Moon, the historic building was, long-ago, a printing press. As vellum is a term for high-quality parchment, the name gives a nod to the building's past. The very way in which Roumanis will operate the restaurant, as an owner-in-residence, gives an additional nod to a broader piece of entrepreneurial history. 

 

Living above the shop used to be the norm for small business owners in American downtowns. Though mixed-used redevelopment is all the rage nationwide, upper floors are typically being converted into rentals. The renovation of Vellum's third floor into a loft where Roumanis will live is rather unique. At least around here it is.

 

"For me it's natural," he says. "It's what is supposed to be done. My previous boss lived above his restaurant in New York City. In many ways, it's kind of my upbringing."

 

Living and breathing restaurants has been, in fact, an integral part of Roumanis' background for as long as he can remember. His father and partner in Vellum, John Roumanis, is the owner of the Carlyle Grill and Mediterranno.

 

"He's been in the business for 30 or 40 years now," says the second-generation restaurateur, "I always knew I was going to do it as well. I started off when I was twelve."

 

Habit isn't the only draw for Roumanis to live so close to his work. His mentors who lived above their own restaurants, beginning in Paris when he was just 16, demonstrated that there was real value to the practice.

 

"I think the guests are craving human interaction with the proprietor," Roumanis says. "They are in my home. Having that extra bit of authenticity is crucial." 

 

And while those people are enjoying his personal brand of hospitality, they're also getting the chance to interact with the building's history. 

 

"We've been able to repurpose the original wood - 100-plus-year-old wood - from the building in several ways," Roumanis says, "in service pieces and tables and other things as well. That's really important to me."

 

That both his building and decision to live above his work seem to defy time is appropriate, as Roumanis himself skirts the issue of chronology. When asked how old he is, the Ann Arbor-raised entrepreneur will only answer, "young." That's certainly true. If his LinkedIn profile can be trusted, he graduated from Cornell in 2010, but he's somehow managed to accrue such experiences as working in Paris, at New York City fancy-pants restaurant Daniel, as well as serving as the youngest manager of a four-star restaurant in New York City at Mario Batali's Del Posto. 

 

"By chance, I started in May, and in October we got the [four-star review]," Roumanis says. "I got very lucky. I got there at the right time."

 

In fact, timing has quite a bit to do with his ability to make such progress in the restaurant business at his age. 

 

"I've been very lucky to know what I've wanted to do for so long. I've had a jump start on my career," says Roumanis. "I've been able to hone my craft for just as much time as people who are 10, 15 years older than me."

 

If Roumanis' descriptions of Vellum's offerings -the restaurant opens sometime in the next month, prove to be accurate - his diners will be feeling pretty lucky too. Promising to be neither the least nor most expensive restaurant downtown, he aims to create a place Ann Arborites can afford to visit on a regular basis, to enjoy foods made with such familiar ingredients as Michigan's own sour cherries, and primo coffee drinks made with what Roumanis calls the "Ferrari of espresso machines."

 

"I do think there is a way to make extremely precise, composed food with very clear flavors and thoughtful presentation, but also do that in way that doesn't feel like a stuffy experience," says Roumanis. "We want you to have fun when you come to our place, but we want you to have food that is beautiful."

 

There's no doubt that Roumanis' vision for the food, service and ambiance of Vellum has been carefully crafted. The specific business plan itself, however, was not what called him back to Ann Arbor. 

 

"It was this building," he says. "This was a like a institution in a many ways for many people. The Full Moon was a big deal. Being able to take over a historic space, and to really make an incredible restaurant out of it was inspiring. It's a beautiful building. I'm so happy with it."