Wednesday, 21 December 2011 16:59

Origin, the restaurant of executive chef and owner Claudio Aprile, was born out of his desire to “create a spontaneous, high energy restaurant that serves ingredients at the height of their season.” as quoted on his website.

Located at 107/109 King st. East, it seems that Origin has hit its own height: Chef Aprile has confirmed via twitter that “The rumors are true. Origin is coming to the west side. Details coming soon.” He is now looking to expand his original restaurant and open up in two new, different locations: one in Bayview Village and one in our very own Liberty Village.

Taking over the old ammunition factory at 171 Liberty St. East, Aprile has plans to create a 150-seat restaurant with a lounge, bar, open kitchen, raw bar, mozzarella bar and a large patio. Construction has plans to begin in January 2012. The restaurant has plans to be open in Liberty Village by spring 2012.

This exact same location was looked at by Aprile when he was looking to open his first location of Origin, three years ago. But the decision was made to open on King st. E. for a variety of reasons. Now, with the great success of his first location, Aprile has come back to Liberty Village to rediscover the potential of the old factory.

Liberty Village has also grown in those past 3 years, and Origin should feel right at home with the fresh, young vibe that is both the vibe of Liberty Village and encouraged in the restaurant atmosphere of Origin.

The new Origin’s menu and vibe is to be different than that of the original location. This is the aim for every new location. Instead of holding to one scene, Aprile wants to make an effort to adapt to the area that they are coming in to, and adopt the vibe of the area. Aprile doesn’t want to merely copy his restaurant and change the view he sees out the window. If the Origin of Liberty Village is to match the vibe of the current innovative restaurants we have right now as well as offer the balance that comes with the great reputation that Origin and Aprile already possess, we can look forward to a great new restaurant addition to the Liberty Village community.

Aprile also has plan to open Origin North in a new building on the site of the recently vacated Sierra Grill at the Bayview Village shopping centre. Aprile is adamant to keep the restaurant fresh and innovative by changing the menu to suit its new surrounding and demographic. He has a strong drive to connect with his customers and is always looking to create dishes that will resonate with the people living in the area. This area location should be open by Christmas 2012.

Holding on to the same core values that made Origin the success it is to this day while adding a new, innovative menu to each location, Liberty Village is excited for this new restaurant addition that sounds like it will fit right in.

Emily Karpazis