Town Square Tavern is the new name of Keene restaurant LUCA, formerly Luca’s Mediterranean Café. It opens Jan. 31. (Courtesy)
A renowned restaurateur known for his appearances on TV culinary and news programs is expanding his palate to the Granite State, acting as a consulting partner in the rebranding of a popular Monadnock Region dining spot.
Chef David Burke, who has appeared in the reality cooking series “Iron Chef America” — where he competed with fellow famed chef Bobby Flay — and “Top Chef Masters,” is consulting on the relaunch of Keene eatery LUCA. The restaurant’s name is changing to Town Square Tavern, and the decorated chef’s influence will show as items on the menu shift toward his style of food, according to Chris Bonnivier, who has taken over ownership of the business as executive operations manager.
“His food is whimsical, it’s playful, it’s really identifiable,” Bonnivier said of Burke’s cuisine. “He’s done bacon on a clothesline, clams casino with a pork chop and a knife sticking out of them, and little dumplings made with little lobster legs hanging out. We will not be fine dining, but we will be approachable (with) fun food.”
Burke operates over 20 restaurants domestically in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina and internationally in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as listed on his company’s website, David Burke Hospitality Management. In addition to New Hampshire, his company plans to expand its presence to the West Palm Beach area of Florida with a new restaurant opening in the spring.
Bonnivier, meanwhile, has appeared on Food Network, worked at multiple Michelin-star restaurants, and has over 40 years of culinary experience. A native of the Berkshires, he worked in Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Saudi Arabia before returning to his western Massachusetts roots, where he now lives an hour from Keene.
Bonnivier met Burke while working as the corporate chef for two-star Michelin celebrity chef Terrance Brennan. Through their mutual connection, Bonnivier became friends with Burke and transitioned to taking on full-time, project-based work for him.
“David is a patriarch and a leader in the hospitality and food service community,” Bonnivier said.
They became aware of LUCA when one of its owners who was acquainted with Burke proposed that he become involved with rebranding the restaurant, which he accepted.
“The team that’s going to come on board is looking strong, and we’re going to have some dedicated players both front and back of house,” Bonnivier said of the plans for Town Square Tavern. “We want to be a great partner in the community with other restaurants.”
Additionally, Bonnivier said he, Burke and the restaurant’s board of investors seek to keep a similar price point to current menu costs under the LUCA name to ensure the sustainability of the business, introduce weekend brunches and are considering how to implement late-night events and live music. Town Square Tavern’s grand opening is scheduled for Jan. 31, he said.
LUCA, formerly Luca’s Mediterranean Café, was first launched in 2000 by area chef Luca Paris and expanded its size in fall 2023, according to various reports by The Keene Sentinel. Paris was named president and CEO of what is now the Greater Monadnock Collaborative Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2021 and is no longer involved with LUCA, The Keene Sentinel also reported. He was named one of NH Business Review’s 2024 New Hampshire 200.
In a recent news release Paris shared with NH Business Review, he announced he left his leadership of the Greater Monadnock Collaborative this month to become general manager of The Restaurant at Burdick’s and Walpole Grocery in Walpole, NH.
