Vegan burger bar planned for downtown Rochester
The owners of Hot Chip are cooking up plans for a second location.
Their intention is to convert the former Cellar lounge, 20 Fourth Street Southeast, into a Hot Chip Vegan Burger Bar. The space is located on the basement level of the building, below Porch restaurant.
According to Executive Chef Justin Schoville, the menu for the downtown Hot Chip will consist of seven to eight vegan burgers, as well as two beef burger options, and some vegan salads and appetizers.
“With the current rising interest in plant-based proteins, both at Hot Chip as well as in general, we feel like moving forward with that concept will be beneficial for our company and the community,” said Schoville.
While Porch has been wildly popular since opening in 2017, the Cellar concept struggled to catch on in the crowded downtown bar scene.
The new vegan burger bar should be open by December.
Chinese firm commits to Discovery Square
Following months of speculation, WuXi Diagnostics announced Thursday that it will house its first U.S.-based research diagnostic testing development facility in the One Discovery Square building.
WuXi Diagnostics is a joint venture formed in 2018 between Mayo Clinic and the Chinese firm WuXi AppTec Group. The goal of the collaboration is to “accelerate esoteric diagnostic product development, and bring more personalized and accurate clinical diagnosis services for global patients.”
"Our new facility will directly contribute to our further cooperation with Mayo Clinic," said Dr. Jason Liu, CEO of WuXi Diagnostics, according to a news release from the company. "It will leverage WuXi Diagnostics' research and development capability and Mayo Clinic's advanced clinical practice to accelerate esoteric diagnostic product development and to transform discoveries into diagnostic tests that will benefit all."
The new Rochester facility is expected to open before the end of the year.
Thursday’s announcement came as local officials and community members gathered for the grand opening of One Discovery Square.
VIsit us at the Castle
Finally, in a bit of news involving our own business: We recently took on space at Castle Community, located at 121 North Broadway Avenue.
Our studio is on the second floor, across the central common area from Queen City Coffee & Juice and Collective Books.
What excites me most about the space is that it allows for greater interaction between our reporting team and you, the reader. The glass windows also allow for you to peek in at our news-gathering process.
So, if you are ever in the building — feel free to stop in, introduce yourself, and let us know what you think of the coverage you find on Med City Beat.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
