In case you haven’t noticed, Easton Town Center has been going through a bit of a makeover in 2012. A full slate of new stores and restaurants were announced earlier this year, which includes the new Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant opening this Fall. This Illinois-based chain is noteworthy for wine enthusiasts as this will not just be their first Columbus location, but also their first location for the entire state of Ohio.
We spoke recently with Melanie Pierce, Manager of Marketing Communications at Cooper’s Hawk to find out more about the business.
Q: First, can you tell us a bit about the Cooper’s Hawk concept for those unfamiliar with it?
A: The Cooper’s Hawk concept includes four distinct components: an upscale casual dining restaurant, full-service bar, private barrel aging room, and a Napa-style tasting room/retail gift store. Guests can enjoy a wine tasting, experimenting with new varietals to expand their palate and learn more about what they enjoy, before heading into the restaurant for a meal. Each dish on the menu is listed with a bin number that correlates to the wine list, guiding guests to that dish’s ideal wine pairing. Cooper’s Hawk produces over 50 wine varietals, handcrafted from the finest grapes available. Trucks packed with hand-picked grapes from California, Washington, Oregon, and other grape-growing regions arrive straight from the vineyard to the winery door in Countryside, Illinois. From there, grapes are crushed, processed, and aged in oak barrels. To date, Cooper’s Hawk has earned over 200 wine awards from various local, national, and international wine competitions.
Q: What drew the company to open the first Ohio location in Columbus?
A: Columbus was a natural market for our expansion outside of Illinois as it is the major MSA in Ohio, state capital and major research university town with similar demographics to our existing locations. More importantly, we love the community. We can’t wait to be a part of it.
Q: What drew the company to open the store at Easton Town Center?
A: Easton Town Center is the dominant shopping center in Ohio with the largest overall sales volume of any shopping center in the Midwest outside of Chicago, ranking it among the 35 highest grossing shopping centers in the country. Receiving 21 million annual visitors, Easton is a great fit in terms of reach and brand recognition.
Q: What is the theme of the food menu at Cooper’s Hawk?
A: Cooper’s Hawk offers a contemporary-American menu, including a wide range of appetizers, salads and soups, specialty entrees including seafood, beef, pork, chicken and pasta dishes, along with angus beef burgers, entrée-sized chopped salads, sandwiches, and homemade desserts. Many of the dishes include a Cooper’s Hawk wine as a central ingredient for sauces and glazes. As mentioned above, each dish is listed with a bin number correlating to the wine that best complements that dish.
More information can be found online at www.coopershawkwinery.com.