ROME — Two business located in the city’s Downtown Arts District — The Balanced Chef and Franca’s Wine Room — will celebrate their grand openings together this Friday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m.

Owners, partners, and staff of The Balanced Chef and Franca’s Wine Room, will be presented with Rome Area Chamber of Commerce First Dollar of Profit awards by John Calabrese, chairman of the chamber, during a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Balanced Chef is located at 242 W. Dominick St., and Franca’s is located at 260 W. Dominick St.

The Balanced Chef

The Balanced Chef opened in 2015 with a vision of making fast food healthy with portion controlled ready-to-eat meals. They started as an e-commerce company delivering pre-portioned meals right to customers’ homes or chosen pickup locations. On March 3, 2021, they opened their first storefront in Rome. Since inception of the business, they have helped countless customers eat better, feel better, and reach/maintain their nutritional goals.

Last week, Chef Robert Irvine visited with his “Restaurant Impossible” crew, where they transformed the successful takeout business into their own brick-and-mortar restaurant. Check out the new space and new menu in person; call 315-356-7129 or visit https://balancedchef.com. Hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We plan on growing each year and helping as many people as we can. We provide a simple way to eat well,” saId owner Brian Donovan.

Franca’s Wine Room

In the fall of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, three friends got together to discuss what to do with the space known as 260 W. Dominick St. which sat vacant for at least the previous 15 years.

The three friends, Glenn Erikson, owner of the building, Paul Dowd, general contractor and property manager, and Brian Snow, commercial real estate broker with Pavia Real Estate Services, came together to discuss a variety of uses for the property and how to promote the up-and-coming Arts District in Downtown Rome. It was decided that a perfect fit for Rome would be a wine bar. From that point, Franca’s Wine Room was put into motion.

The first order of business was to create a name that would be recognizable and would stand out. Franca was the mother of partner Paul Dowd, who had passed away earlier in 2020 at the age of 97, and the partners thought it to be a wonderful tribute to her to name the wine bar after her. Franca’s Wine Room opened on March 9, 2022, after several months of dealing with pandemic-related closings and health warnings.

Franca’s Wine Room features affordable wines by the glass or bottle, a cellar selection of high-grade wines sold only by the bottle, craft beers from local and regional craft breweries. Food selections range from the simplest meat and cheese boards to pub-style smash burgers, brisket, pulled pork, (all smoked in house) unique flat bread selections, a variety of American-style comfort food, and custom charcuterie boards. 

Another feature of Franca’s Wine Room, is the live music venue, featuring some of the most talented jazz performers in the Central New York Region on a weekly basis, with live performances every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Not a typical bar by design, Franca’s Wine Room offers a non-traditional setting with its “industrial chic” design, outdoor seating, convenient limited hours. Hours are Wednesday and Thursday: 3-9 p.m.; Friday, 3-10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.

Exclusive wine tastings are conducted every Thursday evening, featuring wines on Franca’s wine list and others that are working their way on to the list, paired with appetizers, researched and made specifically to go with each wine. 

Franca’s Wine Room is available for private events ranging from parties to corporate retreats, and seminars, using a state-of-the-art AV system that allows users the ability to broadcast presentations throughout the rooms. Call 315-356-9463 or visit www.francaswines.com.