Restaurants and Institutions

Stu Stein

Pre-Opening Salvo: The PR Release
April 24, 2007

Chef Stu Stein previously has posted about the importance of branding, marketing and advertising in building a successful concept. Key to this prelaunch strategy is the attention-getting PR release, designed to pique the interest of journalists and other press-generating parties, who then--it is hoped--follow up with customer-getting media in newspapers and magazines, on TV, radio and the Web.

With a few minor style changes, the Terroir PR Release follows:

New Restaurant Approaches Sustainability Holistically

Opening in May, Stu Stein’s Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar Will Take Sustainability-Focused Approach to Every Aspect of Business Operations.

With nearly seventy area restaurants committed to local and seasonal food purchasing, Portland, Ore., is already famous for its wealth of sustainability-focused restaurants. Chef-owner Stu Stein’s new endeavor will take the sustainable restaurant business model to the next level by also addressing the fact that, like many human activities, the daily operations of a restaurant have a CO2 footprint.

“It just didn’t make sense to focus so intensely on tracking down local and sustainable foods and not take the same mindful approach to the other materials we use,” says Stein.

At Terroir, Stein will act as both executive chef and co-owner with his wife, Mary Hinds. Their quality-oriented small-plate cuisine and the wine and beverage lists will honor the Pacific Northwest by highlighting fresh, sustainable, seasonal ingredients from local purveyors.

As well as local and sustainable food sourcing, Terroir will reside in a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified Building, decorated with eco-friendly interior paint and furnished with bamboo furniture and tabletops by Portland-based Tomita Design Build. Terroir will use green energy, soy-based ink for print materials and menus, chlorine-free paper products, non-toxic cleaning and chemical products and recycled, tree-free, biodegradable and organic products. The restaurant will also employ water efficiency, pollution prevention and conservation techniques, as well as recycling and composting programs.

Kelly J. Edwards of Scott Edwards Architecture began working on the restaurant in late January, and remains dedicated to green building practices both for the interior and exterior of the building. Supplies and interiors for Terroir were purchased locally whenever possible.

Terroir is located on the northeast corner of N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fremont Avenue. This key corner position is 2,500-square-feet and will seat 60 inside. Features such as floor-to-ceiling windows, open-air glass doors and sidewalk café seating for 20 outside along Fremont add to its appeal.

The site offers ample on-site off-street parking and overflow off-street parking one block north of MLK. The restaurant is also located within one mile of three MAX Light Rail stops.

“Establishing a thoroughly sustainable restaurant isn’t any more expensive, it just takes more time and care,” said Stein.

Literally translated, the term terroir (ter-whahr) means “soil,” or the effect land has on flavor. Chef, author and sustainable food expert Stu Stein will open Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar in Northeast Portland in May 2007. Its neighborhood atmosphere, approachable small plates and tremendous wine list will offer “a taste of place”: fresh, sustainable, seasonal ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. Located at 3500 N.E. MLK Jr. Boulevard, hours will be Tuesday – Sunday 4-11 p.m. (503) 288-3715 www.terroirportland.com

# # #

Media Contact: Lori Randall

Randall PR / (206) 624-5757

Source: Stu Stein, Chef & Co-Owner

Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar / (503) 288-3715