After two years of operating Steviemack’s International Food Truck, chef and owner Steve Harrington is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Leland. BLUESTAR Kitchen Bar will be located at 117 Village Road NE, the former home of Charlie Macgrooders, which closed its doors in June.
 
Harrington and his family reside in Leland, and he said he is excited about bringing his unique brand of international comfort food to the area.
 
“Leland is ready for a restaurant that takes food seriously,” Harrington said. “I really feel there is great potential there to create a comfortable place for people to come in regularly and have what feels like special-occasion food for a reasonable price.”
 
BLUESTAR will serve lunch and dinner, with brunch on the weekends. There will be a full bar as well as a private event space that can accommodate up to 200 guests. Harrington describes the atmosphere as upscale-casual, and the food as high-quality, approachable cuisine, with a focus on fresh, local ingredients.
 
“I’m taking a similar approach to the truck by elevating some classic comfort foods and putting an international spin on them,” Harrington said. “Those who know my food from the truck know that everything is fresh. I strive to keep my price points as reasonable as possible, and no one has ever complained about paying a dollar or two more for healthy, fresh food with great flavor.”
 
Harrington will continue to operate his food truck, scaling back a bit to only his tried and true locations for the next couple of months as he prepares for the opening of BLUESTAR, which he hopes will take place by March. Once things are up and going there, the truck is expected to be back out for a full lineup of events this spring.
 
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