Starting on January 5, School Bakery & Café will ring a bell at 3:30 p.m. every afternoon to signal the start of "Detention"— the time when cocktails with names like Hot For Teacher and Straight A's will begin being served—at Brad Moore's new Liberty Village restaurant. Moore, the chef behind Xacutti and Eleven, opened the space for weekend brunches and weekday lunches in early December and will extend the hours in the new year. “It’s the sixth place I’ve built and the second I’ve designed and by far the most fun,” Moore said of the space, which formerly housed the Warehouse Grill.
Although Moore admits 3:30 p.m. was his favourite part of the school day, he hopes the space will evoke positive memories. “We’re having fun with the whole education value of food and beverage,” he said. The black fabric covering the chairs and banquettes features facts about food theory, food pop culture, and nutrition. “My hope is you’d actually learn something from the furniture."
Other school-themed aspects of the decor include a silver frame with the instructions for making a paper airplane and single McIntosh apples that serve as centrepieces on each table. Encylcopedia sconces are mounted on the walls, school supplies fill cubbyholes, and a hopscotch pattern is painted on the floor outside the restrooms. Events hosted by the restaurant are referred to as Night School; corporate events are referred to as Private School; Sunday brunch is called Sunday School; and the staff—who wear school uniforms—are referred to as the faculty.
The venue, which has exposed brick walls, and grey tiled floors, is divided into two rooms, one of which can be cordoned off for meetings and private dinners. A DJ booth is tucked away underneath the counter, which becomes a bar during events, and School is equipped with audiovisual equipment for presentations. Menus can be customized for events. “I like to cater to the individual as opposed to saying, ‘There’s a Sears catalogue of menus,’” Moore said.
School seats 65 and can hold up to 150 for receptions. A front patio seats 30, and a side patio can accommodate 80. A heated tent can be set up on the patio to extend the space for events during the colder months, giving the space a total capacity of 250.
