Allan Appel Photo
“August” is the name of a new oyster and panini shop slated to open at 3 Edwards St., just in from State.
It’s also the name of Andrew Hotis and his wife Michele’s first child.
Wednesday morning Hotis was busy doing the build-out on the shop with the help of his dad; that evening the City Plan Commissioners granted a special exception relieving the new restauranteurs from having to provide any parking where technically four spots are required.
The vote was unanimous. City Plan zoning expert Tom Talbot advised the commissioner that the shop is so petite — room for only a 12- to 14-seat counter area and no or few tables — that it would have little impact on traffic in the area.
Hotis and his wife have both been working in the food industry for close to two decades. They currently manage what Hotis described as the front-of-house operations at the New Haven Lawn Club.
Like their human child, “August” is the couple’s first creation — first business creation.
Why oysters and panini?
“We like to go to places and have small but tasty plates,” Hotis replied.
He said the new establishment will also have a number of other items like salads, olive selections, and deviled eggs.
The next step is to secure a tavern license. That will permit them to serve beer and wine. The hours of operation will 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Sunday.
If everything falls into place, Hotis said he expects “August” to open in February. If you believe food myths, that’s a good month for safely consuming molluscan shellfish.
Hotis might want to check the weather history for February, especially the first week or so of the month. This year saw 34"+ of snow in the 24 hours from early AM Friday Feb.8 to early AM Saturday Feb. 9. And it took the better part of the next week to dig out. And the infamous blizzard of '78 was Feb. 5 or 6. So it might pay to be a little flexible about opening in February, maybe LATE February? Just a thought.