On Saturday, June 29, La Voute Bar + Bistro will end its nine-year run as the restaurant in La Banque Hotel at 2034 Ridge Road in downtown Homewood.
On the restaurant’s Facebook page, owner Claude Gendreau announced Wednesday, June 26, that Saturday, June 29, would be the last day for the restaurant that opened in La Banque Hotel in 2015.
At the Tuesday, June 25, village board meeting, Paul Spass, gave trustees an introduction to his plans for a new restaurant in the space, 69 Prime.
As the owner and founder, I have immensely enjoyed being a part of La Voûte, bringing to Homewood and surrounding communities a new culinary experience, and being a part of the vibrant Homewood business community.
Your support has been heartwarming and created some of my best memories. Unfortunately, many good experiences, no matter how good, often come to an end.
Gendreau, who also owns Ravisloe Golf Club, cited several reasons for his decision to close La Voute, including the death of the restaurant’s first chef, Dominique Tougne, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other unspecified circumstances.
“As the owner and founder, I have immensely enjoyed being a part of La Voûte, bringing to Homewood and surrounding communities a new culinary experience, and being a part of the vibrant Homewood business community,” Gendreau said in the announcement. “Your support has been heartwarming and created some of my best memories. Unfortunately, many good experiences, no matter how good, often come to an end.”
He clarified that the fate of La Voute is not an indication that he is backing away from his role in the Homewood business community. He said he will continue to own La Banque and his first Homewood investment, Ravisloe Golf Club, “two businesses that are very close to my heart.”
The new restaurant in La Banque Hotel will feature steak, seafood and pasta, according to Spass. He owns The Primal Cut in Tinley Park, which opened in 2017. He said the 69 Prime menu would be similar but with a slightly different spin.
Spass told the board that he had signed a lease for the space and plans to do some renovation.
“The currrent owner of the building did an amazing job on the renovations when they first moved into the space,” he said. “We’re not getting crazy on the interior.”
The renovation process might be easier for Spass than for some business owners. He spent 30 years as a contractor, he said.
But he was trained first as a pastry chef.
“My passion is food,” he said, noting that he worked for five years at the Four Seasons in Chicago.
He also pointed out a coincidence in taking the opportunity in Homewood. His restaurant in Tinley Park is in a former Bogart’s Charhouse. Homewood had a Bogart’s restaurant on Dixie Highway for years. It closed in 2012 and is now the cite of the Homewood Brewing Company.
Spass said he hopes to open 69 Prime this fall, and is planning to open outdoor seating in the spring of 2025.
