Councillor Rino Bortolin is handing over the the reigns to his namesake restaurant in downtown Windsor.
He sold Rino's Kitchen and Ale House at 131 Elliott St. W to his sous chef Josh Fraser.
"For us to sell it we didn't want to sell it to someone who was just going to come in and make a neighbourhood bar. We did want a lot of the effort and a lot of the brand that we did put our blood, sweat and tears into creating, we wanted to make sure that that continued ," says Bortolin.
He says he's working on a new venture that will focus on his passion to promote local food. He's hoping to have more details by the spring.
"Transitioning out of the kitchen and direct restaurants. Some of the things we're working on will have a tie into food and the whole local food aspects of it. But different aspects that are allowing me to be creative," says Bortolin.
An official welcoming for Fraser is being held tonight along with the grand opening of the new vintage shop above the restaurant called the Other Bird.
"It's continuing on the great tradition that the house has been able to do with incubating small local business and doing something that offers really unique cultural aspects to the city and to the neighbourhood," says Bortolin.
He will remain a mentor and consultant to Fraser and the owners of the new business.
