Chef Ray Stephens and his daughter Tosha, co-owners of Chef Ray’s Diamond Bar and Grill stand in front the restaurant they anticipate opening in mid-August. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Chef Ray Stephens and his daughter Tosha have been busy working on their latest venture, Chef Ray’s Diamond Bar and Grill located on Market Street on the diamond in downtown East Liverpool.

The restaurant, which will have a rustic industrial look, is anticipated to open the third week in August if not sooner.

Ray said that with him being a local resident he’s always wanted to do something for the town. But it was a matter of the right place at the right time.

Approximately four years ago, the father-daughter team expanded their restaurant Chef Ray’s Cafe in Calcutta and had no intention of opening something in the downtown area.

Then according to Ray, he received a phone call from East Liverpool Mayor Greg Bricker. During that conversation started to discuss a building that had sat vacant for 10 years. After a conversation with Tosha the two of them said “let’s just do it.”

“I wanted to do something nice for the city. I think the city is deserving of that,” Ray said. “Everybody talks about the neglect of the city and that’s not fair. We all know back in the early 80’s how the mills went down and affected every city along the river.”

Ray has been a chef for 42 years and was born and raised in the area.

Tosha said they looked at different buildings in the downtown area, but when the building they selected on the diamond came about they knew it was the right building in the right area.

“We looked at it and I was like hey let’s give it a shot,” Ray said. “We want to do something for the city of East Liverpool. We are doing well with our other restaurant and thought the city deserves a nice restaurant and bar.”

“Something that you don’t have to travel out of town for,” Tosha said. “We don’t have anywhere you can go to have a nice dinner, a nice glass of wine or a nice atmosphere unless you are traveling 20 minutes to get that. ”

Ray feels somebody needs to put a shot in the arm of the city. He is hopeful once the restaurant opens people will look at it and say it’s doing well and will want to open a business as well.

“Our goal is to help the city of East Liverpool and to bring other people to say wow they can do it we can do it too,” he said..

Ray also noted that by making the restaurant a family-friendly restaurant it will attract a new clientele to the downtown –clientele the city hasn’t seen in that area for years.

Ray said he is all about family so he is encouraging families to come to the restaurant which will seat about 90-100 people and offer highchairs, booster seats and a kid’s menu.

The regular menu will feature a wide variety of appetizers, side dishes, entrees, specialty sandwiches, soups, salads and burgers.

There are also plans to place tables on the sidewalk for outdoor dining and use the space next door to them –that is planned to be a courtyard once the building that formerly housed Paul Arrow’s is torn down –to provide entertainment and family activities.

There will also be seven TVs for sports fans to watch the games.

The restaurant will create 25 new jobs.

Bricker said this is a big win for the city and shows what they have been trying to in the city together with developers and businesses.

Bricker said Ray and Tosha were able to get grants to help with the building and took part in The Community Reinvestment program which allows for property tax abatements, which is how the city has been trying to incentivize owners to put money into their properties or buildings.

“I think Chef Ray has a name that draws a lot of people, so this will be huge for the city as it will probably draw a lot of people back to the downtown area,” Bricker said. “The new jobs are crucial in bringing the city back to life.”

Bricker thinks this will lead to bringing more businesses to the downtown area and provide momentum in going forwards toward the revitalizing of downtown.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com