Ash owner aims for ‘cozy, community’ feel

West Homewood is growing and thriving, and for Mark Driskill, those factors made it the perfect spot to open his restaurant, Ash.

“We’ve had our eye over here for a while,” said Driskill, who has lived in West Homewood for about five years, “and when the opportunity came, it was just the perfect time to kind of get in right on the front end of what we think will be something special.”

Ash is set to open sometime in August in the former Oak+Raleigh location, Driskill said, and will feature “comfortable food” that is both refined and affordable.

“I want to give people food that feels really, really special, but at the end of the day they’re wowed that, ‘I only paid $20 for that steak;’ that they feel like they’re getting something really special for a price that they can be more than happy paying,” he said.

All of the food will be as fresh and seasonal as possible, he said, including the kid’s menu — set to feature homemade applesauce, hand breaded chicken fingers, grilled cheese and other favorites. The restaurant’s main menu will vary based on the season, other than a burger that’s ground in-house and salad options.

“Just the way I cook and the way I learned to cook, it’s a pretty fluid practice where you kind of listen to the season,” Driskill said regarding the restaurant’s changing menu. “If they [local farmers and suppliers] have something nice come in, we want to highlight that.”

One thing will be constant, however: a wood-fired grill.

“The grill will be a very central theme,” he said. “I’m not going to force this to happen, but what I would like is an element of every plate, whether that’s a protein or a vegetable or a sauce … something going over that grill and picking up that flavor and essence that you get through cooking over wood.”

He aims for things to taste and look great, Driskill said, while being balanced and healthy.

“We’re really giving them the best possible plate of food we can give them, and we’re never going to send something out that we don’t feel deserves to be sent out,” he said. 

Diners will also be able to get a peek behind the scenes through two windows looking into the kitchen, and the restaurant will have an open dining room. 

“‘Man, this is cozy’ — that’s kind of what I want them to feel [when they come in],” he said. “I want people to feel that it’s casual, I want there to be an element of refinement there — not stuffy — just perfectly imperfect.”

They hope to become a fixture in the community, Driskill said, and plan to take advantage of their surroundings. Ash will offer picnic baskets that families can pick up and take to Patriot Park, and Driskill hopes to have food options for those at the new West Homewood pool as well. As the city and community work to grow West Homewood, Driskill said, he looks forward to being “another log on the fire” in the area’s success.

“We want to be another element of that, and I think and I believe that we can add to what’s going on,” he said.

Ash is located at 705 Oak Grove Road. It will be open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will be closed on Sunday and Monday.

For more information, go to ashhomewood.com.