Great Food Destination / North of Concord: PAVILION
Five years ago, the Avery Building in Wolfeboro could have been torn down and replaced by a big box retail store. Today, it’s home to PAVILION, a restaurant dedicated to elevating the farm-to-table dining experience in the Lakes Region.
Chefs Jonathan Hudak and Aleks Chmielewska
Five years ago, the Avery Building in Wolfeboro could have been torn down and replaced by a big box retail store. Today, it’s home to PAVILION, a restaurant dedicated to elevating the farm-to-table dining experience in the Lakes Region.
Centrally located in Wolfeboro’s historic district near Lake Winnipesaukee, PAVILION opened in 2020 with a goal of bringing sophisticated dining and warm hospitality to the Lakes Region, says owner Pat Cooke. It was named as a nod to Wolfeboro’s former grand Pavilion Hotel, built in the mid-1800s by Daniel Pickering and his son-in-law.
Preserving the property and paying attention to the details has paid off. For instance, one can find photos of the former hotel and a bar top made from a 150-year-old tree that “needed to come down,” Cooke says. “It’s all in the details, meaning people want a full experience. They want great service, they want great food, they want a beautiful environment. They want the whole thing … and people respond to that,” she says.
Smoked salmon deviled eggs, with everything bagel spice, pickled red onion and dill.
And the hospitality continues next door at their sister property, the Pickering House Inn: a small boutique hotel, celebrating its fifth anniversary by clinching national recognition as the “#1 Resort Hotel in the United States and New England” by Travel + Leisure Magazine.
With their husband-and-wife team of chefs — Jonathan Hudak and Aleks Chmielewska — at the helm, PAVILION works with local farms to bring in fresh, in-season ingredients to create culinary creations such as herb-roasted chicken and salmon deviled eggs. “Having really true fresh ingredients and a seasonally driven menu are key to a great dining experience,” Cooke says, adding, “[Our chefs] try to keep as much as possible immediately local and then drives a circle around New England.” This provides the amazing freshness of their offerings and inspires their seasonal menu items. “You just taste the difference,” Cooke says.
