Replacing the popular Café Ology is not a task for the faint-hearted, but international model and Broadway actor John Gecewicz is already showcasing the product of his ambitious vision for the space on Church Street.

After returning to his close-knit family in Middletown last spring, Gecewicz recognized that a rare opportunity lay beyond the storefront vacated last winter by Café Ology. Counting on his entrepreneurial spirit, he took a leap this past summer by signing a twenty-year lease and beginning renovations on the entire space with the support of friends and family.

After two and half months of renovations, the revamped restaurant—cleverly named The Cardinal’s Nest—is preparing to formally open its doors to the neighborhood in mid-September.

While pizza rounded out the menu at Café Ology, The Cardinal’s Nest will take on a different culinary approach, offering bistro style cuisine alongside alcohol—for the age appropriate, of course.

“We want to compliment what already exists,” said Head Chef Josh Pitts, with whom Gecewicz has worked in the past. “A really simple menu of reasonably priced comfort home cooking with a little twist.”

Pitts described a bar-themed dinner menu of wings and fries, with in-house cooked soups and sauces. For lunch, he envisions an array of simple meat and vegetarian sandwiches on freshly baked French baguettes, while incorporating a weekend brunch selection of crepes and omelets. Conscious of the various dietary preferences of Wesleyan students, The Cardinal’s Nest will also provide vegan, gluten-free, and wheat-free options. In addition to offering coffee, tea, and common carbonated drinks, the restaurant will include a fresh fruit and vegetable juice bar.

Gecewicz hopes that the restaurant’s bar and late operating hours will be another main attraction for Middletown residents and students of drinking age—as will be the restaurant’s acceptance of Middletown Cash. Once the restaurant acquires a liquor license, it will sell a range of international and domestic beers and wines, as well as Saki, Sangria, and other mixed drinks.

Under Gecewitz’s direction, the interior of the building has undergone a dramatic transformation. He added a wine and beer bar to the now expanded front seating area. Beyond the original takeout counter, an additional dining area for twenty has replaced the previous staffing area, which has increased the indoor seating and standing area to fifty. A new door leads out to the restaurant’s porch—an open area fittingly decorated with intertwining grape vines that form a wall-like nest. Gecewicz has also remolded an area below the porch to the left, a section he envisions as an ideal lounge and coffee space fitting over thirty.

This is not Gecewicz’s first foray into the restaurant business. The youngest of nine children, Gecewicz studied carpentry at Vinyl Tech and left Middletown for San Diego State to join the college’s basketball team. Once there, he quickly began a career as an international model, appearing in magazines such as GQ and Vogue, as well as on Soap Operas and Broadway. In the early nineties, after twelve years in the entertainment business, Gecewicz settled in New York City to open his first café on Seventy Second Street and Broadway. His cafés soon evolved into a successful catering business, serving over a thousand customers.

“I’m a strong people person, which is a big part of business,” Gecewicz said.

As business dramatically declined during the economic recession following the World Trade Center attacks, Gezewicz was subsequently forced to close his company.

He returned this spring to the nest of Middletown, and the enthusiasm and support he has received—including a recent front-page article featuring his restaurant in the Middletown Press—has been tremendous.

Although the restaurant’s name may flatter University patrons, Gecewicz chose a Middletown-inspired décor. Old pictures of Main Street and the Portland Bridge adorn the walls to pay tribute to Middletown’s history. Gecewicz also added a personal memento to the interior—a picture of Jack’s Lunch, the first diner in Middletown that his Uncle owned and where his mother once worked.

In addition to the restaurant, Gecewicz is forming a sister catering company under the direction of Catering Director Glen James. Intended as a low budget alternative for both students and residents, James plans to vary the steady restaurant menu with individual requests to better serve customers’ needs.

On a sunny afternoon, Gecewicz sat on the porch of his restaurant overlooking Church Street and described his vision—where the smell of freshly baked bread fuses with the early morning air, and the scents of cigarettes and drinks mixes together as customers relax beside the bar in the evening. Gecewicz, who as a child used to deliver papers to the building, now has much invested within its walls.

“I want to support the students and locals,” he said. “I’m going to be here at all times, to meet and greet and problem solve, and to make sure that everyone has a great time.”