Chef and restaurateur Fred DeAngelo and his family, immediate and extended, are expanding their food-and-beverage business with The Grove, a new restaurant in Kailua. It will first open for daily 5 p.m. to 10 p.m dinner service, possibly as early as mid-month.

At 33 Aulike St. in the former Lucy’s Grill & Bar space, The Grove will be “globally influenced” and locally sourced, continuing DeAngelo’s relationships with local farmers, he said.

From Kahuku sea asparagus to whole (yes, tongue-to-tail) grass-fed cattle from Hawaii island, the restaurant will serve proof of “our firm-rootedness in the community, supporting community farmers and showcasing what’s grown here, on the menu,” as does his other restaurant, Ola at Turtle Bay Resort, he said.

The Grove will have a mix of flavor palettes on the menu including Mediterranean, as in its paella made with Kauai shrimp and flatbreads both grilled and out of the oven. The restaurant website promises a menu reflecting the diverse ethnic backgrounds of DeAngelo’s ohana with something for every guest, from hearty comfort foods to sustainable seafood, vegan dishes and healthy entrees for children.

The kids’ menu, with items starting at $7, will be “very creative and interactive, it’s going to be kind of a surprise,” DeAngelo said, declining to reveal too much more.

After so many years in the restaurant industry, “one thing we’ve found success with is range,” as in the range of prices. All guests want a great restaurant experience, but not all have the same budget, so appetizers will range from $6 to $20 and all areas of the menu, including $6 to $13 wines-by-the-glass, will offer ranges.

“If you’re looking for the higher-end seafood dish, you’re going to find that (as well),” DeAngelo said.

DeAngelo and his family partners realize people will come to the restaurant for special occasions, and it is business they will gratefully welcome. Nevertheless, “the one thing we want everyone to really recognize is that with the great variety of menu items and very attractive price points … it will be a great place for just going to really have a lot of fun,” he said.

The plan is for The Grove to offer bar service from 3 p.m. starting early in the new year and to open for lunch service by spring. The restaurant has seating for 125 guests in 4,000 square feet indoors and 800 square feet outdoors.

The Grove was named just as deliberately as was Ola, which means “life” in Hawaiian, and incorporates the name of DeAngelo’s Italian grandmother, Viola.

“‘The Grove,’ it spoke to us,” DeAngelo said. It evoked visions of a grove of olive trees. Trees symbolize strength and “firm roots in the community which we really feel a tie to,” he said. The nearby Coconut Grove area of Kailua is “where my mother grew up.” DeAngelo attended preschool and grade school in Kailua before moving to Maui, and his brother and sister-in-law’s family maintains a home in Kailua.

DeAngelo’s wife, Cheryl, sister Brandy and Brandy’s husband, Troy Antonelis, are partners in The Grove, and since the couples have young children, “it’s going to be very much a neighborhood restaurant, family friendly and very much different than Ola.”

The four started a catering business together for private jet passengers and other clientele after DeAngelo left Tiki’s Grill and Bar in Waikiki. Troy and Brandy are still pushing that business forward and have expanded the business to include school lunches. The private jet catering side of the business boomed during APEC, DeAngelo said.

DeAngelo started Ola at Turtle Bay Resort in 2005. “I’m so blessed with that. Everything about that restaurant has been so good, and … we just turned 6,” he said. “I plan to be out there as long as they’ll have me, at least another 10 years.”

Additional team members behind The Grove include Bud Antonelis, NIck Maddocks and Buffy Owens.

The opportunity for the location “just kind of popped up,” when Lucy’s lease expired earlier this year. Lucy’s was owned by Christian Schneider, whose family owns Buzz’s Original Steak House in neighboring Lanikai and in Pearl City.

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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.