“I could have just put a for rent sign on the window, but I did not want it to become a Jimmy Johns. I wanted it to continue to be an independently owned, chef-driven restaurant.”
That’s Susan Hershberg, owner of Wiltshire on Market since the restaurant’s inception in NuLu in 2009, speaking with Michael L. Jones of Louisville Business First.
Yesterday Hershberg announced that Wiltshire on Market has ceased as such, but the “next generation” is ready and eager to keep the Jimmy Johns of the world at bay.
The text:
After 14 wonderful years at Wiltshire On Market, I have decided to pass the torch on to the next generation of restauranteurs. The years have included hundreds of unique, chef-inspired dinner menus and an abundance of remarkably talented chefs, bartenders, and servers.
While never setting out to own a restaurant, Wiltshire On Market became, perhaps, my favorite canvas. A place to welcome friends, family and strangers alike into my home away from home. A place where we could gather for the most intimate or the most profound of occasions. A place where we introduced new members of the community to one another, incubated new projects large and small. A place where we came together to fundraise, to strategize, to socialize and even to grieve and it always felt like home.
It was a distinct honor to share a final meal there this past Sunday with some of our original team members who remain near and dear. To be serenaded by the talented Carly Johnson and Craig Wagner was the perfect ending.
A very special and heartfelt thank you to all of you who supported us throughout the years, many of you, literally, on a weekly basis. Above all, gratitude to all who have been a part of the Wiltshire On Market team over the years.
The tradition of inspired, locally-sourced, handcrafted cuisine will live on beautifully with this next generation. I am proud to pass the baton.
Cheers to One and All
Much Love, Susan
Let’s unpack: Wiltshire on Market is gone, but as Hershberg explains to LBF’s Jones, a succession is in place.
Hershberg owns the more than 3,600 square foot East Market Street building. She said Noam Bilitzer, the former chef at Wiltshire on Market, will lease the space for a new restaurant. The five employees from Wiltshire on Market will continue to work for Bilitzer.
“They’ve been working with Noam, already” Hershberg said. “Basically, I’ve been incubating, cultivating since November. It’s been Noam’s chefs, Noam’s recipes, Noam’s new front of the house management team. All of that, but under Wiltshire’s tutelage, if you will.
There’ll be more about Chef Bilitzer’s plans in due time. Meanwhile, Jones clarifies that Hershberg’s other businesses are unaffected by Wiltshire on Market’s changeover.
Hershberg still owns Wiltshire Bakery & Café with locations at 901 Barret Ave. and 605 W. Main St. in Downtown Louisville, which opened in January 2022. She also operates Wiltshire at the Speed and the Wiltshire Pantry, a production kitchen on Breckinridge Street.
