Paper and Pencil restaurant coming to Ti

TICONDEROGA | Megan Cunningham strolls across the wooden flooring of 119 Burgoyne Road, walking through various stages of construction and projects going on around her simultaneously in the former 1820s furniture factory. The building is undergoing yet another metamorphosis, being rebuilt literally from the ground up inside as Cunningham's restaurant, Paper and Pencil, is being brought to life. "I've opened up restaurants and worked for other people and have gotten a lot of great experiences from that and learned some things about the way to do it, and some things about the way not to do it," Cunningham explains of the road that led her back to Ticonderoga. "It's great to be able to start this on my own and see it benefiting the people I really care about and the community I really care about." Cunningham will be putting that experience to use in getting Paper and Pencil off the ground, with the goal to help revitalize Ticonderoga and further putting downtown on the map with her farm-to-table style establishment that is set to open its doors in spring 2023. Set as upscale dining with elements of fine dining service that she learned from previous restaurants, Cunningham wants her restaurant to be a meeting place for locals and their families. "People should feel comfortable coming here and having a meal after a day of hiking, snowmobiling, boating, and otherwise playing in the Adirondacks," Cunningham explained of the vibe. "But they should also be able to get dressed up and celebrate with friends and family." Cunningham, having long family roots in town and attending kindergarten and first grade here, grew up in Saratoga Springs, but was always in Ticonderoga on weekends and summers. She moved to Houston in 2002 and began for a foray into the service industry, working her way up to restaurant managerial positions quickly and then opening up a small bar and restaurant of her own, and from there running a café. "The gentleman that owned this café helped to revitalize that area of Houston, and ended up opening four other restaurants in that part of town," she recalls. "He's my inspiration for doing this; if he could do that in a place in Houston that was so depressed, we can do it here; it takes a whole community to do that." Cunningham eventually landed in Nashville, Tenn., and opened up a restaurant in a hotel, which proved to be a beneficial experience and very similar to the gargantuan project she is currently tackling: brand-new construction in an old bank that was a great success. When she returned to Ticonderoga with a plan for just the summer, 119 Burgoyne came up for sale on the market and just like that, serendipity and opportunity collided. "How could I pass this up?" Cunningham asked. "The scenery, the beauty of it, the location — it's ideal. There's so much agriculture in this area, but it's hard to get it from farm to buyer. I didn't see a lot of farm-to-table like that in this area; it's so needed." Cunningham is the former buyer for the Ticonderoga Natural Foods Co-op, having stepped down from that position in November and going part-time to focus on the restaurant. Her time at the co-op was well-spent, developing relationships with local farmers and vendors that she can apply to Paper and Pencil. "It was the best experience I could have gotten," she says. The project was awarded a $500,000 Anchor Project award secured by PRIDE of Ticonderoga, Inc. through the 2020 New York Main Street (NYMS) program managed by the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) and the Office of Community Renewal (OCR) through a competitive grant application process. After closing in January 2020, COVID would soon rear its ugly head and challenge the project from getting off the ground with construction, equipment, and material issues, but now is full-steam ahead and is a true family affair, with her father Tom Cunningham and brother, Tom Cunningham II, on-site with sleeves rolled up, laboring for hours every week getting the building ready. "The grant helped a lot, but it's not going to cover all the expenses because there was so much that this old building needed to be able to withstand another 200 years," Cunningham says. "We bought it to try and revitalize the town, so we want it to last." If all goes according to plan, in under a year's time there will be a full-service bar to the immediate right upon entering Paper and Pencil, with enthusiastic faces enjoying spirited cocktails while they await their tables in the dining room. It's an interesting atmosphere, a perfect mix of friendly ghosts of the past being resurrected while melding with images of the future as the skeleton inside takes shape. For months, it appeared there wasn't much going on at the property, but little did locals know that immense work was being done inside, being ripped apart and put back together again while maintaining some of the original elements to incorporate into Cunningham's industrial themed vision of strong, clean lines for the interior setting. "The ceiling would have caved in within the next 10 years if we hadn't fixed a lot of this," she acknowledges. "It's good we did this; it will stand the test of time." Many of the building's original beams will be used once the restaurant is finished, with as many aspects from the past that can be preserved and recycled, the better. As for the pre-menu that Cunningham is developing herself, customers can expect it to be approachable and familiar, tradition infused with a step above. "We'll have things that you've seen but are elevated," she describes. "For example, we will have Michigans but will be using local beef. We are also going to have salmon and crab from Rhode Island, and pork chops made with peaches as sauces." The menu will be seasonal and will change with what Paper and Pencil will be able to procure from local vendors. "We are looking for the right chef that will be able to give us that extra little boost of creativity that every menu needs," she said, adding that after a period of time the Executive Chef would become part owner if they desired. Cunningham is also currently seeking investors as well as staff for both front and back of house. Cunningham ventures out to the patio area where future patrons will sit and enjoy a meal and conversation. In the late afternoon sunlight as the La Chute River makes its way to Bicentennial Park, it's almost like seeing the property through a new lens; there is potential here, and there is success to be had. The walkway that extends from Paper and Pencil up to Montcalm Street is the ideal stroll for locals and tourists alike, connecting the downtown with the beautiful area that many may not otherwise enjoy if not for an upscale dining experience a few mere feet away. "This location is everything that Ticonderoga was built on: industry, being on the river, the paper mill," Cunningham says. "People coming in from out of town also want to experience the local culture and what Ticonderoga is really about."

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