NORTHAMPTON — Chef Michaelangelo Wescott has opened a new restaurant on Main Street in Northampton, in the old Belly of the Beast spot. And he’s calling it Wine Witch, a new French-inspired bistro right in the heart of downtown.

Wescott’s “familiar” in this new business endeavor is an old friend, chef, and culinary school instructor, David Greeman.

“We met cooking together at Green Street Cafe in 1999ish,” Greeman said. “We were co-chefs. A situation that may not be completely unique on the planet, but it must be pretty close. Too many cooks, you know ... but in fact we inspired each other.”

Now the two return to Northampton, to 159 Main St., just a few blocks away from their old restaurant. They return to a much different downtown Northampton than the Northampton of the 1990s.

Downtown recently lost a wine bar. The Valley is a hotspot for beer, with legacy breweries like Berkshire Brewing and the Northampton Brewery, and incredible and uber-trendy newer players like Brick & Feather and Treehouse. Does the Valley need or want a wine-focused restaurant? “We have 10 beer taps,” Greeman says with a grin, “Oh, is that not the right answer?”

But the two share a vision of The Wine Witch that is more than just a wine bar.

“Wine bars have a little narrower focus than we do,” Greeman said. “I don’t want to do just tapas and 200 wines on the list. We don’t want to scare away people.”

Wescott, a level one sommeliar who also owns The Gypsy Apple in Shelburne Falls, hopes The Wine Witch will be about more than just wowing customers with esoteric wine.

“We’re coming in very non-pretentious,” says Wescott during an interview a few weeks before the new business opened and before a ribbon-cutting with the mayor that took place Wednesday afternoon. “We’re just trying to create a place where people can come and chill. What I’m really creating is a community space. Hence, the community table.”

The table he’s referring to seats close to 12 not far from a bar handcrafted by local artist Kamil Peters. There’s also a corner by the window with a comfy looking couch. Wescott says, “I have a higher end restaurant in Shelburne Falls. I do gourmet food. And I wanted something as elegant, but more casual. I think we’re creating more of a food-and-wine scene, rather than just a wine bar. We have some real cooking talent here.”

That cooking talent includes Wescott, Greeman and another Green Street Cafe alum, Matt Sunderland, who will run The Wine Witch’s kitchen day-to-day. They’ll be doing lunch and dinner.

“Lunch is gonna be ... I don’t wanna say provincial-style French, but kind of on that level,” Wescott says. “Home cooking, man. From the heart.”

He is particularly excited about the charcuterie boards, which he calls “charcoot.” Such boards include a display of cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments such as fruit, olives, nuts and spreads.

Wescott says, “One will be called The Nor’easter, with local cheese, local meats. One that I call The Lowcountry with pimento cheese, potted ham, pickled shrimp, biscuits, cheese wafers, honey comb. We got one called The Brooklyn Situation. I’m from Brooklyn so you gotta big-up on that one. It’s Italian-themed.”

Greeman adds, “The wine really needs to go with the food. We will advise. That’s why we have staff that is educated, and is continuing to be more educated.”

And what of the wine? The Wine Witch is hoping to keep it interesting. Wescott says, “We’re gonna have traditional-style wines. Natural wines. Varietals that you may have never heard of. We’re not gonna have 12 Chardonnays on the list.”

The Wine Witch’s working list is French-heavy, followed distantly by Italy, but with some surprising nations represented, like Bulgaria.

So where did the name “Wine Witch” come from?

“The name was given to me as a nickname,” Wescott says, though he would not reveal who gave him the name. “I love it and I’m rolling with it.”

He confirms that his restaurant in Shelburne Falls will remain open. The man will be very busy, but busy with a mission.

After having beaten cancer a few years ago, Wescott was faced with another major health scare in the summer of 2020, when he contracted a tick-borne illness.

“I had a lot of time to think. And also to figure out what my calling in life is. And it’s definitely not sitting around in a hospital,” Wescott said. “This year I’m gonna be like a cruise ship chef. I’m not gonna be taking a day off.”

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