OWLS HEAD — Two years ago, The Apron at Terminal A, a fast casual restaurant helmed by Matthew Stilphen, opened inside the Knox County Regional Airport terminal.

This past winter, with the help of Evan Stevens, a visual artist and self-taught home cook, The Apron is spreading its wings and rebranding as a different culinary concept called Nomad.

Stilphen is now taking an administrative role, allowing Stevens to take his unique spin to the restaurant.

Previously, Stilphen's daily menu consisted of breakfast and lunch, with daily specials, and featured special brunches on weekends. Nomad is keeping the operation small for the moment, offering a limited menu on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with pastries and baked goods, along with handhelds, breakfast sandwiches, and chicken schnitzels.

On Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the new brunch concept pulls out all the stops with classic dishes such as benedicts (salmon and Florentine), pancakes, chicken and apple cheddar waffles, a grass-fed beef burger with a farm egg, and the usual breakfast sides.

With Nomad, the focus will now be on more handmade pastries and baked goods.

"My passion lies with baked goods and pastries, so we're rolling out a slow path to having a full bakery case with savory and sweet options," he said. "We're also going to continue a few things that Matt does really well and the customers liked."

Since their soft opening on Feb. 7 and 8, their roll-out has been small, but appreciated by the locals who frequented The Apron.

"We've really had some great feedback from customers on the new items, so I'm excited about that," said Stevens.

"I've been cooking since I was about 10," he said. "I've also worked in several restaurants before, but with Matt, this is a good fit. It's really creative and collaborative. Cooking has been my biggest passion in life, and I feel like that passion and desire to learn about cooking as much as I could coincided really well with art. Just the sensory language of it is appealing, like how things go together, the flavors interact, how textures work together feels very artistic."

With Stevens' background in visual art, the restaurant will continue its commitment to hosting artists and creatives.

"We plan to host occasional dinner services and casual wine nights, paired with local author readings, open-mics, and more," he said.

As an artist himself, Stevens will also display some of his paintings on the walls and hopes to have more work by local artists. 

"This place has a really loyal following with people who want really good food at an affordable price," he said.

As Nomad finds its rhythm, Stevens said the restaurant will be expanding its hours and days in the spring.

"Right now it's a really good time to roll out new menu items and test the waters," he said.

Weekly menus and updates can be found on their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/nomadowlshead 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com