Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant remained open on Main Street in Ellicott City through flooding, fires and decades of special occasions. Now, as it prepares to close next month, the spot’s new owners say they’ll keep the French influence while changing the menu, and the name.
Longtime friend and former employee Nathan Sowers has purchased the business at 8293 Main St., and plans to open a new restaurant serving artisanal pizzas, desserts, and brunch, with fresh pasta and crepes likely, too, though the menus aren’t finalized, he said. The food will have a French influence, Sowers said, using French principles such as balance, precision and seasonal inspiration. The Italian bistro format will feature food with local ingredients, sauces made in-house, and a finish with “French-style finesse.”
Part of the negotiations for the sale included that the Tersiguel family would retain the name Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant. So, Sowers said his bistro is expected to adopt the name River House on Main Pizzeria Bistro, but it hasn’t been finalized.
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In early October, Michel and Angie Tersiguel announced via a post on social media that the restaurant would close in December. Sowers and his wife, Kimberly Kepnes, will take over the space, giving it a new life while seeking to maintain the same warmth.
Tersiguel said the decision to sell had been ruminating for a while. The 61-year-old has been working in restaurants since he was 11 years old, and professionally since he was 18. The work takes a toll on the body, he said, and now it’s time for him to devote more attention to his family and take care of his health. It would also be selfish in some ways to not give someone the chance to revamp the restaurant, he said.
“So, I think it’s a perfect solution, and it’s something that we didn’t take lightly, but the more I look into it, [I thought] this can’t be any more perfect than what we’re doing right now,” Tersiguel said.
Tersiguel’s father, Fernand Tersiguel, came to the U.S. from France and settled in Ellicott City. He and his wife, Odette, opened a restaurant called Chez Fernand in 1975, and then about nine years later, a fire took out the building. Chez Fernand opened for a stint in Baltimore before Fernand Tersiguel returned to Ellicott City to open Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant in 1990. Michel Tersiguel officially took over in 2005.
Michel Tersiguel said he always thought of the restaurant as his parents’, and he just kept it going with his style. The warm, welcoming atmosphere of being “family French,” not “fancy French,” has led to deep connections with the community and a variety of memories.
He remembers customers pouring in after the Sept. 11 attacks, seeking the comfort of the restaurant and its food. It “chokes me up,” Tersiguel said, thinking that the restaurant was a safe space for people.”
The community feel is something Sowers hopes to continue. Sowers started at Tersiguel’s after he saw an ad to work at the restaurant as an apprentice and learn the skills normally taught at culinary school. He was a former aircraft mechanic and stay-at-home dad, crafting a unique schedule to take care of his children while pursuing his love for cooking.
As Sowers worked to expand his skills, he started baking bread. His French loaf won the approval of Fernand Tersiguel, and the restaurant started serving Sowers’ bread. Sowers also sold his creations at Little French Market across the street.
In addition to Little French Market, Sowers and his wife have embarked on several projects, rehabbing old buildings, like a stone river house and the Inn at Mt. Ida, and opening businesses. He’s excited to return to the tight-knit community in Old Ellicott City, opening a bistro in the current Tersiguel’s location.
“So the people are good, the farmers’ markets are fun, it’s just, there’s excitement in the town, you know, and you can feel that, it’s hard to find, I mean, in most places,” Sowers said. “So I think, yeah, we’re trying to get back in there as fast as we can.”
Though Michel Tersiguel will be taking a break, Sowers plans to welcome him and his family back for some wine dinners and other events. Drawing inspiration from the foundation Fernand Tersiguel built, he hopes to run a strong business, but also share the love of the community.
“And a lot of it resorts back to that conversation with myself that I just wasn’t going to be scared,” Sowers said. “So, I mean, that’s really important to me to like remind myself of that and just not being, you know, you only get to do this once. I love cooking, I have a dream, and I want to make sure that I at least try.”
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Dining and Cooking