YORKTOWN — Lantern, a new restaurant in Yorktown, offers what they describe as “approachable, elevated food” with nonalcoholic beverages and second chances to those who want one.
Micah French, owner and executive chef of Lantern, says it’s one of the first restaurants in the area to fully adopt a nonalcoholic bar program. This was inspired by French’s own recovery, and a desire to pay homage to what she had been through.
“Lantern is about inviting everybody to have a seat at the table no matter where you came from, no matter who you are, and no matter what you’ve done,” French said.
Growing up, French developed a love of cooking, which she learned from her father and grandmother. She attended the Culinary Institute of Virginia and decided she wanted to work for a small restaurant. Before Lantern, she had 13 years of chef experience and worked at places such as the Green Onion, Fin & Tonic, Steak & Tonic, Amber Ox and Baker’s Wife Bistro.
Along the way, she developed a problem with substance use. She was introduced to alcohol and drugs in college, where she played lacrosse on scholarship, and said they took hold of her life and began to affect her relationships and work. In 2023, she asked for her job back at Baker’s Wife Bistro, where she had worked previously.
She made a promise to stop drinking and doing drugs if she was hired, and the owner gave her a chance. It is there that the concept of giving people second chances was born for Lantern.
The philosophy also carries over to her employment practices. French said she tries to hire people struggling with alcohol or drug addiction so they have a safe place to work. The same approach extends to the nonalcoholic cocktails, which were created by Lantern’s general manager and head mixologist, Kelly Kaye.
Kaye worked as a bartender and later as head of hospitality for a Williamsburg whiskey distillery before moving to Sperryville. She had traveled widely to try different cocktails, drawn to the artistry behind them. When she learned Lantern would be a spirit-free facility, she was delighted. Kaye is sober and takes medication that is dangerous to mix with alcohol.
“I was still working in bars and working in whiskey distillers … very close to alcohol and temptation and I didn’t want to give up my love for that craft and the beauty behind creating beautiful cocktails,” Kaye said. “I thought I had lost my place in a world that I loved so much but have been given another opportunity to continue and even push myself further in making beautiful cocktails.”
Some of the spirit-free cocktails use ingredients from the kitchen and pastry chef, such as a mushroom syrup Kaye spent months developing for the Hares on the Mountain cocktail. She also makes a special cold brew for an espresso martini-type drink that’s shared with pastries.
Lantern, located at 1215 George Washington Memorial Highway in Yorktown, sources locally when possible, including seafood from the area and the Chesapeake Bay, as well as products from farms in Gloucester and New Kent.
On Monday, Sept. 14, Lantern opens its coffee lounge, and by the end of the month, hours will expand to include brunch. The restaurant is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
For French, Lantern is proof that redemption is possible.
“I think that it shows the world that no matter what path you’ve walked, there’s always a chance for you to find your way through the darkness and find the light,” she said.
