The Misery Loves Co. team will open a second Winooski food and drink establishment later this summer, said Laura Wade, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, chef Aaron Josinsky. "We're going to be opening an evening concept and keeping Misery as the day concept," she said, noting that details are still in the planning stages.

Wade tentatively expects the as-yet-unnamed spot to open in July.

The new eatery will take over the spot most recently occupied by El Cortijo Taqueria y Cantina at 3-5 East Allen Street at the top of the rotary.  The Winooski El Cortijo closed in September 2021, with a social media announcement describing it as a temporary closure due to "chronic short staffing" and a desire to focus on El Cortijo's Burlington location.



The El Cortijo brand is part of the Farmhouse Group, which owns Farmhouse Tap & Grill, El Cortijo Burlington, Pascolo Ristorante and Guild Tavern. Those four restaurants have all fully reopened after pandemic full or partial closures, Farmhouse Group owner Jed Davis said via email.

"We had every intention of reopening Cortijo Winooski but, quite frankly, I'm just not sure that we had the bandwidth," Davis wrote. "Laura and Aaron are good industry friends and I could not pass on their offer. It just felt right."

The couple's decision to expand "is all about Winooski," Wade said. "Winooski is our town. The proximity to Misery was huge for us."

As previously reported by Seven Days, Misery Loves Co., which has focused on takeout, prepared foods and speciality grocery items since the start of the pandemic, closed temporarily in mid-May for a renovation. Wade said she expects it to reopen by the end of June.
This is not the first time that Wade and Josinsky have opened a sister Winooski eatery to Misery Loves Co., which celebrates a decade in business this year.  From early 2014 to December 2015, they operated the MLC Bakeshop at 25 Winooski Falls Way.

Wade said the couple feels secure in their judgment that this is the right time to expand. "We have such an awesome team," she said. "We know lots more now."