• Courtesy
• Leslie and Jason Merrill

Chef Jason Merrill and his wife, Leslie, plan to open a restaurant called REDCAN in downtown White River Junction early this summer. The name honors Jason's late mother's favorite drink, Coca-Cola in a red can. It will offer "polished, contemporary-style dining" with a raw bar and dinner menu featuring many local ingredients, he said.

REDCAN's location at 129 South Main Street was formerly Trail Break Taps & Tacos, which is moving to 5945 Woodstock Road in Quechee with a May reopening planned.

Merrill will remain a hands-on partner in the Worthy Group, which owns Worthy Burger in South Royalton and Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock and operated Worthy Burger Too in Waitsfield from November 2018 to April 2022. Merrill said that restaurant did well, but "two of our employees were looking for kitchen space to get into the cannabis game. They made us an offer we could not turn down."

The Merrills, who are in their forties, had "been talking about doing something together" for several years, Jason said. They are currently renovating the space, which will have 70 to 90 seats, including high-top and standard dining tables and bar seating.

Jason is working on developing the menu and connecting with farms in the Upper Valley. While the offerings will be "fish-heavy," they'll also include more terrestrial fare, such as locally raised Wagyu beef strip loin with confit potato and wild mushrooms. Burgers won't be on the roster, he added.