• The Restaurant at Zen Bar

When Ari Fishman leased a barn at 179 Guptil Road in Waterbury Center — formerly home to Tanglewoods Restaurant & Bar — he envisioned opening a full-time wedding venue there. But his friends and neighbors had other ideas: "The people in town really wanted it to be a restaurant," he says.

And a restaurant they will get, says Fishman. One that serves "clean, simple food and drink," made with local ingredients purchased from farmers whom Fishman knows personally.

The eatery, which Fishman is calling simply the Restaurant at Zen Barn, will share the space with a wellness center run by the Kula Cooperative, formerly of Rutland. "They're going to offer all sorts of classes," Fishman says.

Although he's not ready to talk about menu details, Fishman says the restaurant will be "really community driven." He expects to have a soft opening in early to mid-November and a grand opening by early December.

Fishman, who says he grew up with the barn "in his backyard," wants to create "a place for community to gather, a place for people to get to know their neighbors again, and come together over great food and drink."