PETERBOROUGH — The Waterhouse Restaurant opened its doors in downtown Peterborough Wednesday. The restaurant is offering a bistro menu that chef Bob Griffitt says incorporates progressive cooking and local flavor.

Waterhouse, located in Depot Square, will be taking a “farm to table” approach, with a focus on using local produce and meat. Griffitt said that this creates less of a carbon footprint and helps the environment as well as the local economy.

“More and more people want to know where their food comes from,” he said.

The restaurant will be using ingredients from local businesses such as Attar Spices in Hancock and Hijinks Farm in Jaffrey.

Griffitt is also focusing on providing sustainable products, such as seafood sourced from environmentally friendly fishing practices. He is looking to obtain these products from companies that offer fair treatment to fishermen.

“A lot of what is going on in the fishing industry worldwide is damaging and we do not want to support that,” said Griffitt.

He said the food will have a great deal of Mediterranean influence, with a focus on combining fresh ingredients into a lighter fare for diners. Another focus is Italian food, specifically having homemade pasta, noodles and ravioli made fresh daily.

“I think we are doing something completely different,” he said.

Griffitt said the food will be high-end, but reasonably priced.

“I hope people will think they got their money’s worth,” he said.

The new restaurant is located at 18 Depot Square, the former location of the Acqua Bistro. Previous owner Pamela Parker said she had to close the restaurant this year due to the economy and competition that came with new restaurants opening in town.

Cy Gregg, general partner of Depot Square, said that the new restaurant would add more energy to the area. Gregg owns the restaurant with a business partner, but said the ownership will eventually be handed over to Griffitt and the current manager, Kate Grogan.

“[They] put a lot of thought into not only where they are going to procure their food, but to the menu itself and the design,” he said. “It is not just another copy of various, larger chain type restaurants.”

He said that the focus on local ingredients is part of a growing movement in restaurants.
Jennifer Risley, chair of the Steering Committee for the Monadnock Buy Local organization, said that local produce retains more nutrients and is usually better quality than if it had been brought in from other areas.

“You know how you feel after you’ve flown across the continent, imagine what food feels like,” she said on Tuesday.

Risley said many people in the region are looking for restaurants that offer local ingredients. There is even an group called Monadnock Menus that is working to list all restaurants that are using local ingredients and help others that are looking to join this growing trend.

According to Jessica Skinner, who is involved with Monadnock Menus, there are 11 restaurants listed with the group.