Coray Kitchen wins $75,000 state grant to expand

Businesses can work with Town to apply for same grant award

DELMAR – Coray Kitchen, Delmar’s hottest new eatery, just earned a $75,000 New York State Business Expansion and Startup grant.  Co-owner Casey Carroll said the grant will offset costs to expand outdoor seating and other restaurant improvements.   Carroll partnered with the Town of Bethlehem to submit the grant request to the State.

Carroll plans to use the $75,000  to fund renovations costing about $200,000.  The renovations include adding 25-35 seats on Coray Kitchen’s back patio.  The restaurant currently has an indoor capacity of 46.  Carroll said the additional seating will increase diner capacity by about 75% and expects the patio to be open “three seasons”.

She said the expanded dining patio will “provide a safe quiet place to dine and it’s walkable to the rail trail, Four Corners and many neighborhoods.” She added, “It’s such a nice space to be able to provide for the community.” She hopes to have the patio open by summer and assures patrons service will not be interrupted during renovations.

Corays Kitchen will also use the grant to fund new kitchen equipment and expansion of its outdoor “edible landscaping.”  Carroll said she currently partners with 9 Mile Farm to provide flowers.  The expansion will add a “chef’s garden”, which will provide herbs and produce, such as tomatoes and sweet potatoes “for the restaurant to connect our guests to their food.”  Carroll said a chef’s garden provides the added benefit of supporting pollination and native species.

The restaurant, which opened in November 2023 in the Four Corners in a former pharmacy site, serves locally sourced dishes with global flavors.  Carroll said she believes their grant application was successful because “the community is looking for more ways to gather around food.  We are able to bring economic development through jobs and expand the number of people that can be served and the ways people can connect.” Town of Bethlehem Director of Economic Development & Planning Rob Leslie attributed the application’s success to the proposed project being “reflective of the need for expansion of the restaurant based on the success they had in the short period of time since opening in November.”

Under the grant terms, Leslie explained, the Town must submit the grant and act as grant administrator and monitor. The business must hire one full time employee of low or moderate income for every $25,000 awarded. In this case, Coray Kitchen must hire three full time employees.

Carroll thanked the Town for its support  in helping to identify the funding opportunity and its work on submitting the grant for consideration.

Carroll said she is unsure when she will receive reimbursement, but will start renovations in mid-May and complete the expansion project by mid to late June.  After costs are incurred, Coray Kitchen must document its expenses to the Town, which then submits that information to the State and later receives the funds from the State to pass through to the awardee.  Leslie said the resources the Town commits “is valuable to our businesses.”

Leslie also said Bethlehem can submit BEST grant applications on behalf of other local businesses because applications are accepted by the State on a rolling basis.  “When a business feels the time is right they can work with us on an application,” said Leslie.  The maximum allowable award is $750,000, but Leslie said a business must submit a detailed proposal explaining its expansion needs, that it is financially able to offset any project’s remaining expenses and commit to hiring as dictated by the grant.

In 2016, Garden Bistro was the last Bethlehem business to receive a BEST grant, which was denominated by a different name then.  It worked with the Town to successfully secure $25,000.  Leslie said if a business is interested in applying for a BEST grant, it should contact him and start a conversation.  “We can see where it goes from there,” he said.

As for Coray Kitchen, Carroll looks forward to the “surprises” expansion will bring to their patrons, like maybe serving lilacs.  “We want to tell a good story about what is surrounding us and the expansion gives us that opportunity,” said Carroll. The guests can see and smell the food, impacting their dining experience.”

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