Indian Hill amateur chef, college student salvages summer with pop up restaurant at home

"I won a local chopped competition at the Cookswear store that is now closed in Montgomery.

I think that was in my eighth-grade year," Michael Weirich said of his passion for fixing meals for family and friends over the years.

"Not necessarily the most obvious application to cooking but I find chemistry very useful in the kitchen and the analytic part is also useful in business."

YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING, "WHENLIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKELEMONADE." WELL, INSTEAD OFLEMONADE, HOW ABOUT A POP-UPRESTAURANT?AS REPORTER BRIANMAINS TELLS US, THAT'S EXACTLYWHAT ONE COLLEGE STUDENT DIDIN INDIAN HILL AFTER HISSUMMER INTERNSHIP WAS CANCELEDDUE TO COVID-19.NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD MICHAELWEIRICH PLANNED TO SPEND THISSUMMER PARTICIPATING IN APRESTIGIOUS COLLEGE CHEMICALENGINEERINGINTERNSHIP."I, unfortunately, lost myresearch position atVanderbilt University thissummer, which was my originalplan."THAT DIDN'T DETER THE INDIANHILL RESIDENT FROM MAKING THEMOST OF HIS SUMMER WHEN HERETURNED TO HIS FAMILY'S HOMEIN THESPRING."Having a lot of free time athome and noticing a lot ofpeople who would have beencelebrating birthdays or otherspecial events, includingmyself over the COVID period,had really no option to go outfor a nicedinner."WEIRICH WORKED WITH ONE OF HISFRIEND'S FATHERS TO REGISTERHIS POP-UP RESTAURANT CONCEPT,CONFLUENCE, AS A LIMITED-LIABILITY CORPORATION WITH THESTATE OFOHIO."I figured it would be a nicemarket to open my ownrestaurant where there wouldbe a really small number ofpeople, you know separatedapart, no one before or afteryou."STARTING THIS SATURDAY,WEIRICH, ALONG WITH A SMALLSTAFF THAT INCLUDES HISYOUNGER BROTHER AND A CLOSEFRIEND, WILL START SERVINGFOOD TASTINGS IN HIS FAMILY'SHOME EACH WEEKEND.

HIS PLAN ISTO DO THIS UNTIL HE RETURNS TOVANDERBILT IN MID-AUGUST TOCONTINUE HIS STUDIES INCHEMICAL ENGINEERING.WEIRICHSAID THE NAME OF HIS BUSINESS,CONFLUENCE REFLECTS HISLONGTIME LOVE OF COOKING ANDHIS STUDIES ATVANDERBILT."Not necessarily the mostobvious application to cookingbut I find chemistry veryuseful in the kitchen and theanalytic part is also usefulinbusiness."WEIRICH PLANS TO SERVE NO MORETHAN 10 PEOPLE DURING EACHPOP-UP TASTING, WHICH HE WILLHOLD EITHER IN HIS FAMILY'SDINING ROOM OR ON THE BACKYARDPATIO."Actually, the last two dayswe've had our kind of softopening for some friends wewere running through theservice with, doing prettymuch all of thedishes."TO SEE CONFLUENCE'S FULL MENUAND LEARN HOW YOU CAN RESERVEYOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE VISITWCPO.COM.

I'M BRIAN MAINS FORWCPO 9 NEWS.