Mauve Opens: 'It Feels So Good To Be Back In Our Element'

SHOREWOOD, IL — Months and months of renovations to a former yoga studio are over. At 3 p.m. Tuesday, Mauve Nosh & Libations opened for real. It's a crafted cocktail, wine and small plate bar owned by Nick Pena and Kala Bieniek Saunders.

"It's exciting," Pena told Joliet Patch's editor during Tuesday's grand opening gala. "We had a huge turnout of friends and family."

"It feels so good to be back in our element," remarked co-owner Bieniek Saunders.

Seating capacity at Mauve Nosh & Libations is about 45 people.

Now that Mauve is open, it will operate from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. It will be closed Sundays, the owners said.

Mauve features more than 40 wine varieties. Several of the wines are from Oregon, Washington and California. A number of wines come from Spain and Italy.

"We try to venture out," Pena said.

Mauve also has more than 30 varieties of crafted cocktails and different bourbons.

Mauve will be offering bourbon drink flights as well as Scotch, tequila and rum flights in the near future, the owners said.

Pena and Bieniek Saunders said they will have a wine club and bourbon club for patrons.

"Everyone in town has been so welcoming and waiting for something like this to open in the area," Bieniek Saunders said of Shorewood.

There's also plenty of food.

Mauve's kitchen staff is serving fondue and crafted small plates like duck rillette and charcuterie boards.

"Almost all the food is gluten-free," Bieniek Saunders said.

Mauve works with an organic farm in Lockport to get its vegetables and a cheese creamery in southern Illinois, Pena said.

The staff at Mauve also wants to see their neighboring businesses thrive.

For instance, Mauve is serving crafted beer brewed right next door at the Will County Brewing Company.

Mauve is located between Will County Brewing and the Happy Place Cafe restaurant. The address for Mauve is 1146 West Jefferson St.

"Mauve prides itself on seasonal food and drink crafted using local produce. With a combined 40+ years experience between owners and chefs, Mauve is ready to become your new hang out filled with food, family, friends, and friends who’ve become family," its website proclaims.

The owners are hoping Mauve becomes a popular destination, not just around Shorewood, but for the entire region of Joliet, Plainfield, Minooka, Channahon and beyond.

For years, people in the Joliet area have traveled to Chicago and Naperville for elegant wines and bourbons, Pena said. Now, "they can come here to get great food and cocktails," he said.

Patch asked Pena what kind of music Mauve will be playing.

"From country to classic rock to pop," he said. "There's a whole spectrum of different music."

From 6 to 9 p.m. this coming Friday and Saturday, Mauve will feature live acoustic music, Pena said.

The owners of Mauve said their selection includes a number of unique wines that are only sold as bottles, such as the Beckman Cabernet Sauvignon — it comes from Santa Ynez Valley, California and the Le Duc Noir — from Sonoma County, California.

To check out the entire selection of wines and food dishes, visit the Mauve website here.