Pomona ready to party at grand opening celebration in downtown Lake Worth Beach
The team behind Ravish Off Ocean in Lantana has enjoyed a successful soft opening at 717 Lake Ave. since July 16
Alexandra Dupuis knows all about the revolving door of restaurants that have come and gone over the past five years at the southeast corner of Lake Avenue and South J Street.
But the 32-year-old co-owner of the successful Lantana restaurant Ravish Off Ocean is convinced that her second kitchen — Pomona — will blossom into a long-term destination spot at the downtown Lake Worth Beach corner.
Pomona debuted July 16 at 717 Lake Ave. with a promising soft opening and sneak preview of Chef Johnny DeMartini’s comfort-inspired cuisine and beverage manager Janina Silva’s fun cocktails.
A grand opening ribbon-cutting celebration, at 5 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 28, will announce Pomona’s official arrival as downtown’s newest community partner, a place locals can consider a home away from home.
Owned and operated by the Ravish team of Dupuis, her husband Jordan Rambin and their business partner Scott Clifford, Pomona will be open at 3 p.m. every day and close at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Named after the ancient Roman goddess of abundance, a fitting theme for Pomona’s varied food and drink selections, the restaurant offers:
Two happy hours, from 3 to 6 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to closing.
Food until 30 minutes before closing. That means weekend warriors can order as late as 1:30 a.m.
A football season schedule, starting Aug. 30 when Pomona opens on weekends at 11:30 a.m. to serve game specials.
Staff members familiar with Lake Worth Beach’s unique vibe.
“It's going to work because I'm a product of the community,’’ said Dupuis, who has received guidance and advice from, among many others, former Lake Worth Beach mayor Pam Triolo and Gulfstream Hotel general Manager Lawrence Cassanti.
“If you are not a part of them or listen to them or hear what they have to say and get feedback,’’ she said, “then you're not setting yourself up for success.’’
Subculture veteran
A 2010 Santaluces High School graduate, Dupuis is a Subculture Group alumnus who helped owner Rodney Mayo grow his popular roster of bars, eateries and nightclubs. As general manager from 2015-18, she launched Voltaire’s Lair, Lost Weekend and Kapow! on Clematis Street’s trendy 500 block in downtown West Palm Beach.
In 2023, she and Rambin opened Ravish Off Ocean in Lantana and quickly built a loyal following (including Lantana Mayor Karen Lythgoe).
But she said she has always been drawn to the architecture and artsy vibe of downtown Lake Worth Beach. (Her first house was on E Street).
And she has always been attracted to historic structures. Among them: the 1926 building at 717 Lake Ave. that longtime locals remember as the home of L’Anjou, a popular French restaurant that enjoyed a 33-year run after opening in 1977 (and scoring a cameo in the 1981 classic “Body Heat”).
After L’Anjou closed, Callaro’s Steak House came next in 2012 before closing in 2020 because of the pandemic. After that, two Mexican places came and went, followed by celebrity chef Todd English, whose Italian-themed Lula’s shuttered in late May after just seven months.
Inspired by the success of Ravish, Dupuis and Rambin wanted to open a second restaurant. She said they had looked at 717 Lake Ave. several times before English opened Lula’s.
When Lula’s closed, she went back to the building’s owner, Bhavin Shah, and worked out a deal.
Pomona “quietly” opened July 16, and the new restaurant built a steady following through word-of-mouth buzz and creative social media teases of the food, cocktails and decor.
Team Pomona
Dupuis has surrounded herself with a solid team.
Clifford, a veteran of the San Francisco and Portland bar scene, was part of Max’s Social House, Sweetwater, 123 Datuura and Elisabetta’s in Delray Beach.
Director of Operations David Murray, a Lake Worthian with strong community ties, oversees both Ravish and Pomona.
Ryan Giffin, a Santaluces High graduate, is an investor in Ravish and helped make the expansion to Lake Worth Beach possible.
Chef DeMartini “is a mastermind with flavor,’’ Dupuis said. Among the highlights on his Pomona menu of modern American cuisine:
Fried chickpeas hit with Cheetos dust
Green goddess dip
Coconut ceviche (brought from Ravish)
A fried green tomato sandwich
Crispy beef lo mein
Smash burgers
House-brined fried chicken (by the piece or by the bucket).
And if you order the footlong wagyu hot dog (loaded with shredded cabbage, bacon and potato sticks), you’ll get your Polaroid taken and displayed on Pomona’s “hot dog wall.’’
Beverage manager Silva designed a cocktail menu featuring beer, wine and fun concoctions, including:
Hemingway Daiquiris
Old Fashioned
Espresso Martinis
Rum-based Blue Dreams
A combination beer-and-shot
South J Street Revival
Dupuis has already started Pomona’s outreach as a partner with the community and nearby businesses.
During the soft opening, Pomona hosted the L Dub Run Club and a happy hour fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. On Tuesday, Aug. 26, seven bartenders will compete from noon to 3 p.m. in a daiquiri-making contest, showcasing Diplomatico Rum and offering complimentary bites.
Her team created a special menu for the South J Street nightclub Propaganda, which abuts the back of Pomona. Patrons watching bands can scan a QR code and have Pomona food delivered through a door connecting the two establishments.
And Pomona is taking the lead in planning for a J Street Block Party on Halloween featuring bands, vendors and a costume contest.
“We are the cool area of Lake Worth,’’ she said. “We are excited to bring our street alive.’’
Dupuis also designs and builds restaurants as an account manager for Commercial Kitchen Stop, a Palm Springs business owned by Giffin.
She’s helping her old boss, Mayo, prepare for the estimated December opening of Man Ray in the old CWS spot on Lucerne Avenue and the fall opening of the food hall Hacienda in downtown West Palm.
Mayo said Dupuis has a great feel for what customers like. That’s why he thinks Pomona will be a great success.
“She gets it,’’ he said.
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