A New Place To “Gather” in the Dayton Arcade

It’s been a long time coming, between COVID, supply chain issues and more, but GATHER by Ghostlight will officially host a ribbon cutting at 11am Thursday, August 31. Described on their website as “A gathering place that offers craft coffee, fast casual breakfast & lunch, as well as sharable small plates, wine, beer, and cocktails in the evening, with local art, live music and events.” Mike Elsass Studio here for a meet and greet and a Jazz ensemble staring at 8pm. They’ll be open until 10pm Thursday celebrating.

Owner Shane Anderson is creating a caffeine inspired empire here in the Miami Valley. The original Ghostlight Coffee opened on Wayne Avenue in 2011. He then added a second shop, Ghostlight Midtown on Patterson in 2019. In 2021 Ghostlight Centerville Coffee Bar & Bagel Shop opened inside Dot’s Market. May of 2022 brought on Dough, located in the 2nd Street Market. In June of 2023 he opened a new production facility in the former space of Belmont Bakery. The vision he had for Gather
was a more upscale spot that could infuse the culture, history, and flavors of coffee and the traditions of European apéro into its Arcade location. He had the vision he wanted to develop and he brought in some heavy hitters to consult with him to make it happen.

Evan Danielson, who many may remember from when he worked at the original Ghostlight coffee shop on Wayne Avenue a dozen or so years ago, then moved to Nashville, became a sommelier and now works in the wholesale beverage industry has bee tasked with creating the beverage program for Gather.The restaurant will feature a selection of both regular and zero-proof beer, wines and spirits, with an added focus on aperitifs, spritzes and digestifs. The wine menu will be mostly European wines which Evan says are more food friendly, with 8-10 whites and reds by the bottle, a few sparkling and roses as well as wines by the glass and will change often. Look forward to tasting experiences to come in the attached Dana L. Wiley Gallery space.

To help set the food menu, Shane hired Chef Jenn DiSanto, who ran her own Fresco catering business, cooking for many high end events in the community. “After the last few years, we’re all still learning how to Gather and I look forward to us setting the standard for how we can do that,” shared DiSanto.

Following Shane’s vision for European flair, she’s including trends she spotted on a recent family vacation to Europe. She, along with kitchen manager Chris Coherd have worked to bring forth a menu that will be inspired by seasonal product availability. They’ve pulled together a talented kitchen crew, with 2 CIA graduates, a current Sinclair Culinary student and a couple of Ghostlight veterans.

I got to try the Mojo Braised Pork sandwich when I visited and I was totally impressed with the flavors that melded together to make this a must-try sandwich.

A peek at the opening menu, which is a work still in progress:

Additionally, Gather by Ghostlight will welcome – featuring Mike Elsass in the 39 W. Fourth Street portion of the space. Guests will enjoy the works of Elsass and other featured artists in addition to private events, programmed talks, and live music amongst the curated art.

When I visited yesterday the bar staff were setting up, opening boxes of glassware and looking forward to mixing drinks and introducing the Apero hours to Dayton.