As Christmas approaches, a special gift is in the works for the West Volusia community: Hunter’s Restaurant is returning to Downtown DeLand!

Well, sort of.

Taylor Bass has named the restaurant she’s opening at 111 E. Rich Ave. Hunters & Gatherers, as an homage to the landmark hometown diner operated by the Hunter family in DeLand from 1949 to 2022.

Bass chose the name with the Hunter family’s permission and support, to honor a restaurant where she and her family were longtime regular customers.

She signed the lease in October for the spot that was Hunter’s fourth and final location in Downtown DeLand. The 2,208-square-foot space was also home to Bellini’s Deli & Restaurant from 1974 to 2021.

Bellini’s owner Scott Groth still owns the building, and is now landlord to Bass’s new venture.

It will be her fourth DeLand business. Bass also owns Bake Chop Artisan Kitchen on Artisan Alley, the Venue 142 event space on North Woodland Boulevard, and Bake Chop Market on Spring Garden Avenue.

She and her husband, Justin Bass, are also the parents of two small children, and he’s a lieutenant with the DeLand Fire Department.

Taylor Bass said the location’s history as home to beloved DeLand restaurants was one of the attractions that helped her decide to open the new eatery.

Another was the size of the dining room, with four times more seats than at Bake Chop.

The larger number of seats will allow Bass to do what she cannot do at Bake Chop: encourage people to gather and linger. The “Gatherers” part of the name refers to that, as well as to the concept of gathering fresh fruits and vegetables.

Plush seats, comfy pillows, pitchers of water on the tables, soft lighting and table games will emphasize to guests that they are invited to stay a while. 

And while Hunters & Gatherers will specialize in breakfast — a Hunter’s Restaurant mainstay — there will be big differences between the old restaurant and the new one.

First, Hunters & Gatherers will have a full liquor license. And, fresh, cold-pressed juices. And breakfast will not be only the usual eggs and toast.

“I love breakfast,” Bass said. “When I want breakfast, I want something that will sustain me all day.”

While the menu is still being developed, expect rolled omelettes, prime rib, lots of veggies, yogurt bowls and grains among the options. 

Hunters & Gatherers will maintain the commitment to high-quality, carefully sourced ingredients that is the backbone of Bake Chop, but Bass is working to make the two restaurants distinctly different.

Hunters & Gatherers will be open for brunch 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and from 5:30-10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The brunch menu will stay the same all day, while small plates will be the evening fare, with patrons able to choose meat and vegetable options off an a la carte list.

The fresh-pressed juice — an dietary option Bass has been missing on a personal level since the Beeatroot juice bar closed in late 2023 — will be served standalone, or as an ingredient in craft cocktails and smoothies. Think beet juice with gin and basil, for example.

Three or four soups will be on the menu at all times.

Bass expects Hunters & Gatherers to employ between 20 and 25 staff members (compared to Bake Chop’s 23), and most of them are already on board for an opening Bass has planned before Christmas.

Currently, chefs and other staff members are painting and arranging furniture, as the team completes mostly cosmetic changes to the building that was last open as an Asian restaurant.

Bass invites the community to watch for the opening and stop by for “good food and good drinks.”