Meet the Owner: David Sheridan of Wheated

Take a walk down Church Avenue, and it's not hard to notice that a lot of action is happening at 905 Church Ave. Formerly the home of NYC ICY, the place is now being revamped and reworked to house Wheated, a new pizza place and cocktail bar.

It's a welcome addition to the Avenue that has recently seen an uptick in business and foot traffic with the additions of AM Thai and Lark Cafe. Behind the new business is David Sheridan, a Brooklyn native and pizza enthusiast who is just happy to become part of the Ditmas Park landscape. 

Making a Passion a Career

Though he grew up in Kentucky until he was in high school, Sheridan was born in (and returned to) Brooklyn and raised by an Italian mother, making food a very big part of his life. 

"I built a wood fire oven in my backyard and would have pizza parties for friends," Sheridan said. "Pizza is something people are really passionate about. And the beauty of pizza is that you don't have to have a chef background to excel at it." 

And though he always enjoyed making food and sharing it with others, but it was not until Sheridan lost his job as a marketing manager two years ago that he decided to pursue this passion as a career. 

"When I lost my job, it pushed this to the forefront, and I got serious about the restaurant," he said. 

With the support his wife, Kim McAdam, Sheridan got to work on making the dream of owning a restaurant a reality. 

Location, Location, Location

While the couple knew they wanted to open a restaurant and had an idea of what they wanted to serve, finding a place to make this happen was a challenge. 

Sheridan said he and McAdam searched for the right spot for a long time, and had considered this area since the get-go. "We passed on three or four places before this... and we had looked [on this avenue] a year ago," he said. "AM Thai and Lark didn't exist at that point. But Jan Rosenberg [at Hearth Realty] said this was an up-and-coming area."

So the pair looked again, and found their home in 905 Church Ave. "It was like an otherwordly intervention," he said with a laugh. "This area needs more restaurants. It needs a bar." 

What and When to Look Forward to 

With a name that comes from Sheridan's and McAdam's appreciation for that particular style of bourbon whiskey, it's safe to assume Wheated will be a destination point for all things related to specialty cocktails and pizza. 

"These are passions of mine and my wife-- We would travel to try a pizza place or a cocktail joint," Sheridan noted, saying the duo has journeyed as far as San Francisco and Montreal to sample the best of the best. "We want to put something together that embodies what we enjoy." 

Sheridan said he plans on sticking to what can be done best and will not stray into many other menu items. "We'll serve pizza and a couple of salads," he said. "This will help us focus and help us offer the best products." 

Wheated will also come to be known for its specialty sodas, Sheridan said. "We do intend to do a soda program," he said. 

Sheridan has concocted more than a dozen differen syrups that can be incorporated into specialty cockails, or stand alone as sodas. "Many pair well with pizza," he said. 

But when will Ditmas Parkers be indulge in these treats? Soon, Sheridan said. "The goal is to be completed in December and open in January," he noted.