Published March 27, 2003 in issue 0212 of The Hook

By COURTENEY STUART

The buzz from Belmont restaurant Mas' recent arrival hasn't even died down, and the brand new tapas bar is already changing hands.

"Mas is going to have a new owner," says architect Katie Swenson, who opened the restaurant with her husband, Kirby Vernon, in late January.

So what in the world made the couple sell?

"We realized our vision," Swenson says, "and we found someone who can take it to the next level."

That someone, reliable sources tell The Hook, is none other than Coran Capshaw, DMB manager and backer of such local eateries as Blue Light Grill and Starr Hill Restaurant and Brewery.

Well, can Swenson confirm or deny those reports? "I can't do that," she responds. Neither will she comment on whether she and her husband have sold the central Belmont building that houses both Mas and an upstairs yoga studio.

What Swenson will say is that the Mas concept will remain unchanged (with the patio opening in the next few weeks). She says she can't predict whether the staff will stay or go, though Mas chef Tomas Rehal says he will stay on. The Hook's calls to Capshaw went unreturned by press time.

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