After a successful transfer and expansion of the liquor license earlier this week, the new owners of Pickett’s Village Bar on Millburn Avenue in Maplewood completed the purchase of the building and business this week, with plans to reopen in a few weeks.
It’s welcome news to local fans of the popular bar and restaurant.
“Well this is an exciting weekend!” said Deputy Mayor Malia Herman at the Maplewood Alcoholic Beverage Control Board meeting on Sept. 23. “Congratulations!”
“I just want to know when are you going to be open for drinks?” asked Maplewood Township Committeewoman Jane Collins-Colding.
Pickett’s Village Bar
“That was my question too,” joked Committeeman Dean Dafis.
“Hopefully in a couple of weeks,” said Rohit Gera, representing the new ownership entity, Seven Spirits Inc.
The transfer included an expansion of the licensed premises to include the second floor.
In a press release, the old and new owners announced that “seasoned chef and operator” Erica Hernandez would lead the kitchen, “with longtime restaurateur Hugh Preece as her partner.”
“The two plan to make Pickett’s a neighborhood Italian American bar with handcrafted food, an expanded wine program and the same warm welcome regulars know,” read the release.
“We’re keeping everything people love about it and bringing in the Italian American cooking I’ve built my career on,” said Hernandez. “With Hugh leading our wine program, guests will get to explore Italian wine with someone who knows it inside and out. We can’t wait to get started.”
Original partners Heidi Hovland, Beth and Doug Sasfai, and Brinton Brosius and Ashlee Anthony said they were sad to let go “but also excited for what comes next.” Pickett’s is named for Hovland’s husband Jim Pickett who passed away in 2018 before Pickett’s opened.
“Jim wanted Pickett’s to be a place where people felt at home, and the community made that happen,” wrote Hovland. “All of us who started Pickett’s feel that Erica and Hugh share that spirit and have the experience to build on it. We know Jim would be glad to see Pickett’s in their hands, and so are we.”
Read the press release from Sept. 25, 2026 here:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Erica Hernandez and Hugh Preece Take Over
Pickett’s Village Bar, Bringing an Italian American Menu and
New Wine Program to Maplewood/South Orange
The name stays as the new owners begin the bar’s next chapter
MAPLEWOOD, N.J., September 25, 2026 — Erica Hernandez, a seasoned chef and operator, has taken ownership of Pickett’s Village Bar, with longtime restaurateur Hugh Preece as her partner. The two plan to make Pickett’s a neighborhood Italian American bar with handcrafted food, an expanded wine program and the same warm welcome regulars know.
“Pickett’s has always been a true neighborhood place, and I’m honored to carry it forward,” said Hernandez. “We’re keeping everything people love about it and bringing in the Italian American cooking I’ve built my career on. With Hugh leading our wine program, guests will get to explore Italian wine with someone who knows it inside and out. We can’t wait to get started.”
With Preece, an Italian Wine Ambassador, at the table, wine will be central to the new Pickett’s. Plans include a wine list designed to broaden guests’ palates, wine education classes, guided tastings and wine dinners paired with the kitchen’s dishes, for curious beginners and experienced wine lovers alike.
About the new owners
Hernandez brings more than 30 years of hospitality experience in both the kitchen and the dining room. A graduate of the San Juan School of Hospitality, she began her career at the historic Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan and worked in top Puerto Rico restaurants before moving to Florida, where she rose from executive sous chef to general manager and managing partner with Orange Lake Resorts, Benihana and Maggiano’s. Most recently she was Executive Chef at Salt Creek, and she is known to many as “The Charcuterie Lady” for her custom charcuterie boards.
Preece has more than four decades as a restaurateur and hospitality specialist, helping restaurants run with consistency, profitability and heart. He is an Italian Wine Ambassador, WSET-certified wine educator and author, and makes wine approachable and fun for his followers as @fermented_boss on Instagram.
The name stays
Pickett’s is named after founding partner Jim Pickett, who passed away in 2018 before he could see his vision come to life. To build on the strong foundation already established, the name will not change. As the original partners – Heidi Hovland, Beth and Doug Sasfai, and Brinton Brosius and Ashlee Anthony – pass Pickett’s on to Erica and Hugh, they are sad to let go but also excited for what comes next.
“Jim wanted Pickett’s to be a place where people felt at home, and the community made that happen,” said Heidi Hovland, Jim’s wife and one of the founding partners. “All of us who started Pickett’s feel that Erica and Hugh share that spirit and have the experience to build on it. We know Jim would be glad to see Pickett’s in their hands, and so are we.”
Updates on the menu and wine events will be posted at pickettsvillage.bar and on Instagram.
