The long-anticipated opening of the Tuscan Kitchen will become a reality March 1 when the doors open for dinner at 581 Lafayette Road. This week, the restaurant was bustling with employees completing their fourth week of training, with chefs and cooks in the open kitchen and others serving artistically plated rustic Italian cuisine to staff. 

This is the second Tuscan Kitchen to open in New Hampshire. The first one opened in Salem in November 2010, and there is just one other location in Burlington, Massachusetts. "My dad made me try everything growing up," said executive chef Nimesh Maharjan. "I never said no, and it brought to me a love of food."