THEORY IN THE NEWS

By M.E. Jones

PUBLISHED: August 26, 2025 at 2:36 AM EDT

AYER — A sidewalk stroll along Main Street these days is a bit like an urban bistro-tour, small scale, with plain and fancy dining options on both sides of the street.

Now, there’s one more: The Ravioli Theory, which opened this spring at 25 Main Street, the same corner locale once occupied by its popular predecessor, Bar25, whose owner held a contest to find a new tenant. Amid social media buzz, the contest winner was announced at a ticketed event last year.

Business partners Terrell Wilson and Matt Lucas, both experienced chefs, won the contest. Apparently, when all things were considered, their concept for The Ravioli Theory was the best fit.

“We were the only one offering a full food option,” Wilson said.

In a recent interview, the two owners talked about how their respective backgrounds led to a business partnership and how winning the contest helped an entrepreneurial vision become a reality.

They met at a Sudbury restaurant, where they each worked at different times and for a while, together. Lucas, whose after-college resume includes “18 to 20 years” of trade experience, was poised to move south for another job, he said. But Wilson convinced him to stay. The business was expanding, and they helped it grow, he said.

“We built a great working relationship,” Wilson said. He had recently returned after a stint with a famous hotel chain, a job that involved travel as part of a “chef’s task force,” readying new hotels opening up in far-flung locations, “everywhere from Caribbean countries to Hong Kong,” he said.

When Lucas pitched the idea of opening their own restaurant, Wilson wasn’t keen, but he warmed to it, they said.

When a friend sent them the contest’s on-line link, they were leery at first, but after looking into it, they entered, not knowing how many contestants they had to outdo. About 65, they learned later. The contest was settled in July, 2024, they said. It took the rest of the year to iron out details, complete the permit process and transfer the lease, which, at that point, had 3 1/2 years to go.

When they finally moved in, the small dining room, with its working fireplace and tall, front-facing windows, had “five or six” tables for two. Replacing them with pedestal-style tables — easily moved to regroup — they added one more. Rustic dark-wood tabletops — the handiwork of Matt’s brother, Nate Lucas, a Vermont woodworker — compliment creamy white walls.

There’s more seating at the bar in the adjoining room, with a couple of roomy booths beyond.

Wilson and Lucas hope that as word gets around, The Ravioli Theory becomes as busy as Bar 25 once was. That hasn’t happened yet, but it’s early days and business has been building, they said.

“We started slow, with a soft opening,” Wilson said, with better turnout at a full opening, later on.

Hours, posted on the website are: Wednesday and Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4-11 p.m., and Sunday, 4-9 p.m. Plus, weekly Sunday brunch, 9 a.m. To 3 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Eventually, they’d like to extend evening hours to “catch the late-night crowd,” the owners said, maybe to attract folks looking for a place that’s open after they get off work.

They offer lunch, brunch and dinner menus featuring an intriguing array of options: dishes with mixed and matched herbs and spices, flavors from other countries and cultures: Turkish, Greek, Dominican, Asian, Thai, French…the list goes on. Vegetarian choices, too. And exotic cocktails. “We try to be as different as possible,” Wilson said.

Prices range from “Namkeen small bites” appetizers to sandwiches, salads and flatbreads to dinner entrees from about $20, like the Tandoori chicken and waffle, to $32, for steak frites, the priciest item on the menu.

Overall, the menu is Epcot-like in its global grasp, like Disney’s one-stop world tour.

The lamb meatballs, for example, Wilson’s pick for house specialty, is a Mediterranean dish with a cross-cultural twist. “My mom is from the West Indies,” he said. Greek-inspired dishes feature pork, with signature spices and herbs.There are Indian and Asian dishes, too. And Italian. But no ravioli.

So what is the restaurant’s name all about?

“We’re heavy on the theory part,” Lucas said. They coined the phrase to fit a “flavor profile” garnered from eclectic tastes, educational and on-the-job experiences and blended cultural roots. And cookbooks. “I’m deep into cookbooks,” Wilson said.

“Every culture has a dish — like ravioli — in which the dough makes the dish,” he explained, like empanadas or samosas. But The Ravioli Theory doesn’t serve traditional Italian ravioli, which may surprise some customers. There’s plenty on the menu to please almost anyone’s palate, though.

As an extra perk, customers can get credits for each dollar spent. In time, the plan calls for a “passport” program, stamps and all, in keeping with the restaurant’s international theme.