Nolia is name of Centennial restaurant formerly known as Dig In Eats – Colorado Community Media

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Jade Belanger, left, rinses a glass behind the bar of Nolia Restaurant in Centennial on the afternoon of September 20. 

Self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur Lilli Black has infused a bit of her heritage into her recently renamed restaurant in Centennial.

Nolia Restaurant, formerly Dig In Eats, serves small plates of European and Louisiana-style cuisine from a 3,000-square-foot spot in Willow Creek Shopping Center at the intersection of Quebec Street and County Line Road.

“I love to eat small plates and different flavors and bites. … I basically made a menu of things I wanted to eat,” Black told Colorado Community Media. The restaurant also offers a selection of paninis and salads along with an ever-changing stuffed fresh pasta special, customizable charcuterie boards and an extensive wine list.

Although she’s lived in the Centennial State since 1999, Black grew up between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana. There, she said, nothing is made quickly. That lack of speed, however, adds depth to the dishes the state is known for, according to Black.

“There’s so much love and attention to the flavors that are in the food,” she said. “That’s so important in Louisiana cuisine, that sort of slow love.”

Black, who also has a plant store and a wedding planning business, opened her eatery on Nov. 11 last year. After receiving feedback from customers that the original name was too casual for the type of food she was preparing, she decided to crowdsource a new moniker. She solicited suggestions in local food-oriented Facebook groups and through her weekly email newsletter.

“Magnolia” was proposed by two people from Denver. Black liked it and shortened the word to Nolia.

“I grew up in South Louisiana and my property had tons of magnolia trees so it’s sort of nostalgic for me,” she said.

Owner Lilli Black, center, reviews the week’s upcoming specials list with employees Paulina Caballero and Eric Fitzsimons at Nolia, her restaurant in Centennial, on September 20.

Located in what was previously a chiropractor’s office and the bar of the now-defunct Mama Roma restaurant, Nolia’s two dining rooms are decorated with art from Craig Black, the owner’s father. One room is festooned with a sculpted relief mural of greenery over a cobblestone wall. The other is decked out with a collection of his black-and-white paintings.

Designing the second room to have a simple, neutral aesthetic was important to Black who wanted the space to do double duty as a place for private parties.

“You can have everything from a baby shower to a wedding to a celebration of life in there,” she said, “and it works depending on what you bring in.”

The room also regularly hosts Nolia’s live music events and special seven-course dinners, complete with wine pairings.

And while Black said she has “unlimited” business ideas bouncing around in her brain, she doesn’t have plans to start anything new just yet. Tending three companies keeps her busy. But she said she wouldn’t spend her time any other way.

“Running my businesses is what I love to do.”

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