Elliott’s Craft Kitchen, an eatery focused on seasonal ingredients and local produce, is eyeing an opening for February in Columbia.

Owner Ryan Fichter said the cuisine will be from scratch and chef-crafted before a hearing of the Howard County Board of License Commissioners on Tuesday, during which Fichter was approved for a liquor license.

The goal is to showcase Howard County farmers and Maryland agriculture, Fichter said. While the eatery is under construction, he is looking to connect with farms in the area as part of that initiative.

“We’re not a corporate chain. … We’re going to focus on the uniqueness of food that’s not your cookie-cutter stuff,” he said.

As the owner and chef proprietor, Fichter will oversee operations in the front and back of house within the 5,700-square-foot space at 8330 Benson Road. The eatery is expected to have room for about 290 people, he said.

With one bar, Fichter aims to run a liquor program expected to make up to 25% of the company’s total revenue. He’s also working to build partnerships with local breweries and distilleries.

The food and beverage offerings may be reminiscent of Victoria Gastro Pub at 8201 Snowden River Parkway, according to Fichter, who was asked about potential competitors by the Board of License Commissioners. But Elliot’s Craft Kitchen will set itself apart with Fichter’s “upscale flair,” which the chef said he cultivated at New York’s Culinary Institute of America, as well as large restaurant and hotels.

The Howard County native spent part of his 30-plus-year career working at Ritz Carltons in Hawaii and Florida. He’s also helped operate Thunder Burger, a Washington, D.C., hamburger restaurant, where he ran the beverage program, and formerly served as general manager of Georgetown’s Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar.

A second Columbia eatery that appeared before Tuesday’s commissioners, Celia’s Cuban Cuisine, withdrew its application for a liquor license over concerns the entry submitted by the restaurant’s operator for 6420 Freetown Road was incomplete. During the hearing, Charley Sung — chair of the Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board, which works with the liquor board to process applications — advised owner Edgar Reynoso that his application “could get denied” if his resubmission did not adequately disclose his legal history, including more than two dozen traffic violations and write-ups incurred at his other businesses, including Mad Cow Grill in Laurel, the former Mad Cow location in Brandywine and the Blvck Cow in Bowie.

Late Tuesday night, a newsletter from “Chef Ed” was sent to those who signed up for updates from Celia’s Cuban Cuisine that said the eatery’s menu had been posted. “We will let you know when we have our opening date,” it said.

On the Howard County Eats Facebook page, Reynoso cross-posted the menu and said the restaurant would be open “hopefully early February.”

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that Charley Sung is the chair of the Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board.