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Back Forty Chef to Open Farm-to-Table Restaurant on Franklin Ave.

 Chef Shanna Pacifico hopes to open a farm-to-table restaurant on Franklin Avenue this summer.
Chef Shanna Pacifico hopes to open a farm-to-table restaurant on Franklin Avenue this summer.
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Shanna Pacifico

CROWN HEIGHTS — For nearly a decade, Shanna Pacifico has worked on perfecting market-driven cuisine at the Alphabet City restaurant Back Forty and its West Village counterpart Back Forty West.

Now, she's planning a third restaurant on quickly transforming Franklin Avenue.

The eatery, which does not yet have a name, is set to open this summer with an emphasize on fresh ingredients with inspiration from Pacifico's roots, she said.

“I’m Brazilian, I worked in Spain, I worked in Portugal, I’ve lived in New York for 15 years,” she said. “It’s going to be a mix.”

The new 45-seat spot will serve only dinner at the beginning, with the possibility of brunch later, Pacifico, 34, said.

She's considering doing whole-animal butchering — one of her specialties — for “head-to-hoof” dinner specials. But no matter what the meal, Pacifico said she will make an effort to use sustainable, locally sourced ingredients.

“I buy from so many different people and there are so many great farms around this area — the tri-state area, upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,” she said, adding that scouring the Union Square Greenmarket has been part of her daily routine for years.

Though Pacifico does not have prices fixed yet for the spot, she said it will not be "super expensive."

“Obviously some things depend on the market, and the prices will fluctuate, but we’re definitely not going for fine dining," she said. "I know that for sure.”

Plates on Back Forty's dinner menu range from $10 to $28.

Pacifico hopes to serve beer, wine and “classic cocktails” made with liquor from local distilleries. The New York State Liquor Authority is reviewing her application for a full liquor license, filed in late April, online records show.

Pacifico and her business partners hopes to open the new restaurant in late June or early July after renovations wrap up in the Franklin Avenue location, which most recently was the Moroccan-themed Israeli restaurant Fez Hummus Bar.

“It just seemed like a great opportunity,” Pacifico said about the project, adding that her commute from her Bushwick home is a big plus.

“I’m excited about being in Brooklyn. I like it. I get to ride my bike to work.”