A crowded little office littered with papers and boxes. The phone won’t stop ringing and enough people come through the door for it to be a second entrance. The cluttered desk Chris Chase sits at belongs to his manager, while his own work area consists of a wooden chair tucked in the corner of the office behind a file cabinet.

Chase jokes about the prestige associated with his title of co-owner and managing partner of Mare Ristorante. Mare is Italian for “sea,” and he ponders aloud how he came to purchase a restaurant big on seafood when he’s allergic to shellfish.

A lifelong Saratoga Springs resident, Chase grew up involved in the restaurant business and managed several places. Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to open a restaurant. Despite his affinity for the work and for people, it wasn’t until recently that he decided to pursue his dream.

The 39-year-old bought the Mediterranean style restaurant located at 17 Maple Ave. this past May. David Zecchini originally opened Mare in March 2006; it had previously been Luna Lounge.

“I was going to own a restaurant at some point,” Chase says. “So, I took the leap. It was the right time to go out on a limb.”

Married with two young sons, Chase says his kids wouldn’t even know or be greatly affected if things don’t work out. He doesn’t see that happening though.

Chase, who worked as a tenth grade history teacher at Saratoga Springs High School for a few years, is well known in the area for his accomplishments with the rowing team he created a little more than a decade ago. After winning numerous state and national championships, he says the challenge has run its course for him.

“I went as far as I could with it. This is the next challenge,” Chase says. “Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”

Initially, Chase figured he’d buy a restaurant which could seat roughly 40 people. Today, he has the capacity for approximately 10 times that.

Mare has two fully equipped kitchens, a lounge with a bar, DJ and dance floor, a courtyard frequently featuring live music and a variety of different spaces to eat, drink and relax. One of these spaces is the jazz room, which seats up to 70 people. Chase refers to it as such because Jill Hughes used to perform there; he hopes to bring her back.

People can rent the restaurant for banquets, corporate functions, small weddings and parties. Not wanting Mare to be defined as one thing, Chase says “it can be anything it needs to be on any given day.”

The menu’s ingredients and prices have changed, but Chase believes the eatery has retained the same level of elegance and class. His goal is to provide people with an affordably priced fine dining experience that tourists and locals alike feel they can embrace and share.

“I want this to be a year-round destination for people to come and have a great time,” he says.

So far, Chase says things have worked out well and there’s been a phenomenal response. In the future, he plans to have themed dinners every other week. The owner doesn’t believe the challenge of Mare will wear off any time soon.

“Not until I’ve maximized the potential of this place,” Chase says. “I think I’ll have my hands full for a long time.”

Mare Ristorante is open seven days a week. Lunch starts at noon every day but Sunday, dinner begins at 5 p.m. daily and the bars close around 2 p.m. For more information, call 583-6955 or visit www.mareristorante.com, which is in the process of being updated.