Growing Food Roots in Eastern, NC: Carryout by Chrislyn

BY CHRISTINA RUOTOLO PHOTOS BY DEBORAH GRIFFIN

For the last five years, Chrislyn Beresheim has been creating recipes, cooking, baking, winning awards, giving back and shaping her home-spun business, Carryout by Chrislyn in the charming waterfront town of Washington, N.C.. Hailing from the north, Chrislyn has family food roots that run deep because food has always been the centerpiece of her family. Good times, hard times, anytime, food was a companion to her life’s experiences, and it all started in her family’s restaurant. “My family owned a restaurant, deli and bread business, so

I was raised around good food made from scratch and ethnic foods that typical families in the 70’s didn’t experience,” she said. “Ethnicity ruled my food education, from knishes to braciole to sauerbraten to corned beef. It was thrilling to see how culturally people cling to their heritage through their recipes and techniques. I can remember my Irish grandmother brining the corned beef for days, boiling a cow’s tongue and frying her toast in bacon fat and lots of beer. The Italian side burst out with the fresh tomatoes turning into sauce, fennel-flavored sausage with peppers and onions, canolis, struffoli and lots of wine and loud voices. My German family created Rouladen, Spaetzle, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, Ginger Snaps and Apple Streudel.” Growing up in the 80’s when processed foods became popular and realizing her unique exposure to all of these ethnicities,

Chrislyn realized that the average person didn't see food in this way. “Many of my friends had a very basic palate due to their experiences,” she said, “and I was able to introduce them to a whole new world of sensations.” Her love for baking continued to grow and as young as 12, she was learning the art of cooking. “My father placed in first and third place in the Culinary Olympics, and I trained with a pastry chef in the art of pastilllage. It was at this pivotal point that I realized pastry arts was not a passion of mine, I wanted to focus on the flavors and presentation of gourmet foods.” Fast forward 20 years. After a move “down south” to North Carolina, Chrislyn started cooking for many non-for-profit groups (schools, churches, Boy Scouts) on a volunteer basis. After doing this in the Washington and Greenville area for 10 years, she had numerous people contacting her to cater for them. Before she opened her shop, she had a following of customers. “That is why I opened,” she said. “With the support of many close friends, I started my search for a location. After a six-month search, a perfect divine alignment occurred between myself and a longtime friend.” That turned into her take-out business, Carryout by Chrislyn located a few blocks from downtown and the river. Carryout by Chrislyn is the Original Washington’s Foodery. A foodery is similar to a bakery, where customers come in and select homemade food to bring home to enjoy. Select from a variety of freshly made items from pasta salad, pimento cheese, soups, and an a variety of other side dishes sold by the plate, pound, or pint. Their inspiration is “Sophisticated Grandma,” a foodery that creates dishes like Grandma did but with a twist and a little healthier (although not to compromise taste). The food CBC makes is what Chrislyn would serve her own family and friends and she is proud of it. It is made from fresh, raw ingredients that Grandma would have used: whole raw potatoes, carrots, onions, not processed and cut up in a bag. The meats and seafood are raw and cooked fresh to order. They say their food is “homemade” because CBC has the only commercial kitchen in an 1889 home in Washington! The foodery boils its chicken to make stock to create sauces, soups and gravies. The chicken then becomes chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings (northern fluffy white dumplings that sit on top), chicken and pastry and chicken salad (Southern, cranberry pecan and Lemon dill).” CBC’s servers and chefs thoroughly enjoy what they do, and it shows in their creations. They specialize in a variety of culinary options for their clients with specific dietary needs. “I opened carryout because I had a song to sing from my heart that was delivered in food on a plate,” Chrislyn said. “There is a

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genuine love that I put into the craftsmanship of my food that showcases the best that I have to offer. I want to make sure if you are spending your (time, money, calories) that it is the best I can make. We have two people taste our food before it is served to our clients. In order to be served on a continual basis at our shop and in our catering, that food item needs to be epic.” Over the last five years between catering events, cooking for charity events, and day-to-day sales, Chrislyn has racked up an impressive list of awards, all a testament to her popularity, not just in the food industry, but her dedication in assisting the community. Her awards include the Southern Star, DORS of the Beaufort County Chamber (Doing Outstanding Remarkable Service) award, the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year award presented by the Washington Chamber of Commerce, Grand Marshall of 2018 Washington Christmas Parade, 2018 N.C. Governor’s award for Volunteerism, Rena K Terrell Good Neighbor 2019, and favorite caterer, sandwich and boss in Washington Daily News’s Reader’s Choice awards multiple times over the last few years. It’s not all about the food. It’s about the ability to give back freely to the community that has given Chrislyn so much. From moving out of New York City five weeks before 9/11, she says she was graced to have not been impacted. “I watched the Twin Towers go down and was helpless in another town five hours away,” she said. “Day after day watching the events unfold, wishing I could be with my people but I was helpless, I vowed that no matter what, I will help in disasters however I can. Hurricane Mathew taught me a small group can do so much. God graced me with a commercial kitchen and an army of volunteers; it was my duty to give back in any way possible.” It was extremely difficult to post what she was doing on social media because she is a shy person who doesn’t like to talk about her good deeds. However, she recognized that she could help more people with spreading the word that everyone can do something. “A very lovely 86-year-old lady brought brownies to my back steps and said that she couldn’t work in my kitchen but she can cook in hers,” she said. “It was such a joyous time in our kitchen knowing that our food would nourish and sustain hurricane victims through a very difficult time in their lives.” While she was building her restaurant, Hurricane Mathew struck eastern North Carolina, she and her friend group created 150 hot meals and delivered them throughout several communities. So when Hurricane Florence was approaching, she felt that there would be a need for food distribution. “I spent $1,000 on food that I could create meals from,” she said. “The first morning after the storm we had the emergency planning department, city and volunteer fire fighters come and pick up food. From that point it was an avalanche of purely acts of God that assisted in our ministry. People were calling for food, people were calling to volunteer and people were looking to donate.” Through the course of two months, Carryout By Chrislyn

served 13,081 meals to counties in the region. CBC opened their doors to 500 volunteers; its office became a command center of who, where, when, how the food was going to get to who needed it most. The business housed multiple donations of individually packaged desserts (16,000), bottles of water, diapers and other essential needs. It was rewarding and humbling experience for Chrislyn to help after the hurricane, to be able to be a part of her clients’ lives in their good times, hard times and any times. Food is a companion to life’s experiences, and Chrislyn gets to experience that with her clients. “I have celebrated the love of a marriage, the birth of a baby, the graduations, the everyday meal, the holidays and the death of their loved ones,” she said. “It may sound corny but CBC is much more than a restaurant/foodery/caterer, we have become a safe haven, a pair of open arms and a place that knows your name, your likes, dislikes, dietary restrictions and so much more.” Chrislyn may have planted deep food roots in eastern North Carolina, shared her food and supported the community, but the road is long and in the years to come, she hopes to still be doing what she loves. “I am excited to see how CBC aligns with my personal goals of impacting people’s lives, bringing real food onto our dinner tables and being authentic in a challenging time,” she said. “Expanding our market further into ENC, I will show up and do my best, be true to my convictions, figure it out, and make it work. There are no other choices. Lastly, love fiercely and unapologetically. That is all I need to succeed in this business.”

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