Local Flavor
COPPER HOUSE
NEW AGE LUSTER
Creative dishes, atmosphere shine at Copper House BY RILEY GUERZINI • PHOTOS BY ZACH STRAW
DUCTILE DINING Copper House Owner Charisa Perkins is no stranger to the Evansville food scene, working as a chef at various local establishments. The former head chef at Tin Man Brewing Co. is combining her wisdom and culinary passion for a one-of-akind dining experience in her newest restaurant, supplementing the rustic food with artisan décor.
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opper House is truly the best of both worlds. The luxurious ambience models high-end restaurants found in larger cities across the country, but the core of Copper House’s menu comes down to comfort food that people from all walks of life can enjoy. Evansville’s newest upscale-casual dining experience combines modern, industrial design with traditional fare and libations, all carefully crafted from owner Charisa Perkins’ culinary vision. Perkins, a Henderson, Kentucky, native who has lived in Evansville for 10 years, has worked in restaurants across the city since graduating from Sullivan University’s culinary school in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2009. She’s been a chef and server at Farm 57, The Slice, Bokeh Lounge, Planters’ Café, and Roppongi Japanese Steak and Sushi. “I just wanted to be in positions that I’d be in charge of people, to refresh my memory so I could remember what it was like being in that position,” says Perkins. 166
EVANSVILLE LIVING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Before those jobs, she was the head chef at Tin Man Brewing Co. — the former tenant at the 1430 W. Franklin St. building where Copper House is located — for three-and-a-half years before the restaurant closed in 2017. The original Franklin Street Boarding House and Saloon building was built in 1869. A fire in 1962 caused damage to the left third of the structure, and it was renovated in 2008 before Tin Man did more remodeling when it opened in 2012. After Tin Man closed, Perkins planned to fulfill her dream of opening her own restaurant, gathering the necessary investors and acquiring the building in November 2019. She was ambitious about creating not just a restaurant with amazing cuisine, but a place people can go to escape for a casual, laissez-faire night out or an upscale, special-occasion dinner. “You can come in wearing jeans, shorts, and flip flops if you want to, but you can also get really good quality food that’s plated nicely,” she says. “My mom and I went back and forth on names for three or four weeks,” adds Perkins. “Originally this building was named Franklin Street Boarding House and Saloon. I wanted to keep part of the name so that’s where the ‘House’ came from. And one of them that my mom
