D E PA R T M E N T S C H E F ' S TA B L E
A COLLABORATIVE KITCHEN STAFF TEAMWORK AND A FOCUS ON QUALITY HAS BEEN THE KEY TO RELISH CRAFT KITCHEN & BOURBON BAR’S SUCCESS BY ALEX DIXON ǀ PHOTOS BY MASH PHOTOGRAPHY
W
hen Sharon May began planning
it’s the BBQ Pork Burrito Mojado or the
syrup and angostura bitters served in a
a restaurant in 2009, she knew
pimento cheese that goes into the restaurant’s
smoked glass. Relish guests can also try
she wanted it to have
appetizers and sandwiches. And while nearly
the “Find Your Grain” bourbon flight, which
approachable Southern comfort food in an
everything on the menu is homemade—even
includes a variety of bourbon types, such
upscale atmosphere without a hefty price tag.
down to the various salad dressings—May
as the traditional Russell’s Reserve 10 Year
As an established Raleigh restaurateur with
says maintaining an affordable and convenient
bourbon, Larceny’s wheated bourbons and
more than four decades of experience, May
price point is a priority. The restaurant rotates
1792 Small Batch bourbon, which is made
had just parted ways with her restaurant
certain dishes out seasonally to add variety
with a high-rye mash bill.
partners and was in the beginning stages of
to the menu, such as a featured mac and
planning Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar.
cheese—the latest being a Baltimore shrimp
BISCUITS, BREWS AND BOARD GAMES
She joined forces with Kim Berryann, director
version served with Old Bay seasoning and
In 2019, shortly before the COVID-19
of operations; Miguel Balderas, kitchen
Parmesan cheese.
pandemic began, May and Relish expanded
manager; and Balderas’ wife, assistant kitchen
Relish is known not only for its food,
manager Laura Ortega. ”We ended up with an
but also for its adventurous and expansive
door to add more kitchen space, along with
eclectic skill set,” May says, “and the ability to
bourbon menu. During the restaurant’s initial
a new dining concept: The Kitchen Table at
produce the food that we do.”
phases, May focused primarily on the food and
Relish—Biscuits, Brews and Board Games.
let the bartenders “do their thing,” she says,
May says she was inspired by board game
who the head chef is. And while there has
without setting a particular focus on the drinks
cafés while on a trip to Europe and wanted
not been an official head chef throughout
menu.
to bring that atmosphere back to Raleigh.
Since Relish opened, May is often asked
the restaurant’s 11-year history, she says
But her approach changed after a night
into the former Dos Taquitos space next
The café boasts more than 400 games in
the combined ideas and execution of May,
out in downtown Raleigh with a group of
its collection, and “gametenders” provide
Berryann, Balderas and Ortega have more
friends. During this outing, the bourbon-
expertise to each guest group by catering
than made up for that.
centric cocktails she drank led to an epiphany:
to their preferences, then suggesting and
Relish’s drink program could be so much
teaching games.
“The truth is that Kim, Miguel, Laura and
Early into 2020, however, The Kitchen
I have been inspired by our own personal
more. This realization inspired her to take her
collections of recipes and cookbooks that we
bar managers to The Crunkleton in Chapel
Table at Relish closed so that May and her
have modified to suit our commercial kitchen
Hill, where they met owner, namesake and
team could focus on the growing demand
and our own individual taste preferences,”
bartender extraordinaire Gary Crunkleton.
for takeout during the pandemic. The board
May wrote in a blog post describing Relish’s
May hired him to train the Relish staff and
games concept reopened in early 2022 with
approach to cooking. “We all brought with us
help reinvigorate its drinks program—from
a few tweaks, including a focus on simpler
a joint love of eating in interesting restaurants
the selection of bourbons to the training of
prepared foods, like meats and cheeses
around the world, pouring through beautifully
the staff.
instead of biscuits.
laid-out cookbooks for inspiration, and
This passion was reinforced for the Relish
“No lecture intended, but so many of us—
watching countless hours of Food Network
staff during a trip to Kentucky, when they
myself included—spend so much of our time
chefs to ‘borrow’ ideas and make them our
learned much more about bourbon through
connected to people only through technology.
own,” she says, adding, “OK, that part is
distillery tours and tastings. They took their
Finding ways to spend time just talking with
mostly me.”
learnings back to Relish. Now, Relish’s drink
no screens has become a bit illusive,” May
program uses house-made ingredients and
says. “But playing board games sets the stage
REINVIGORATING RELISH
esteemed bourbons, from the ginger syrup
for some of the best conversations about life
Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar has built
and fresh lime juice in the Moscow Mule,
and learning, and they are also perfect ice
a reliable customer base with favorite dishes
to the Oak N Smoke with Basil Hayden’s
breakers that can encourage a group to find
and ingredients across the menu—whether
bourbon, ginger liqueur, fresh lemon, honey
common ground.”
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