Fine French Cuisine Has Arrived in Collingswood with June BYOB BY CHRIS ISAAC
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ike many business owners, Richard and Christina Cusack were impacted by COVID-19. The co-owners of June BYOB had originally opened their doors in Philadelphia, but health restrictions caused them to endure the fate of many others -- shutting down. “After five months COVID hit, so then I had to pivot and do takeout food because my dining room was so small. It just didn’t make sense to even open,” said Richard. He noted that social distancing mandates made it so his dining room would have been down to the single digits in capacity, so takeout was the only option. However, even that wasn’t sustainable, so eventually he and his wife closed the restaurant and saved up for when they could return to pursuing their passion. And with restrictions now loosened, the modern fine French restaurant has reopened with Collingswood as their new home. They have been in the town for three months and are pleased to see their customers remaining loyal. “The customers that came a lot, they returned,” said Richard. “Most of my customers from Philadelphia came back…And I’ve got a lot of regulars in Collingswood now too, so we’re doing pretty well.” The dishes served at June BYOB have become the reason customers return and Richard names the Trio de Canard as the most popular. As the name suggests, this meal consists of duck served in three different styles, that being a roasted duck breast marinated in red wine, foie gras and a duck leg. “It’s a thing that was special once, and then it ended up on the menu and I can’t get rid of it,” said Richard. “It’s so hard to take it off, people would lose their mind.” In regards to June BYOB’s other offerings, Richard says the restaurant has several other signature dishes, but he enjoys changing things up. However, he notes that as his co-owner and wife, Christina, doesn’t allow the menu to vary too dramatically in order for customers to be able to return for their favorite dishes. To compromise, Richard creates many specials and looks forward to different seasonal offerings so he can show off new recipes. For Richard, there was never any other career he wanted. He began working in his uncle’s kitchen at the age of 14 and, since please see BITES, page 17 WINTER 2021
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