Boxerbrand's Recipe for Success

Butcher & Bee restaurant of North Carolina and Tennessee is abuzz with creativity and renewal taking it far afield from its origins as a gourmet sandwich restaurant and into full flower as a dining concept hailed by patrons and James Beard judges alike. Founded in 2011 by restauranteur Michel Shemtov, the original Butcher & Bee restaurant in Charleston, N.C. flourished in an off-the-beaten-path location as a wellspring for sandwiches so perfect, so satisfying that he likened them to gourmet meals…

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When hotels and restaurants were closing up tight to accommodate pandemic lockdowns throughout the country, Jeanne and Peter Tierney were hosting a flood of new customers. The Naples, Fla. co-owners of Bellasera Hotel and onsite restaurant The Claw Bar, felt a little like the gold rush was on. And headed right there way! “We did not have a terrible time with the pandemic,” says Jeanne Tierney, who co-owns several Florida concepts with her husband and other family members and partners. “Being…

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The whole idea behind Carpe Vinum 121 germinated in Paul Bardinas’s imagination as a young man traveling with family in France and Italy. The look and flavor of beef tartare and escargot.  The warm glow of beautiful light on marble and brass.  And the uniformed servers with their easygoing professionalism— it all together provided an intimate, unhurried experience he loved. And so, years after graduating with a computer science degree at Columbia University in New York, and moving to Salisbury,…

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In an industry vexed by constant change, the White Horse Tavern of Newport, RI has weathered it all.  Including the American Revolution! Established as a tavern in 1673, the large gambrel-roofed red Colonial has sat on the corner of Farewell and Marlborough streets in Newport for 350 years.  And according to historic accounts, once quartered Tories and British troops during their occupation of Newport, around the time of the Battle of Rhode Island. The time-polished wide-beam floors, roaring ample fireplace…

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It was at the fish docks, not the classroom, that multi-restaurant owner Jack Morrison learned the skills that would eventually make his concept the toast of Princeton, N.J. In the busy college town where academics, tourists, locals and professionals all mingle within a short distance from the fabled academic institution, Morrison created Princeton concepts: Witherspoon Grill, Blue Point Grill and Nassau Street Seafood. Morrison told blogger Callaway Henderson that in the early going of his first concept, Nassau Street Seafood…

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Downtown Grapevine, Texas recently sprouted new growth entangling the fruit of the grape gods with great wine knowledge. “At Hotel Vin our niche focus is about wine and wine education,” says Nicole Haarklau, corporate director of food and beverage for Coury Hospitality, the top franchise operator of the Marriott’s niche Autograph collection of hotels. “Our restaurant Bacchus Kitchen and Bar is named for the Roman god of wine. And throughout the hotel the art and objects reflect this inspiration.” The…

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Cool nights and lengthy warm days work their magic on the Napa Valley vineyards that are the backbone of the Levendi Winery. The Greek toast “Levendi,” states the winery’s website, “Acknowledges a hard day’s labor and achievement. “It celebrates the fields, the rain and the sun that nurture the special grapes. Essentially, it’s a toast to celebrate life.” And no matter the fickle whims of Mother Nature or the challenges of the past years, Levendi Winery has sprouted new business…

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The ink was barely dry on their lease when husband-wife partners Jason and Melissa Scrymgeour were sent back to the drawing board. “We signed the lease for Clean Slate Wine Bar in downtown Solvang on the central coast of California in February 2020, and immediately, the world shut down, Jason says. “Our original concept was to be a wine-focused, wine-driven concept, which happened to serve really good small plates.” The idea was flipped on its back, however, when terms of…

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Despite escalating food costs hovering between 100 to 400 percent, Chef Derrin Davis of WaterFire Restaurant in Washington reports that sales at his Pacific rim concept have never been stronger. Restaurant revenues are up 115 percent over pre-covid sales, says the chef/owner, who attributes strong numbers to a growing and supportive customer base. “I think with Covid we may have gained support, and also drew in first-time customers,” Davis says. “We’re in a unique position in that we’re in a…

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Foraging for the perfect heirloom melon when you’re sitting in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood may once have seemed farfetched. But then an idea emerged like a new leaf in springtime.  And that blossomed into a farm-to-table concept, located in an old book-printer space, and serving ingredients cultivated by New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania farmers so tightly knit to the restaurant it was like having a farm behind the kitchen. “Because we have, and our forager has, a great…

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