Warning: This is not your father’s restaurant. Yes, the food—with several menu additions—remains delectable. The service is top-notch. And the spoonbread (more about that later) is still a constant delight. But longtime diners at Historic Boone Tavern Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Berea since 1909, will quickly notice a dramatic change in its interior.
The once-formally decorated walls are now showcased by student crafts. A bar has been added, and a private dining room is located where the coffee shop used to be, for those seeking privacy.
“The food is good, and you get plenty of it,” said local diner Jim Davis, a former funeral director in Berea. “And thank goodness, they kept the spoonbread.”
Davis said first-time diners probably will have no problem with the changes, but “old-fashioned folks like me miss tablecloths on the table, the homey feel to the restaurant. I really don’t think it’s as elegant, which I preferred, but you still get good food.”
Melissa McGuire, general manager of Boone Tavern for six years, acknowledged that changes “are always a little hard.
“We’ve heard a few times that people were not sure about the changes, but most are excited about them,” she said. “With students’ crafts on the walls and the tables and items on them made by Berea students, the restaurant now has more history and details to it than ever before.”
Boone Tavern’s new image was unveiled last July.
Business has been “very good,” said Nick Tuttle, food and beverage director for the restaurant for the last 1½ years. “Our budgets have been met and more.”
The tavern seats about 82, said Tuttle. There is a little less seating in the dining area, but seats in the bar area make up for that. The private dining space can be reserved for intimate gatherings of 15-20 people.
• • •
Berea College, a private liberal arts work college with about 1,500 students, owns Boone Tavern, but it is managed by Olympia Hospitality, a hotel management company headquartered in Portland, Maine. The restaurant was built to accommodate visitors to the college.
Its guests have included automaker Henry Ford, poet Robert Frost, poet and author Maya Angelou, the Dalai Lama and President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace. Singer and songwriter Alice Cooper held a wedding party there. Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was served a meal in the dining room.
And now it has been made new.
• • •
The goal of the renovated space at Boone Tavern, named after Kentucky frontier explorer Daniel Boone, is to fuse its storied, historic charm to its new furnishings and decor.
Berea College students help to achieve the goal in a big way. About 15 students work in the restaurant, and four work in the kitchen. A few others help with other jobs.
The restaurant’s new furnishings and decorations were handmade by students in Berea College Student Craft, giving the dining area a more contemporary ambience.
Aaron Beale has been associate vice president of Berea College Student Craft since 2018. Beginning in 1893, it became part of Berea College’s Work-Learning-Service program. About 100 students a year are in the program to design and make objects by hand while developing skills in collaboration, problem-solving and creative thinking.
The student pieces for the renovated Boone Tavern include ceramic floral wall hangings, a “broom quilt,” handcrafted instruments, quilts, tables and butter cups.
In late 2024, Student Craft was asked to create a series of items for the restaurant. The curriculum for Student Craft shifted to focus on the project, with students pitching ideas for each available display space in the restaurant.
“Most of us at Student Craft have long believed that Boone Tavern could tell a story that was more authentic to what Berea College is today and who its students are,” Beale said. “So, when we were given just the slightest bit of daylight, we ran with it.”
Each of the five areas of Student Craft was considered—outreach, weaving, woodworking, ceramics and broom craft—and students pitched their ideas to the size of each available space.
The ideas were gathered, and students and staff collaboratively chose what they thought would best tell the Berea College story. Once designs were chosen, students and staff worked to craft the 81 unique items that were installed by staff and students. Another 132 objects have been added this year.
Visitors often ask if they can purchase the new items. “That’s my hope for someday,” Beale said. “We can make replicas of the tables for sale. We just want to make sure we don’t disrupt the restaurant.”
Beale said some of the decorations may be replaced over time with new works by students.
Nearly everything is different in the dining room except the historic herringbone floor. The dining room has been rebranded “Crafted at Boone Tavern.”
Guests and locals can stop at the bar for a casual meal or quick bite, said Tuttle.
A curated selection of Kentucky bourbons, craft cocktails, craft mocktails (non-alcoholic drinks) and specialty wines are served in a stylish lounge atmosphere, he said, adding that it even serves the classic Shirley Temple, a mixed drink named after the famous child actress. It is made with grenadine and ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, and garnished with a maraschino cherry and sometimes with a citrus wedge.
• • •
Kyle Klatka, Crafted’s chef, is committed to using produce and meats sourced from the Berea College Farm and other surrounding farms. He wants the food to be a true farm-to-table experience.
“Boone Tavern has a legacy of being a premier location for cuisine,” he said. “My intention with the new menu is to showcase dishes in a modern way. People come to Kentucky for Kentucky food, so we want them to see Appalachia meets Southern comfort food.
“I want people to walk away from the restaurant thinking, ‘That’s how Kentucky food is done.’ ”
New menu items at Crafted include Berea College Farm-raised ribs, pretzel-crusted Kentucky trout and, for vegetarians, a dish featuring locally grown mushrooms and grits.
One major food item on the menu has not changed—spoonbread. But it is now served individually and not in a single batch.
Spoonbread is a light, fluffy and moist Southern side dish with a soufflé-like texture. It is made with a cornmeal base, eggs and milk, often with other ingredients such as butter, cheese or creamed corn. The dish is baked until puffy and golden, and its name comes from its soft consistency, which allows it to be easily scooped with a spoon, unlike its denser cousin, cornbread.
The food is rooted in Native American cornmeal dishes, especially those in South Carolina. Enslaved cooks refined the dish by using beaten egg whites to create the soufflé consistency.
Boone Hotel staff invite everyone to visit the new Boone Tavern, even if they are not eating.
“People should see the changes. Most I have heard from are appreciative and are very glad we did not change the spoonbread,” McGuire said.
A complete list of Student Craft items currently on display at Boone Tavern—including detailed information about the item and the student and/or staff member who created it—can be found at bcstudentcraft.com/crafted-at-boone-tavern/#gallery.
When you go...
Crafted at Boone Tavern, 100 South Main Street North, Berea
The restaurant generally serves breakfast from 7-10 a.m. daily, lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and dinner from 5-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch is available from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
The bar is open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (late food ends at 9 p.m.) and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (late food ends at 10 p.m.) There is a limited bar menu available from 2-5 p.m. daily, and the bar also is available for late-night bites. Social hour at the bar is Monday-Friday from 3:30-5 p.m. with food and drink.
Hours can vary, so it is recommended to go online or call ahead before visiting.
1.800.366.9358