Erica Chambers
This is not the article I had planned to write when I originally suggested a feature about two up-and-coming Kentucky chefs and restaurant entrepreneurs. I thought I would tell about their welcoming and comfortable dining rooms, their innovative fresh and local food, and their deep commitments to their communities.
I will. But I also need to tell you about their capacity for adaptation and creativity (reflective of so many small business owners) in the face of a pandemic. I need to tell you about the way their communities showed deep commitment to “their” restaurants in the face of financial uncertainty.
I interviewed Katie Startzman and Kristin Smith on March 13. That was two days after Gov. Andy Beshear recommended that everyone practice social distancing and just three days before he signed an executive order to close all restaurants to in-person traffic in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Within a week, Startzman and Smith of Berea’s Native Bagel Company and The Wrigley Taproom and Eatery in Corbin, respectively, had to make difficult decisions in the name of health and safety. They increased their sanitation protocols, brought new technology on board to accept digital orders and payments, adapted their hours and menus, and shifted from dining in to take-out, curbside and delivery services.
Startzman’s and Smith’s communities have responded, eager to support these important elements of town life. Customers have purchased gift cards and made donations. They have ordered food and sent Startzman and Smith messages of support and love.
On March 20 on Facebook, Native Bagel wrote: “THANK YOU! We had to turn off online orders for the week because we are out of cooler space for our bagel dough. We are thrilled to be preparing all these bagels for you—we’ll do it again next week.”
Also via the social media site, The Wrigley wrote on March 23: “Dang, y’all know how to show some love! We are able to be open again this week because of you and your support. Your love has brought us so much comfort during this time. We hope our meals can do the same for you.”
At the time of this writing, Native Bagel is open for curbside pickup of preordered bagels on Saturdays. The Wrigley is open for curbside pickup and delivery Tuesday through Saturday.
Even a few minutes into a conversation with restaurateurs Kristin Smith and Katie Startzman, the similarity of their visions is apparent. Smith, co-owner and chef at The Wrigley Taproom and Eatery, and Startzman, proprietor at Native Bagel Company, are fully conscious of the opportunity they have as business owners to make a positive impact. They both seize that opportunity joyfully, creating restaurants with deep connections to their communities.
“One of the things I like best about being an entrepreneur is that I have the capacity to create the type of business and community I want to live in, from the business culture to how we source food to how we treat our neighbors,” says Startzman, articulating the vision that she and Smith embrace. “And I try to use my business to support the people, farms and other businesses that I believe are also creating the kind of community I want to be a part of.”
This philosophy intentionally influences all aspects of the restaurants, from design and operations to procurement and menu. It has created two establishments that are integral parts of the social and economic fabric of their hometowns.
Communal Places
In the center of the Wrigley dining room sits a community table, a 24-foot beauty crafted from local barn wood. It sets the stage, letting guests know that this is an intentional place for gathering, conversation and connection. Diners feel at home; they go up to the bar to order, strike up new conversations, and hop from table to table. For Smith, seeing the way people have taken the intention and made it reality is “beyond our expectations, almost indescribable.”
Native Bagel fulfills the romantic notion of a mom-and-pop business. The restored historical building in which it is located brings vibrancy and life to Berea’s Chestnut Street downtown area. The storefront is adjacent to the sidewalk in a pedestrian-friendly area and is a place for both planned and chance meetings. “Having a place where people come together is important for a town,” Startzman says.
Smith agrees, noting that, when The Wrigley opened six years ago, Corbin’s downtown was relatively empty. The restaurant helped spawn development, and now the occupancy rate is close to 100 percent. “It is an exciting time for us in Corbin,” she says. “We have a new pride.”
Photo courtesy of the Wrigley Taproom and Eatery
Local Economy
Startzman and Smith started their businesses at their local farmers markets. Along with developing a menu and customer base, they each began supportive relationships with area farmers. The proprietors of Native Bagel and The Wrigley Taproom have long lists of products sourced from Kentucky growers and processors and envision themselves as an important part of a robust local economy.
Startzman sources her ingredients carefully, seeing it as an opportunity to scale up the local food economy. “We have more buying power as a business,” she says. “For example, we purchase 30 dozen eggs a week, where most families only buy one.”
In 2019, The Wrigley sourced 40 percent of its ingredients locally and paid more than $100,000 to local farmers and agricultural producers.
“Buying local food is a home run,” Smith says. “It keeps money in our community and provides the highest quality ingredients for the restaurant. It just makes me really happy.”
Both restaurants have certain items they are able to buy from Kentucky farmers most of the year, such as beef, pork and eggs. Both use Weisenberger Mill’s cornmeal, a Kentucky staple from a family enterprise near Midway that has been in business since 1865.
Sourcing Kentucky ingredients is not just an economic decision; there are taste advantages as well. Native Bagel puts Kentucky’s Hosey Honey in its honey-rosemary cream cheese and golden latte. The honey is raw, not processed, and Startzman points out how the flavor subtly changes throughout the year based on the current food source for the bees.
Photo courtesy of the Wrigley Taproom and Eatery
The Wrigley has an ever-changing menu, so seasonal flavors are showcased at their prime. Fresh tomatoes, even on burgers, are served only during the summer. When farmers come to Smith with an abundance of a crop, like eggplant, she sees it as an exciting menu opportunity and is grateful that customers respond positively to her creativity.
“There is a stigma with the farm-to-table concept that it is only for rich people,” she says. “In Appalachia, we are redefining it as ‘farm-to-fork’ and making it accessible to everyone.”
As social entrepreneurs, Smith and Startzman seek to make positive change in their communities through their businesses. “There is a lot of power behind what we are doing,” Smith says. “Appalachia has been in a depressive state, and we are giving new hope and dreams.”
Katie Startzman
Native Bagel Company | Downtown Berea
est. 2016
Startzman grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Berea to attend Berea College. While she loves her adopted hometown, one lamentable deficit was the ability to find a good bagel. Hers are boiled and baked, giving them their characteristic chewiness.
Native Bagel is inviting, with wooden floors, a tin-stamped ceiling and simple furniture. Most breakfast customers opt for the standard bagel and cream cheese, not that the customer-favorite honey-rosemary cream cheese is considered a standard anywhere else. Another morning comfort food favorite is the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, made with fresh local sausage and eggs.
The lunch menu includes seasonal specials, open-faced bagel pizzas, and falafel salad. Native Bagels serves up mochas and golden lattes from the espresso bar, along with a variety of freshly baked treats.
Native Bagel recently was named the best bagel shop in Kentucky by Taste of Home magazine and recognized by Yelp as one of the top women-owned businesses in the country.
Photo courtesy of the Wrigley Taproom and Eatery
Kristin Smith
The Wrigley Taproom and Eatery | Downtown Corbin
est. 2014
Smith grew up in Williamsburg and was drawn back to Kentucky to run her sixth-generation family business, Faulkner Bent Farm, which supplies the beef for The Wrigley’s Americano Burger, one of the most popular menu items.
The Wrigley has the feel of a casual public house. Chalkboard menus list the current signature cocktails and seasonal food menu, and diners can watch their food being prepared in the open kitchen. Saturday brunch features specials such as the Meyer lemon curd and blueberry waffle with maple syrup and whipped cream.
Smith incorporates lots of Kentucky flavors in her dishes such as the Appalachian Sundae. It’sa Weisenberger cornbread cake and house-made buttermilk ice cream smothered in sorghum chocolate sauce and topped with toasted benne seeds, bourbon-spiked whipped cream and spiced pecans.
Smith recently was awarded the Downtown Revitalization Award from Mountain Women Mean Business. The Wrigley has been featured in Time magazine, Food & Wine and Forbes.