John Berryhill Wants to Feed Your Relationship

For John Berryhill, founder of Berryhill & Co., what started out as a passion for food has, over the years, become a passion for relationships – and for the role great food plays in their sustainance.

People open restaurants for a lot of reasons. They like to cook. They enjoy the “buzz” of putting on a show. They take satisfaction in creating a memorable evening for their guests. They love the creative license and challenge of coming up with new tastes, textures, and food combinations. And while some measure of financial success is imperative if the show is to go on, the best restaurants, like the best art, are always a labor of love. Just as form follows function, so we’re told, success follows passion.

For John Berryhill, founder of Berryhill & Co., what started out as a passion for food has, over the years, become a passion for relationships – and for the role great food plays in their sustainance.

John Berryhill began his culinary career in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, when in his early twenties he apprenticed as a baker with local chef, Andre Simone. Under Simone’s tutelage, John recalls, “I learned to pay attention to detail, simplicity, and consistency. He had a huge, huge heart, but he had a mouth to match – and he made sure you knew the right way to do things. I use those lessons today in my business: simplicity and consistency…especially in the kitchen.”

John came out to Los Angeles, where he continued his career as a pastry chef, but also managed to get some time on the “hot side” and front end of the restaurant business. He eventually wound up in Sun Valley, and following his marriage to a local gal, John and his wife opened up a catering business in the City of Trees in 1995. Three years and three kitchen expansions later, John opened his first restaurant as a “tasting room” – an extension of his kitchen in the 8th Street Marketplace.

“We had four or five tables for folks to try whatever we were currently making for our catering gigs,” says John. “More than anything, our 8th Street Marketplace cafe served as a ‘culinary billboard’ to promote our catering company.” Success, however, has a way of changing ones business model, and the popularity of what became known as the Berryhill & Co. Café and Wine Bar convinced John that he needed a bigger venue for his culinary act – and after several years of operation at a Broadway location, Berryhill & Co. moved into it’s current home on 9th Street.

Known for his exceptional culinary combinations and impeccable style, John’s work has been written up in several national publications, including the Wall Street Journal and America West Magazine.

In the intervening years between the launch of his catering business and eventual restaurant expansions, John became one of the most sought after and entertaining chefs in the Northwest. Known for his exceptional culinary combinations and impeccable style, his work has been written up in several national publications, including the Wall Street Journal and America West Magazine. His constant high energy is displayed as well in his cooking classes, as well as in public appearances and televised chef segments.

As befits the showcase and playground for John’s culinary muse, Berryhill & Co. has a simple elegance that serves as an unpretentious backdrop for an exquisite menu. “We’re considered fine dining – but I want us to feel casual. We’re in an upscale setting – but we want to be comfortable. I like seeing someone in a tux on their way to the opera sitting next to a table with a guy in shorts and tube socks,” John wryly observes.

True to Berryhill’s culinary convictions, most meals feature meats and produce that is local and organic. Even the catch of the day is shipped fresh, as are the free-range chickens and locally raised elk and buffalo. Every recipe is carefully designed to showcase and extract the full potential of the foods that comprise it. The menu touts hors d-oeuvres such as Sizzled Shrimp and Pear Gorgonzola Pizza, while entrées like Organic New York Steak, Grilled Rack of Lamb, Mediterranean Three Olive Chicken and the Baked Macaroni and Cheese are in constant demand. Complimenting each dish is a finely tuned, extensive, and well cultured wine list that emphasizes value as well as taste.

The heart of the Berryhill & Co. experience, however, goes beyond the vision of its owner and the skills of his kitchen staff. In many ways, John Berryhill didn’t just open up restaurants – his restaurants opened him up.

“Simplicity and consistency remain the key ingredients at Berryhill,” says John. “A customer can expect the same great taste and presentation of their soup and salad, and yet not feel slighted sitting across from their partner’s kobe beef steak.” Guests should always leave room for dessert though, which is prepared by the restaurant’s pastry chef under the critical eye of an owner whose culinary career began with a baking apprenticeship. Some of the temptations include the Chili and Chocolate Ganache Soufflé, the Dark Chocolate Almond Mousse Torte, the Wild Berry Cobbler, and the House Special Cheesecake.

The heart of the Berryhill & Co. experience, however, goes beyond the vision of its owner and the skills of his kitchen staff. In many ways, John Berryhill didn’t just open up restaurants – his restaurants opened him up.

“I didn’t really begin to mature as a chef until I became a restaurant owner and realized that it’s not just about me or the food – it’s about relationships. It starts with your relationship with your staff and extends not only to your customers but also to your vendors…and even to your competitors. But the most important relationships are the ones that are taking place among your customers. If people are going to have a successful experience at your restaurant, that experience has to be happening at the table. This is what I feel is important to our customers…that they can come in here and have their own experience, not just the ‘John Berryhill experience’.”

Nearly fifteen years have passed since John Berryhill set up his first catering kitchen, and the changes that have taken place in Boise’s restaurant scene have not gone unnoticed by John. “I’m baffled sometimes why I’m still here. I’ve had friends who were phenomenal chefs who have left this market, but I think it all goes back to the relationships you build. If someone decides they want to open a restaurant and simply do whatever they want to do, they’ll end up wondering why it didn’t succeed.”

For those of us who have dined at Berryhill & Co., “baffled” is probably the last word we’d use to describe our feelings toward Berryhill & Co. The word that springs more quickly to mind is “grateful”.