When Cathy Knipe was a little girl, walking “restaurant row” on Eighth Street in downtown Boise felt like absorbing the essence of home. Her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents had walked the same sidewalk. Years later, she met her husband at Bittercreek Alehouse on Eighth.

When COVID-19 struck, her mind went immediately to the restaurants and bars that made Boise home. What would happen to them now?

She didn’t wait to find out. Instead, she left her job as sponsor liaison for Treefort Music Fest and joined the brand-new nonprofit City of Good (COG) as its very first staff member.

Story by Lex Nelson

Owners Cal and Ashley Elliot opened Little Pearl Oyster bar in October 2020, bringing fresh seafood, house-ground burgers and hand-crafted cocktails to the heart of downtown Boise.

The intimate space is filled with personal and historic touches, including the front doors of their former New York City bar and restaurant, Rye, as well as salvaged wood from the old Bouquet bar being remodeled by the Elliots a couple of blocks away.

We spoke with Chef Cal about his background and what dishes you should try when you stop in.

Photos by Leslie Rodriguez

John and Gibson Berryhill, co-owners of the Boise brunch restaurant BACON, make all of their best business decisions in the hot tub. 

The father-son duo created their nonprofit, BACON for Hope, in hot water in 2019. 

They got inspired to sell bags of their famous “Berryhill bacon” online after a long soak in 2020. 

And they retreated to the hot tub when COVID-19 lockdowns hit Boise. Steeping under the Idaho stars, they came up with a plan: No matter what happened with COVID-19 restrictions, they’d make sure their team had work to do and paychecks on the way. 

Story by Lex Nelson

What does it take to help preserve the legacy of maíz – or corn – in a cuisine? As it turns out, it’s surprisingly expensive and challenging to do. 

According to the Amano website, head chef Salvador Alamilla was young when he first grew “captivated” by his mother’s cooking. His story is fascinating – in other press interviews, Salvador revealed that he’d originally worked as an architect until he felt his calling in the food industry. So, one day, he walked into his small apartment and told his wife, Rebecca Alamilla, about his dream. 

“I was surprised, to say the least!” Rebecca shared. “However, when Sal has his mind set on something, I know it will come to fruition at some point.” That part seems to have certainly come true – today, she’s Amano’s co-owner. 

Story by Ash Golangco

When Katie Baker first heard about FARE Idaho in April 2020, she was already working full-time. But the nonprofit’s mission seized her so completely that she volunteered — for 30 hours a week.

“FARE” stands for Food, Agriculture, Restaurants, and beverage Establishments, and its name comes from the people it serves. The statewide collective formed in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its founders — including Boise restaurateur Dave Krick, Moscow restaurateur George Skandalos, and University of Idaho educator Colette DePhelps — wanted to connect every level of Idaho’s food system. They hoped that together, FARE’s members could fight for pandemic aid badly needed in the food industry.

Story by Lex Nelson

Kibrom’s Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine has been bringing the flavors of East Africa to Boise since 2016.

Owners Kibrom and Tirhas moved to Boise, Idaho in 2013 from the Shimelba refugee camp in Ethiopia. Their first restaurant was located in The Boise International Market, a marketplace and business incubator for many refugee-owned restaurants, coffee shops and clothing stores. Sadly, the building was lost to a fire shortly after it opened.

Kibrom’s opened at its current location in 2016. Kibrom and Tirhas love introducing people to the flavors of East African cuisine and providing a place for people who enjoy Ethiopian and Eritrean food to dine in Boise.

Photos by Allison Corona

Food Land Market is a Mediterranean restaurant, bakery, coffee shop and grocery store located on Orchard Road on the Boise Bench. They specialize in traditional flatbreads, Turkish coffee, falafel, and other Mediterranean cuisines.

After moving to Boise in 2007, owner Hana Mutlak’s dream was to open her own business as a way to share part of her culture and familiarize people with Middle Eastern food.

We spoke with Hana about her background, the history of Food Land Market, and what dishes you must try when you stop in.

Photos by Allison Corona

Two years before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Population Reference Bureau reported 41% of U.S. food preparers were low-income — a figure more than double the nationwide average. When restaurant workers were furloughed during lockdown, it became even harder for them to put food on the table. Many restaurateurs turned a blind eye, but Chad and Kristi Johnson faced the issue head-on — and decided to help.

Story by Lex Nelson

Jay Henry, co-owner of now-sold State and Lemp, has been in the restaurant industry since 1989 – after he helped establish the fine dining concept that helped bring nationwide attention to Boise’s food scene, it won’t surprise you that Jay bought and is currently managing another food/drink business.

However, it might surprise you that it’s situated along Five Mile and Overland, with nearly no other bars or pubs in the area – known as one of Southwest Boise’s oldest bars, it’s called Hooligan’s Pub, operating since 1983.

Story by Ash Golangco

On a crisp spring day in March 2020, Julie D’Agostino walked into the empty dining room of Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery in downtown Boise. The eatery had just shuttered under Idaho’s statewide COVID-19 lockdown — and D’Agostino was one of the staff’s first calls.

Story by Lex Nelson

Many restaurants had to close their doors permenantly during the pandemic – similarly, for catering businesses, losing the ability to serve at public gatherings was devastating.

Early into the pandemic, the National Association for Catering and Events conducted a survey of its 3,300 or so members, and found that over 75% had “already experienced personal financial hardship through business closures, layoffs, furloughs and reductions in hours or pay.”

Story by Ash Golangco

When local herb and greens specialty grower Purple Sage Farms had three of their twelve greenhouses collapse in 2017, they never could’ve predicted that the community outreach it’d spark – but the help was well-deserved.

Purple Sage Farms’ community involvement has been a huge part of their success story.

Story by Ash Golangco

Chef Christopher Zahn is exhausted. Slumped at a table in his empty restaurant, he pulled out his smartphone to display a photo of a stack of paychecks.

“My paychecks have turned into Monopoly money. We can write the checks out but we can’t cash them,” he said.

Story by Lex Nelson

Whether you’re an adventurous cook or someone who loves fresh local ingredients, there’s a good chance that you’ve enjoyed Purple Sage Farms herbs and greens while shopping at the Boise Farmers Market in the past decade.

Their niche crop of over 250 varieties of herbs makes them a popular go-to farm for restaurants and chefs all over Idaho.

Story by Ash Golangco

Imagine finding a giant slab of wood at the bottom of the Boise Eagle river – would you paddle past it, or pull it out to eventually create the bar countertop for Boise’s first upcycled wine and beer bar?

When Guy Midnight found the slab of wood several years ago, starting his own bar wasn’t the first idea that came to his mind.

Story by Ash Golangco

Most US natives may not realize that the average American Indian restaurant menu is mainly populated with North Indian and even British dishes, from naan to palak paneer to tikka masala.

The city of Madurai, where Arunkumar and Gayathri grew up, is famous for its incredible South Indian cuisine – but most American customers have likely never heard of their signature breads like idli.

Story by Ash Golangco

If you were to guess the local events that are selling out right now, would you guess farm tours?

For McIntyre Pastures (i.e. McIntyre Family Farms), that’s certainly the case – within a couple weeks, their farm tours sell out and remain in high demand by Idaho locals.

Story by Ash Golangco

What happens when two brothers in the biochemistry and pharmaceutical fields begin making cider? If you’re lucky, you might get Highpoint Cider, a local cidery dedicated to crafting consistently delicious ciders, classic and dry-hopped.

After Alex Perez received a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from the University of Vermont, he spent five years working in GE before realizing his true calling in 2018 – cider making. Shortly thereafter, he convinced his brother Andrew, a biochemist and pharmaceutical consultant, to quit his job and join him in Jackson, Idaho to co-found Highpoint Cider.

Story by Ash Golangco

When Catherine Wojick moved to Boise in 1991, she was an aerospace engineer – but, as someone who loved baking for friends and family, she always worked on her catering business on the side. She had a dream of going to culinary school, but her profession as an engineer kept her busy.

Story by Ash Golangco

When Chef Cal Elliott closed his Prohibition-style bar and restaurant, Rye, in 2018, he didn’t leave its skeleton behind in New York City. Instead, he packed up its bones — including the front doors and a 15-year-old zinc bar crafted by lauded metalworker Michael Smart — and trucked it across the country to Boise, Idaho. There, those pieces became key design elements in his new restaurant, Little Pearl Oyster Bar.*

Story by Lex Nelson