Today we’d like to introduce you to Cornelis de Jong.
Cornelis, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Cabonnay started as a seemingly simple idea that snowballed over a 3 year period into what it is today – at-heart it was designed as a place where talented hospitality professionals, chefs, artists, bartenders, service staff, gardeners and musicians can play with ideas. We also wanted to bring the essence of wine country to the forefront. For us that was wanting to convey a feeling of restfulness, connection with family, travel, relaxation, quality foods, access to nature and enjoying wine focused outings. After looking at many locations, we ended with a 11000 sq. ft. urban gut-rehab project and the cities only rooftop dining and garden. While Cabonnay is recognized as an award winning restaurant, the Cabonnay building is simply a platform for talented individuals to explore passions and conceptualize thoughts and bring ideas to life – food, drinks, music, art – Cabonnay was built around the idea that we are a structure to allow voices to be heard. It’s a place that allows for expression and exploration. The restaurant has become a place for memories and friendships that congregate around food and wine.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road? Where is it? Let me know cause we want to get on it! Struggles are everywhere – it’s all about working through them one at a time. A restaurant is a complex machine with many moving parts: talent, operations, licensing, staffing, training, vibe, food, liquor, health, safety, design, plates, software, hardware, code requirements, finances, inspections, ideas, reality, vision, ability to correct mid-stream, but by far building-your-team is the most difficult thing to do. It takes time. It takes heart. We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of talented individuals that are close. Anyone who is in the industry and runs a true from-scratch farm-to-table kitchen will tell you it’s about a family environment – there is not “I” in restaurant.
Please tell us about CABONNAY.
Cabonnay is recognized as an Urban Restaurant and Wine House with an integrated art gallery and the city of Manchester’s only rooftop garden patio with city and mountain views. We were voted best fine dining New Hampshire 2017 by Yankee Magazine, listed as best new restaurant and best sensory dining by New Hampshire Magazine 2017. We specialize is custom from-scratch foods and our Chefs work with farmers throughout the region – we get fresh food delivered daily and we do not have long term food storage. No foods or dishes are mass produced or distributed to Cabonnay. We also offer kitchen tours available nightly at Cabonnay which provides guests a behind the scenes look at the care of our team and the honesty in our foods. What sets us apart, aside from food, is that Cabonnay is a place that allows for expression and exploration of ideas for employees and guests alike. We all are faced with many distraction in life, confronted with stress, and chaotic moments and our focus is to create a place where people can find relaxation despite the chaos around them – a true urban Oasis
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Sitting outside in the garden with the family dogs and just being quiet – it was so uncomplicated. So rare.
Pricing:
- Appetizers range from $5-$15
- Entrees range from $20-$35
- Desserts range from $10-$16
Contact Info:
- Address: CABONNAY
- Website: www.cabonnay.com
- Phone: 603-854-9955
- Email: info@cabonnay.com
- Instagram: @cabonnay
- Facebook: @cabonnaywine
- Twitter: @cabonnay
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
