Culinary love: A chat with two Reno {couples} who’re shaking up the native meals scene
5 min read
A sea of pizza, burgers and pasta, Reno’s meals scene has been quick on meals like Chinese language dumplings and Greek souvlaki.
Enter Dumpling Queen and Claio, two contemporary ideas owned and operated by younger married {couples} shaking issues up round city. With Valentine’s Day across the nook, I sat down with each {couples} to debate what it’s prefer to work together with your companion—and get the inside track on their new venues.
Dumpling Queen: Piper Stremmel and Chris Reilly
Dumpling Queen, in a transformed 1948 Airstream that serves xiao lengthy bao (Chinese language soup dumplings), is positioned within the again patio of Abby’s Freeway 40, a longtime Reno dive bar. The brainchild of Piper Stremmel and Chris Reilly, Dumpling Queen is an revolutionary method to filling Reno’s dumpling dearth.
Whereas Stremmel and Reilly aren’t making the dumplings themselves, they had been explicit about their supply: The Washington state-based XCJ, an organization that skyrocketed in 2020 with their flash-frozen, steam-at-home dumplings.
Stremmel and Reilly met in London; she was learning artwork historical past for grad college, and he was on a piece journey for Apple. Upon studying he was being transferred to Shanghai for work, Reilly requested Stremmel to go together with him.
“I used to be like, ‘Hey I simply obtained a suggestion to maneuver to Shanghai; it could be so enjoyable,’” he mentioned. “We had actually frolicked, like, 5 occasions earlier than that. Our relationship actually started in Shanghai.”
They lived there for 3 years, falling in love not simply with one another, however with the nuances of Chinese language meals.
“It’s such an thrilling meals scene, and all of it was culminating in Shanghai—each tremendous high-end meals and road meals,” Stremmel mentioned.
They moved again stateside to the Bay Space in 2016, and married in Reno, Stremmel’s hometown. Reilly, initially from Southern California, was charmed by Reno.
“We thought it could be a number of enjoyable to maneuver to Reno and get entangled in one thing in a smaller metropolis,” he mentioned.
Not lengthy after that, the couple opened The Jesse, a six-room boutique resort with elevated taqueria, Estella.
“For us, it was seeing The Jesse and Estella come collectively, after which considering, ‘Let’s see what we will provide you with; what can we do subsequent?’” mentioned Reilly. “You get hooked.”
Down the road from The Jesse was Abby’s Freeway 40, a well known dive bar the couple had frequented. The couple cherished the bar; after they bought it, they wished to protect its historical past, but in addition wished to enhance it with one thing stunning on the patio.
“We had an obsession with dumplings,” mentioned Stremmel. “How enjoyable wouldn’t it be to do some sort of dumpling idea? We discovered a 1948 Airstream, created a particular patio—and simply did it.”
Reilly joked that he “does the spreadsheets, and Piper does every thing else.” However on a extra severe observe, he mentioned, “I’ll push us on the entrance finish, of what the imaginative and prescient is. I’m extra focused on the actual property and again workplace aspect, and Piper is on the folks aspect—the administration, constructing the staff and the expertise of all of it.”
Stremmel added: “I’m a little bit bit anxious, and Chris is extra laid again. It really works; it’s enjoyable for us.”
When requested about their Valentine’s Day plans, the couple laughed and checked out one another, saying, “We’ll in all probability be right here, on the restaurant.”
Claio: Aubrey and Tyler O’Laskey
Claio, from the staff behind Perenn Bakery, is a “Greek-ish” restaurant on Mayberry Drive centered round a rotisserie and designed for simple takeout. Homeowners Aubrey and Tyler O’Laskey mentioned the “ish” is vital, as a result of they didn’t need to be too compartmentalized.
Aubrey and Tyler met on the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Aubrey, who grew up in Gardenville, mentioned, “I met Tyler on his third day. He got here into the kitchen I used to be working in—and that was it.”
Aubrey and Tyler had been instructed that success within the trade means not having a life exterior of the kitchen—however that wasn’t what the couple wished.
“We related on being actually obsessed with culinary however not wanting it to overshadow what else we wished in life, which was to be married and have a household,” mentioned Aubrey.
The couple opened their first brick-and-mortar location, Perenn Bakery Midtown, in 2018. Quickly the chance arose to open one other Perenn Bakery location at Rancharrah.
“We related on being actually obsessed with culinary however not wanting it to overshadow what else we wished in life, which was to be married and have a household.”
Aubrey O’Laskey
Whereas pregnant with their fourth baby, and midway by means of manufacturing on the Rancharrah location, Aubrey mentioned: “We had been getting frozen yogurt with our daughters over (on the Mayberry location of Yogurt Seaside), noticed the area was obtainable, and thought, ‘Oh that’s good; we must always simply do this.’ And, like, every week later, we signed a lease, and now right here we’re.”
On working collectively, Aubrey mentioned: “It positively took a number of time for us to search out our movement working collectively as a pair. I feel a number of concepts after which will current them, after which he’ll determine how these concepts get executed.”
Added Tyler: “It’s tacky, nevertheless it’s like yin and yang, even on the enterprise aspect. Aubrey’s centered on the money movement, and I’m on the opposite aspect, like how can we save and be environment friendly with the cash we’re making. It’s not good, however we’re higher collectively. Yearly, we study one thing and are consistently balancing—we’ve got a number of ambition.”
When requested what impressed them to open Claio, Aubrey mentioned: “We’re dwelling on this metropolis the place we need to selfishly eat at these eating places. We need to have that meals. And if we really feel that manner, we will solely think about and hope that the parents who stay right here respect that.”
The couple mentioned they’re centered on constructing neighborhood. “We speak about our group being like a way of life firm,” Aubrey mentioned. “We’ve about 70 folks in our firm now, and we’re actually centered on them. … We really pay for his or her well being care in the event that they work full time.”
Tyler added: “The work/life steadiness is the one factor that’s going to maintain us having the vitality to do all of this. … Having youngsters made us have construction in our life. It holds us accountable.”
When requested about their Valentine’s Day plans, the couple mentioned the restaurant could have a Valentine’s weekend particular: rotisserie duck, duck fats potatoes and shared mezze.
“The entire meal might be very shareable for 2 folks—only a very cozy night,” Aubrey mentioned.
As for the couple, Aubrey mentioned with a smile, “It’s Valentine’s Day on a regular basis.”
