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Last week, CL dished the lowdown on a new series of beer-paired dinners, hosted in partnership between Woodwright Brewing Co. and the most recent addition to its beer garden: Coattails Kitchen. But don’t you wanna know more about the story behind Coattails, and the ambitious food churning out on the daily?
That’s what I thought.
First off, downtown Dunedin’s Woodwright is the latest local brewery to add a kitchen, a trend that likely won’t slow down around town anytime soon. And why would it? On-site food allows tasting rooms to enhance the customer experience, providing patrons with a consistent option — and a reason to stick around longer — that, more often than not, complements their house brews.
When Woodwright quietly debuted two years ago, Eunice and Grant Painter were wary about offering eats for a couple of reasons. The owners were being regularly approached by restaurants-on-wheels and other food-slinging folks, but since city ordinances frown upon food trucks and the brewery was just starting out, Grant told CL, they didn’t want to take that on.
There was also another question the duo had to ask themselves about a rotating lineup of visiting purveyors: “How does their product reflect on what we’re working so hard to do?” Not to mention the heart that head brewer Eunice puts into their beer.
As time passed, the Painters began considering the idea of a more permanent food component; their patrons, who were always welcome to bring in outside bites, were begging for it. However, the couple needed to find the right people to team up with.
“Nobody that we talked to possessed that commitment to quality and creativity — that spark, that passion — until Kurt and Traci [Ferguson],” Grant said.
Eunice and Grant crossed paths with Traci through her family’s place, Dunedin Brewery, at least five years ago. Traci had worked there for some time, and the Painters used to run the Porsches & Pints event hosted during the longtime brewery’s Oktoberfest celebration.
The triad didn’t really get to know each other, though, until Traci “jumped ship, in a way,” to do some adventuring outside of the country. The Painters lent the self-proclaimed architecture school dropout a bunch of travel books for her journey, and their kindred spirits connected from there.
It’s been a year since Kurt and Traci, who the neighborhood should recognize as the chefs behind NINA Hospitality Co., committed to implementing a kitchen at Woodwright. The surprisingly spacious trailer that houses Coattails (how great is that name, BTW?) was custom built in Georgia, which took longer than expected, and finalizing the rest of the details — how this collaboration with the brewery was going to work, for one — wasn’t a simple feat, either. But, at last, the first dinner service for Coattails, which spotlighted a limited menu, came on Jan. 20.
“The opportunity for young entrepreneurs to come into a space that’s established with other people who are creative and doing the same thing in a different facet is kinda rare,” Traci said. “I think it’s a great moment for collaboration.”
In soft-launch mode until its grand opening on Feb. 16, Coattails is largely influenced by where the globe-trotting Fergusons have been — including France and Pittsburgh, two locations that Francophile Traci called home for a period of time.
They also use ethically raised proteins and local, organic produce whenever possible. Honey from Jim Hirschberger of Love Bee Apiary (a product used in Eunice’s braggot), Jerry Branch Berry Ranch’s greens, and artisan loaves from Jamison B. Breadhouse Bakes are among the ingredients sourced on either side of the bay.
The couple’s ever-changing Old World street food lineup features options like the charcuterie and cheese board, Omaha Grocer (roasted beets, Jarlsberg cheese, sauerkraut, rosy remoulade, toasted rye), pub chips, and Pork + Pickles (apple-brined and slow-braised pork shoulder, sweet house pickles, whole-grain mustard, Jamison B. ciabatta roll).
In addition to accommodating gluten-free and vegan patrons, another highlight that separates Coattails from other brewery kitchens is that it primarily refrains from incorporating Woodwright’s pints into its dishes, as the emphasis is on pairings rather than infused foods. According to Traci, beer is kinda like garnish — say sayonara if it doesn’t belong or enhance the plate.
“I like to cook with the beer in food, but I actually don’t think it’s as important as just pairing food with the beer,” she said. “I think people sometimes force the beer into something, and it’s not doing anything for it.”
Grant definitely agrees. He said the Fergusons are doing grub that’s uniquely their own, and the coolest part is that they’re very much into beer.
“They really know beer, and they really like beer, so their foods are created with Eunice’s beer in mind,” Grant continued, “and that’s not something that happens with food trucks that roll in.”
Coattails has the same hours of operation as Woodwright: 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
This article appears in Feb 8-15, 2018.
