Myles Moody and Rachael Pack are the owners of Kinship Butcher & Sundry, a new all-in-one butcher shop, grocery store and coffee bar in the heart of Virginia-Highland. Life for Moody and Pack changed overnight in March of 2020, when Aska, the highly regarded New York City fine-dining restaurant where the couple worked — he as chef de cuisine, she as general manager and beverage director — shuttered temporarily as the city went into lockdown.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
What was expected to be a two-week pause turned into a months-long hiatus, prompting them to hole up in Pack’s hometown of Park City, Utah. All the while, they made plans for their next career move.
Moody and Pack viewed a neighborhood market as a less risky venture than launching a restaurant during pandemic times (although they have plenty of ideas for those, if and when the time is right). And, Atlanta was the logical choice to set up shop.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Moody is an Atlanta native who worked at Linton Hopkins’ Holeman and Finch, as well as Restaurant Eugene, before moving to New York to work in such esteemed kitchens as Atera, Blue Hill, Eleven Madison Park and Aska. “The Atlanta food community, hospitality community and restaurant community has grown so much,” Moody said.
He’s long been enamored with the character-filled architecture of Virginia-Highland, so, when the space at 1019 Virginia Ave. became available, they nabbed it.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
One side of the narrow shop is lined with shelves of dry goods, baskets of fresh produce, and coolers filled with milk, artisanal domestic cheeses and packaged meat products. Farmers market regulars will recognize names and labels such as Rowe by Rowe, Woodland Gardens, Doux South and DaySpring Farms. But, local and regional finishing salts, and rice from the Mississippi Delta, share space with kitchen workhorses like Diamond Crystal kosher salt and jugs of Spanish extra-virgin olive oil.
“This is like a chef’s grocery store,” Moody said of the curated selection.
Once Kinship’s liquor license is approved, the shelves mostly will hold old-world vino from France and Italy made by “small producers with an excellent story,” Pack said.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Already on display, however, is a whole-hog butchery program that sources meat only from Georgia farms. When I visited, Stephen Wagner was busy butchering a side of beef from Southern River Farms. After heritage hogs from Comfort Farms in Milledgeville are broken down, scraps don’t go to waste, as evidenced by the quarts of house-made stock, bacon fat and tallow for purchase in the cooler.
Near the front of the shop, Moody’s brother, Connan, runs Academy Coffee, the caffeinated side of the operation.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
He offers all the espresso-based standards, but a menu of seven specialty coffee drinks, plus a barista’s choice dubbed Surprise Me, will pique the interest of enthusiasts, because Moody takes a mixologist’s approach — using bitters, spices and techniques from the cocktail world — to prepare his beverages.
The B Side, for example, is a shaken cold brew that holds the unexpected flavors of basil and banana. It earned him top honors at the Stumptown Strange Brews competition in 2017. “You hardly ever see a barista shaking a cocktail,” he said.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
During my visit, the tap holding the B Side cold brew had run dry, but the Shoto Style — an iced latte with notes of camomile, tart cherry and the warm heat of habanero — was refreshing.
“I love Atlanta’s coffee scene, because it’s so curious,” said the barista, who runs beans from Onyx Coffee Lab in Arkansas and Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co. in Richmond, Virginia, through his prized Victoria Arduino Eagle One espresso machine.
While chatting, he stayed busy filling a constant flow of orders for an afternoon java pick-me-up.
Others were standing in line because they’d heard about Kinship’s breakfast sandwiches — the only dish on the menu.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Every detail of this sandwich is curated: the house-made pork sausage or bacon (or both!), a scrambled organic egg, melted Thomasville Tomme cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy, fresh arugula, bits of red onion, and a swipe of Duke’s mayo — all in the middle of a puffy milk bun made by up-and-coming baker Vivian Lee of Foodcation Forever and the forthcoming sandwich shop Leftie Lee’s. (Kinship also sells her croissants, kimchi buttermilk biscuits and other baked goods.)
On opening weekend, they had enough ingredients to make 100 sandwiches; they sold out by 10 a.m. This weekend, they’ll be ready to make 150. Kingship opens daily at 7 a.m., except it is closed on Wednesdays. Set the alarm clock. This sandwich is worth an early rise.
Kinship Butcher & Sundry. 1019 Virginia Ave., Atlanta. 404-343-4374, kinship-atl.com.
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