Solvang, CA – California Central Coast Chef Michael Cherney and his wife, Sarah Cherney, owners of Solvang, California restaurant, peasants FEAST (www.peasantsFEAST.com), have expansion plans in place for the growing hospitality group with the Thursday, January 27, 2022 grand opening of peasants DELI & MARKET (www.peasantsDELI.com), also in downtown Solvang. The new space is located at 473 Atterdag Road, across the lane from the duo’s first restaurant, peasants FEAST.
peasants DELI & MARKET will offer classic and not-so-classic deli sandwiches filled with thoughtfully-sourced, artisanal cured and smoked meats, served on specially-commissioned sesame French rolls from Santa Ynez Valley bakery, Bob’s Well Bread. A focal point of peasants DELI, featured front and center, will be a sizable leg of 5J Jamón Ibérico Bellota Cinco Jotas, a rarely-found Spanish import, considered the finest cured ham in the world. Chef Cherney’s renowned and Instagram-famous pastrami smoked salmon will be on the menu, as well as house-roasted Kobe roast beef sandwiches; an “Italian” sandwich version, “The Godfather,” with Alle-Pia coppa, Barolo and Sopressa salami, and La Quercia prosciutto; house-roasted turkey breast; veggie options; and, eventually, Cherney’s house-made porchetta sandwich, all finished with house dressings and condiments. Chef Cherney is also considering the menu addition of his award-winning, house cured and smoked, thick cut, maple glazed bacon.
“Most of my memories of my dad revolve around food, and some of the best of those were from the times he’d take me to hole-in-the-wall delis all over Los Angeles,” said Chef Michael Cherney, owner of peasants FEAST and now, peasants DELI & MARKET, with his wife, Sarah.
Chef Cherney continued, “We’d sit out on the curb to eat whatever that day’s haul might have been. peasants DELI and MARKET is my recreation of those memories, right down to the scant sidewalk seating in front of the shop.”
In addition to the sandwich menu and the Jamón Ibérico, peasants DELI & MARKET will hand-slice other assorted meats which will be available “à la carte.” Shelving will line one wall of peasants DELI & MARKET, displaying rows of provisions available for purchase. Olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar, made for peasants DELI by local crafter Global Gardens; jars of “peasants PICKLES;” handmade, fresh pasta; and, various dressings and condiments used at the deli including their proprietary Italian dressing, and their Sunrise Organic Farms Bulgarian carrot pepper hot sauce. Also available in the market section of the deli will be Conservas Ortiz tuna belly, boquerones like those found on peasants FEAST’s now-famous Copenhagen Caesar salad, and Spanish mussels in escabeche from La Brújula, with rotating pâté eventually joining the line-up (e.g., rabbit, duck, etc.).
peasants DELI & MARKET will also offer beer and wine for takeaway, or to enjoy at one of their very limited seating options.
The Cherneys’ debut restaurant, peasants FEAST, is now known up and down the Central Coast for its seasonal, scratch-made comfort food with a Santa Barbara County wine country twist. The eatery originally opened for business just two weeks after the start of the March 2020 pandemic shutdowns.
With years of planning, hopes, dreams, and sacrifice leading up to opening their first restaurant, yet facing complete uncertainty, the Cherneys pushed forward with the peasants FEAST opening, modifying and adapting their initial business model to meet the changing community needs. The restaurant began by providing the newly-homebound Santa Ynez Valley with farm-fresh menu items prepared for take-away to be enjoyed at home or on the road. One of the restaurant opening’s pandemic-forced tweaks was the elimination of a Jamón Ibérico station which was meant to be an interior dining room centerpiece.
Chef Cherney added, “It’s funny, how things play out…not only did we survive the past nearly two years, now we’re actually expanding our family business, complete with that ham as a foodie focus.”
Hospitality industry duo, Chef Cherney and wife, Sarah, brought more than three decades of restaurant experience to peasants FEAST, with time spent in Michelin-starred, Los Angeles (Ortolan) and Las Vegas (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon) kitchens, and with familiar, highly-regarded California Central Coast eateries (Sides Hardware and Shoes, Firestone Walker Brewing Company).
peasants FEAST’s family-friendly environment showcases food which takes its cue from the pair’s direct relationships with local farmers and purveyors of artisanal foods and beverages. peasants FEAST menus honor every part of each plant and animal destined for the restaurant’s tables, through deliberate dishes meant to highlight the local agricultural community.
The Cherneys’ initial intent for peasants FEAST was for the restaurant to serve as a gathering place for friends and families, but the pandemic’s different plans made the couple master their to-go game, only recently allowing them to seat guests in the indoor dining area. Limited to serving food meant for takeout, and eventually seating diners on peasants FEAST’s outdoor patio, the restaurant was still able to command an engaged social media following for its delicious – and, photogenic – creations. Loyal locals order weekly meals from the restaurant, while new fans drive distances to try the dishes they have seen and read about in their social feeds. Weekend waits for peasants FEAST tables often top two hours.
“We really wanted to entertain a bit more, but the organic growth and pace of peasants FEAST’s business didn’t give us a chance to do so. The DELI is an opportunity to slow our pace, and to welcome guests in a more intimate setting,” explained Sarah Cherney.
Over the past couple of months the peasants FEAST crew has been running “pop-ups” in the peasants DELI & MARKET space, announced via social media. Each “surprise” test-run featured a limited number of select sandwiches available to fans and friends until sold out. Future plans for the new deli space, once the beer and wine license is in place, are weekly “social hours,” Thursday and Friday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, offering guests wine and small bites along with that peasants FEAST hospitality. New peasants DELI & MARKET initiatives and updates will be announced on the team’s social media accounts: @peasantsDELI and @peasantsFEAST.
peasants FEAST is located at 487 Atterdag Road (at the corner of Copenhagen Drive), Solvang, CA 93463. peasants FEAST is currently open for take-away service, indoor or outdoor patio dining, Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. To reach the restaurant directly, please call 805.686.4555.
peasants DELI & MARKET is located at 473 Atterdag Road, across from peasants FEAST. Initial opening hours for the deli counter will be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM (or until sold out), with market hours to extend a bit later. The peasants DELI & MARKET phone number will be 805.691.9649.
www.peasantsDELI.com // facebook.com/peasantsDELI // @peasantsDELI