By Alissa Fiorillo
Alissa.Fiorillo@tryondailybulletin.com

Huckleberry’s Gathering Garage is changing its name to Huckleberry’s as it relocates to a larger, downtown venue in Tryon from its former location in Columbus. The new restaurant is moving into the St. Luke’s Plaza building and the community is already buzzing about it.

“People are excited,” says 19-year-old owner, Michaila Cosmus. “They keep asking me ‘Are you really moving here? Is this true? Is this really where you’re going?’ I was surprised by how fast the word spread.”

Cosmus admits she had been on the lookout for a new location to increase business, but did not expect to settle into a new location so quickly. “It all happened within a week,” she explains. “I was walking through town and saw the sale sign and made the call.”

Cosmus and her employees began moving in just one day after purchasing the new location “We’ve been crazy busy. It feels like Grand Central Station over here.”

Location isn’t the only thing about Huckleberry’s that is changing. “Our chefs are working on a totally new menu that we’ll post on our website soon,” says Cosmus.

“We are still keeping some of the favorite menu items from before,” adds Chef J.P. Wilson. “The Salad of the Day will stay on the menu because it’s a customer favorite, but we’re adding a variety of new dishes for every type of diet. We want to make sure we meet the needs for our vegetarian and gluten-free customers.”

The lunch menu will be primarily made up of soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps. “We will have a lot of panini options,” says Wilson. The dinner menu will include chicken, steak, lamb, burgers and pasta dishes. Like their previous location, Huckleberry’s will continue to be a B.Y.O.B. restaurant.

New dishes will include a mushroom fondue and Chicken Saltimbocca. “It’s chicken cooked with lemon, fresh sage, and Appalachian pancetta,” jokes Wilson. “That’s just my fancy term for bacon.”

Certain entrees will be rotated on and off of the menu, which is set to change every two-to-three weeks. “Some items will always stay the same on the menu and others will be taken away or introduced,” Wilson explains. “We want to change it up and use fresh, seasonal ingredients.”

Restaurant employees gave out samples of their new soup recipes to the community during the Tryon Christmas Stroll and plan to do so again at the Tryon Christmas Parade on Dec. 10.

Huckleberry’s will celebrate its Grand Opening Party on Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. “We sent out 1,200 invites,” exclaims Cosmus. “We’re all so excited for this opening!”

“We are all so happy for Michaila,” adds Wilson. “She is such a talented young lady and she has worked so hard to get here.”

Huckleberry’s is located at 62 N. Trade St in Tryon and will be open Tuesdays – Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.