Written by Vance Lichtenberger
Mid-Century Enthusiast and Real Estate Specialist with Mid-Century Homes
July 6, 2022
If you're familiar with Italian food culture, you’ve likely heard of the Italian ritual of aperitivo, or aperitif, a pre-dinner drink which in Italy which is always accompanied by tapas. If you're like me, you probably had to have Chef Danielle explain what all of those words mean. Apericena, Boise Chef Danielle Christine's inspired-European restaurant concept, refers to a relaxing evening meal with aperitives and tapas-style cuisine intended to share.
"I've created several restaurant concepts over the past 10 years, and I've been prepared to pull the trigger when the right opportunity presented itself," said Chef Danielle. "When The Hyde House went out of business, I knew it was the one. I couldn't imagine a more ideal location for a European, fine-dining concept in Boise."
In our first interview, Danielle shared that the name Apericena came to her almost overnight, before she secured the space. Having successfully operated an existing farm-to-table food brand over the past two years, Chef Danielle was fortunate to have built a strong network of local purveyors. Purple Sage Farms, Eagle Urban Farm, Sable Farm Co, and Mama's Microgreen's among the top of her list.
The History of The Hyde House
As an avid Mid-Century Modern Enthusiast and Real Estate Specialist with Mid-Century Homes, I couldn't help but dig into the history of the beautiful space Danielle would be stepping into.
Originally built in 1890, The Hyde House was a home once owned by Beth Ritter, who simultaneously owned The Klein House designed by Art Troutner, now owned by Aaron Paul. After passing from hand to hand over the next 100 plus years, The Hyde House was eventually sold to its current owner, Jill Monteith. I would come to work with Jill as I began my career, becoming business partners with her in December of 2015 at The Recycled Room.
Jill and her family renovated the entire property, turning the previous home into a one-of-a-kind restaurant, which would come to be known as The Hyde House. I was privileged to have been their first customer, and celebrate my graduation from Boise State University on what is now the Apericena patio.
Grumps Wine Bar & Coffee Café takes over The Hyde House
After five years of being successfully family owned and operated, it was time for Jill to part ways with The Hyde House. As her children chased careers of their own, Jill looked forward to stepping more fully into her role at the Recycled Room and her other business endeavors. In December of 2020, the Monteith family sold The Hyde House brand name and assets to the property's next tenants. Cynthia Saur and her daughter Shelby sought to continue what Jill's family had worked so hard to create, but unfortunately, the Hyde House's five-year streak came to an abrupt end.
On May 1st, 2022, a little over a year and a half into the Saur's ownership, their doors were closed. Their closure came with reports of bounced paychecks beginning as early as November of the previous year, and a confirmed number of six wage claims filed against the business.
“They put a sign out that they were short on staff, and going to be closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday," landlord Jill Monteith said in a statement to KTVB. "When I opened the door, I said, 'What is going on?' And she said, 'We are done. We are closing. We have closed."
The Saur's abrupt end to operations at The Hyde House left a sour taste amongst community members, and left the Monteith family with a large sum of unpaid debt, as their purchase of brand and its assets was financed through a long-term loan.
“We are going to be really careful of who we rent to next that is going to be a viable, amazing part of the community,” Jill said.
Welcoming Apericena
Boise Chef Danielle Christine dreamt of opening restaurants for as long as she could remember, and was one of many local restauranteurs interested in taking over the Hyde House space following the Saur's departure.
"Danielle has been cooking since she could reach the stove," her father said in a recent interview. "I always knew this is the path she would take."
Amidst the pandemic, Danielle launched her first food brand, Haute Foods. The first farm-to-table meal delivery concept of it's kind, the brand rapidly took the center stage. Haute Foods grew from a two person operation to an eight person operation in less than six months, and on July 15th, 2021, Chef Danielle and her team joined the Crave Delivery collective.
In the beginning, Crave Delivery's business model fit perfectly with what Chef Danielle sought to create, and she was optimistic for a long and fulfilling partnership. The brand started just over a month prior to her own, and she looked forward to a future in which the two brands could grow alongside one another.
"The Crave Delivery brand was innovative and exciting, and the use of an app to order food from multiple restaurant concepts was unheard of in this area," Danielle said. "Unfortunately, time showed me our business models may not be as aligned as I had hoped."
After a positive three months at their new home at Crave Delivery, Chef Danielle found herself facing a rent increase of over 400%, and her team was forced to began looking for new spaces. The problem was, there wasn't much on the market that would fit well with her brand.
"The only restaurants on the market were in strip malls in the worst neighborhoods. No walkability, no patio, no ambiance," Danielle said. "Finally, an article highlighting he fiasco at the Hyde House's popped up, and I knew it was the one."
Notwithstanding her shock to hear the story of how things ended, Danielle immediately reached out to friends who might know how to contact the owner of the property. I happened to be one of those friends. On May 17th, I gave Danielle Jill's phone number, and the rest was history.
"The stars, the sun, and the moon had to align for Danielle to get this space," Jill said.
And I could not have agreed more. With a focus on fresh, local ingredients and seasonality, Danielle's new concept seeks to provide casual, upscale European-dining on one of the best patios in Boise. The space will also act as the Haute Foods pick-up location for their local subscribers. Check out the Haute Foods website for more information on weekly meal subscriptions, and stay tuned for the soft opening of Apericena in July 2022 following renovations.