Re-opening earlier this month in its original space at 184 120th Street in Holland, the new and improved Coppercraft Distillery has expanded its location to include a full restaurant menu, keeping things local and seasonal with the addition of new head chef Kelsey Winter-Troutwine.
“We hired a really talented chef out with a really great pedigree out of Chicago,” says Coppercraft general manager Brandon Joldersma. “He developed a love for local seasonal cuisine that you’ve seen pop up in the big cities, but still has a way to go here in West Michigan.”
Winter-Troutwine, who graduated with a bachelor of arts from the Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, spent the past six years in Chicago working alongside high-profile chefs in the city, many alumni of the famed Chicago chef, Charlie Trotter.
With a full rotating menu of seasonal New American cuisine, Joldersma says Coppercraft is currently developing a whole new cocktail menu, designed and perfectly tailored to compliment its new food menu.
“We like to surprise people by showing how specific cocktails pair well with food,” says Joldersma. “The nice thing with cocktails is that we can very specifically tailor and dial these to the specific menu item itself, you have total control.”
Opened by husband and wife team Walter and Kim Catton in 2012 to create “premium, small-batch spirits by hand, using local ingredients,” ownership of Coppercraft Distillery changed hands last year, though Walter has maintained his position as master distiller.
“Step one for us was to re-do the consumer-facing end of our distillery here in Holland,” says Joldersma, adding that the new 56-seat dining room was revamped from the old tasting room and barrel storage area, while of the distillery equipment was upgraded to increase capacity. Phase two of the redesign, he says, will be working on building out more storage area for increased production capacity.
Coppercraft also opened a new tasting room in Saugatuck last September, offering samples and retail bottles of all of its spirits—vodka, citrus vodka, gin, rum, applejack, bourbon, corn whiskey and rye whiskey—alongside handmade artisan cocktails.
“I think (Coppercraft’s new menu) is a little bit challenging, in a good way, for some of the clientele here in Holland and in West Michigan,” Joldersma says. “I think we’re offering the comfortable and familiar things, but also trying to push the envelope for things we can’t always really find here on Lakeshore.”
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Coppercraft Distillery
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.