The Well-Built Breakfast of Honey and Salt
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John Gunther
If John Gunther’s quote is to be believed, and if the crowds that flock to Honey and Salt restaurant on Little Rainbow Row are any indication, then Flat Rock must be one of the happiest places in the world.
Honey and salt - The green in Flat Rock’s Little Rainbow Row
Although it’s only been open for a little over three years, Honey and Salt has already established itself as one of the preeminent destinations for hungry locals and tourists searching for their self-described “well-built” breakfast.
Honey and Salt launched in 2017 as a partnership between current owners, Erin and Edward Hill, and serial entrepreneur and local Flat Rock business legend, Starr Teal. The restaurant’s name is an homage to Carl Sandburg and lifted from the title of a collection of his poems first published in 1963. After the first year of operation, the Hill’s bought out Starr’s stake in the business and have experienced a remarkable roller-coaster ride of good times and bad ever since.
The menu at Honey and Salt is geared towards breakfast and brunch with a tempting array of baked goodies offered as well. “We opened to fill a void that we saw in town,” explains Erin Hill. “While there are a few great local bakeries, we didn’t have any sit down breakfast options that sourced locally and made everything from scratch.”
Erin’s business philosophy - like the menu - offers a healthy balance of fun and nutrition for her customers and her current staff of 13 employees. “Edward and I have three daughters who take priority also,” says Erin. “We wanted to be home in the afternoons and evenings with them. That’s also an important factor for a lot of our staff too. As a business, we are very family oriented.”
Erin Hill
The Hills have lived in Henderson County for almost 10 years now. Erin was raised near Philadelphia, and Edward grew up in Columbia, SC. The couple previously lived in Virginia where Erin worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse and where the Hill’s three daughters were born. Eventually, the Hill’s decided they needed a change of venue and Edward’s boyhood memories of family trips to western North Carolina persuaded the couple to relocate to the area.
Erin’s experience as a Labor and Delivery nurse prepared her for the pressures of owning a restaurant, and her part-time work experience during her school years provided the practical skills necessary to take on the challenge of running Honey and Salt. “During college and nursing school I worked at a restaurant and learned every front house position from host to manager.”
Owning Honey and Salt was also the logical extension of Erin’s lifelong passions. “I feel like I’ve come full circle - I’ve been passionate about health and fitness my entire life. Being able to open a business and offer whole food, sourced locally, was important. I love that it’s a family business, too - our girls are starting to work with us and learn the business.”
So what is the recipe for a restaurant as popular as Honey and Salt? According to Erin the primary ingredient is a happy staff. “I think the energy of a restaurant and happiness of the employees come out in the food. We have always worked hard to create a fun, enjoyable environment for both our employees and customers. Our employees are the best - they are caring, friendly, attentive and just really good at their jobs.”
The Farmhouse Skillet
As for the food itself, Erin and her team are just as demanding of excellence when purchasing ingredients for their dishes. “We source responsibly and as locally as possible. We frequently hear from customers how good the food tastes.”
Throughout 2019 and early 2020, Honey and Salt was booming, and then … the pandemic made a very unwelcome reservation for most of 2020. The last nine months have be predictably tough for Erin and her team, but they have been able to cash in on a hard-earned reputation for excellence that helped them build a loyal customer base. “We have been very fortunate and thankful to have established a large following,” says Erin. “Things have obviously been very different since March. But our customers have been wonderful and extremely supportive. We will continue to serve our community as long as we can and hope our business, like many others, survives this unique time.”
Looking ahead to 2021, Erin is clear-eyed about the challenges of continuing under such adverse conditions. Still, she and Edward are hoping for a return to the good times pre-pandemic. “We are naturally optimistic and realistic people. While we aren’t sure if the restaurant landscape will ever look the same again, we do believe that people will always want to gather over good food and good company.”
In his poem Honey and Salt, Sandburg writes:
There are sanctuaries holding honey and salt.
There are those who spill and spend.
There are those who search and save.
And love may be a quest with silence and content.
Can you buy love?
Although we may not be able to buy love, it certainly is possible to enjoy the love served in every delicious dish prepared at Flat Rock’s popular go-to destination for all things breakfast, Honey and Salt.
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Honey and Salt is open Wed - Sun 8am to 2pm.
Learn more and see their menu here.
