Kelli Salter of Arroyo Grande is pulling out all the stops for her new venture. As one of the owners of the re-imagined Farmhouse Corner Market & Wine Lounge in San Luis Obispo, she nabbed grape guru Miya Luce of Central Coast Wines and baking legend Sheila McCann of House of Bread to help curate a worldly yet homey experience for guests.
The business, which celebrated its grand opening on July 6, pairs pours from around the world with specialty toast.
Although McCann operates her own bakery and cafƩ adjacent to the wine lounge, and Luce runs a wine shop in downtown SLO, they submit that supporting others benefits them all.
“We love having House of Bread next door,” Salter said, “They supply fresh bread for our specialty toast, and House of Bread customers are welcome to bring their food over to Farmhouse if they want to pair their meal with one of our wines.”
McCann echoed the sentiment: “Even though I sell a few wines and offer a toast menu, I very much welcome the wine lounge with their offerings. … I love the exposure and am looking forward to [their] creative options.”
Fresh off a two-year hiatus, Farmhouse 2.0 reflects a new direction spearheaded by Salter, sister of Ryan Harris. Harris and his wife, Leanne, launched the original business in 2019 with partners Will and Kari Torres.
The Harrises remain as behind-the-scenes co-owners, along with Salter’s husband, Jared.
“After closing … at the beginning of 2022, Leanne and I always considered relaunching Farmhouse in some form or fashion once the impacts of the COVID pandemic had softened,” Harris said. “We saw a need for a wine lounge south of downtown where local residents can meet up for a quick professional catch-up over a glass of wine or lock in for several hours with a nice bottle of wine or two and enjoy the company of friends or family.
“Kelli is a level-two sommelier (with the Vermont-based National Wine School) who has worked diligently to curate the wine inventory, and Jared has a background in marketing and business operations.”
Salter enlisted the expertise of Luce to fine-tune her global collection of hundreds of wines, as well as beer, nonalcoholic beverages, and more.
“The selection of wine is very diverse and represents many wine regions, from the most established to very obscure and up-and-coming,” said Luce, who offers food-and-beverage-industry consulting services.
“From Burgundies and Riojas to orange wines and pet nats made in places like Slovenia and Vermont, the selections are very multi-faceted and exciting,” Luce added. “Kelli has a very impressive palate for wine. She has been able to do sensory evaluations of wines and pinpoint winemaking techniques and styles with ease. I attribute this to her massive enthusiasm and her natural ability to understand how wine is made.”
To complement beverage options at Farmhouse, Salter offers a rotating menu of toast concoctions.
“Think caprese toast, or sauteed mushrooms and gruyere, with even some dessert toasts like cinnamon sugar,” she said.
Then sit back and enjoy the expansive 2,500-square-foot space, seating 30 guests comfortably.
“More than anything we want to create a fun space where people can gather with friends and find a sense of community,” Salter continued. “SLO has wine retail stores and wine bars, but we are the only wine lounge with couches and plush chairs that invite you to get comfy and stay awhile.
“This week we had a group of neighbors from Los Ranchos come in, and we loved being the gathering spot for them. We hope to be the place where book clubs, school parents, work colleagues, and other groups meet up to reconnect while sharing a bottle of wine.”
Salter also aims to broaden customers’ horizons via their taste buds.
“Many people feel intimidated by wine because there’s so much to learn, so they tend to find a wine they like and just stick to that one winery or grape variety,” she explained. “We are inviting people to discover new wines, which is why most of our inventory is imports and lesser-known U.S. winemakers. Ever tried a Moroccan or Hungarian wine? They’re fantastic.
“The Farmhouse Wine Club is a good example of how we want to make wine more fun and experiential. We curate three wines each month and pair them to the vibe of each month.”
July’s theme is Red, White, and Bordeaux, featuring French wines in honor of the Paris Olympics, she said.
Also stay tuned for trivia night, winemaker pours, creative date nights, and live music. Salter already has talent booked on Friday nights throughout July.
The space is available for private rental as well.
Salter has high hopes for Farmhouse as commercial and residential projects continue to proliferate off south Broad Street and Highway 227.
“We have some large businesses near the airport, and we’d like to be the place they come to for meetings and happy hour drinks,” she said. “We also live at this end of town, and I know we’re not alone in sometimes dreading going downtown, finding parking, etc. We’ve been getting a lot of people coming in saying how happy they are to have a place … that’s close by with free parking.” Ī
Flavor Writer Cherish Whyte will be back for live music and a vermouth spritz. Reach her at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 11-21, 2024.