In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era—he answered a questionnaire about himself in a friend’s Confession Album.
Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or another, for more than a century. Many have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire featuring celebrities. The Tomato gives it a culinary twist.
Over a decade ago, Andrew Borley and Jeremy Bouw started a roving cocktail company called the Volstead Act. Andrew worked at an architectural firm, but he had a side passion exploring the world of craft cocktails. Enter Mike Scorgie. “He was the caterer at an event we were doing,” says Andrew. Together with Andrew’s wife Rachael, who acted as general manager, they refined the idea of a place that celebrated wood, in cocktails and in food. The Borleys and Mike Scorgie found a space and opened Woodwork 10 years ago.
“We were pretty naïve”, says Rachael. “We were inspired by bars we had seen in Portland, San Fransico. It was the time of Mad Men and we thought Edmonton was a great place to do it. If we have lived in NYC we never would have opened anything.” Mike Scorgie moved on, and in two years or so, the Borleys were able to buy him out.
Woodwork was innovative, even revolutionary. It’s unique brand of cocktails and wood-fired food garnered accolades and awards by the handful. They installed the first Grillworks system in Canada. The interior looked amazing (still does). It’s a fun place to hang out.
“We always wanted Woodwork to be as much a cocktail bar as known for food,” says Rachael. Every good bartender did a stint at Woodwork at some point—James Grant (Royal York, Toronto); Jeff Savage (The Botanist, Vancouver); Natasha Trowsdale (Baijiu). Notable chefs have run the kitchen—David Leeder, Tony Tipping, Lindsay Porter—which is now ably managed by Trevor Johnston, hired as a sous chef in David Leeder’s time.
“You move from one big hurdle to the next. I stepped out for a while when Mike was there and then I took a big break to have babies,” says Rachael. “Then there was Covid.”
In the meantime, they opened two more—Clementine, which also celebrates the art of the cocktail, and the new Leopard, which explores cocktails on tap and sourdough pizza. (Leopard refers to the char spots made when you combine high hydration doughs and high heat.)
“Now, my role is operations over all three restaurants (Clementine and the new Leopard). Dylan Leduc is the general manager at Woodwork and Leopard and Mitch Caddick runs Clementine.” Jordan Clemens is the bar director at all three spots.
“We owe a lot to our community. When we opened it felt like a lot of people our age, young entrepreneurs, were trying to be something new, something unique, like Nate Box and Linda Ha with Barber Ha. And we supported each other. Now there are lots of cocktail bars and we feel like we had something to do with that.”
“We are on an upward trajectory now,” says Rachael. The pandemic is behind us, we have great people, we have air conditioning at Woodwork now.”
Woodwork celebrates its 10th Anniversary this month.
Hometown?
Two towns in Manitoba—Rapid City and Swan River.
Years in restaurant business?
Ten. I was 12 years in coffee with Starbucks. Andrew had a degree in architecture and worked in that field.
Where would you like to live?
Rachael: I dream of a place with open sky and open water, and I found it in northern Sweden—hills around an open field and a lake. Andrew: Coincidentally, my grandfather is literally from Sweden, right on the sea.
Your Favourite food/drink?
Andrew: Really simply prepared rib eye (reverse sear, cooked on wood) from Modest Meats with Côte Rôtie. Rachael: Home-cooked Bolognese on spelt noodles. I love a good Negroni.
What would you be doing if you weren’t in the restaurant biz?
Rachael: A little pottery shop and a women’s knitting club.
Andrew: I would build the pottery shop. I would be in some sort of design role.
What do you most appreciate in your friends?
Rachael: Honesty. Can’t stand those beating around the bush conversations.
Andrew: Friends that push you to be a better person.
In a dish?
Rachel: Garlic! Something local, in season. And I love fermented foods. Andrew: I would say simplicity. The longer I’ve been in this, the more I appreciate good ingredients prepared simply and well.
In a chef/cook?
Rachael and Andrew: Well-rounded, down to earth. Dependable, a team player and collaborative. Someone who tries to drive the business forward.
In a cocktail?
Rachael and Andrew: Balance, the classics, tried and true. They have the knowledge and the history.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Rachael: Andrew says literally. I get teased for my corporate lingo—saying beverage, or opportunity instead of problem.
Who would be at your dream dinner table?
Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, Ryan Gosling, Charles and Ray Eames, Grandpa Fred (Swedish grandaddy of Andrew).
Who would cook?
Frances Mallmann, José Andrés, Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen.
Current obsession or exploration?
Rachael: We just came back from Tales of the Cocktail, and two seminars really stood out. Mine was defining values in your business. Andrew: Ice. Using freezing the same way a chef would use heat. Distilling by freezing as a way to concentrate flavours.
Best thing that ever happened to you?
Our ten-year wedding anniversary happened right after we opened Woodwork. We gathered at Woodwork and opened a bottle of Hanzell that we had picked up at the winery. It represented a personal and professional milestone. I’d love to recreate that for our 20th.
Meaningful/crazy food experience?
Rachael: We went to Galliano Island for two nights, just to go to Pilgrimme. Andrew: Bazaar Meat in Las Vegas. It was perfect, the service, all the meats are cooked over oak, tableside beef tartare.
Mentors?
Rachael: The person who hired me at Starbucks, Michelle Dearcangelis. That’s where I learned how to be a manager. Andrew: I was hired at a design firm and the person I was replacing, Bob McMullen, took me under his wing. Our restaurant mentors are Patrick and Doris Saurette at the Marc.
Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?
It was always shawarma at La Shish and Pho Hoan Pasteur.
Philosophy?
With Woodwork, we were introducing a new experience to Edmonton. We are still pushing boundaries. The key to that is happy employees having real, meaningful connections in our spaces. Creating a culture that has work/life balance for everyone.
What’s next
No more restaurants! Having a brand-new restaurant (Leopard) is like having a new baby. We are coming out of the craziest time and we are so grateful to come out the other side. Kudos to our community to making that happen.