Salt spreads to cover community

BYRAM — The doors of The Trout and The Troll are scheduled to swing open between Jan. 15 and 22.

Getting started
The building, situated on Lake Lackawanna, has changed ownership several times in the last 10 years. Byram resident and Chef Bradley Boyle, has loved the location on lake and has always been interested in the property. He seized the opportunity to make a go-of-it in late in 2014 and the Boyle family and Salt employees have been non-stop getting ready.

The name is meant to be whimsical and ties the pub to the lake while referring to the troll character in the old-time fable Three Billy Goats Gruff.

This newest infusion to the Salt empire will welcome a wide age-range of customers. From folks just getting off from work and families in the early evening, to young adults and the pub crowd later in the night.

In the summertime, they will be open for lunch and hope to be working with the golf club as well as the residents, providing a dock for small boats and installing a drive through pick-up service for boaters wishing to pick up their “take out” food order. They will also maintain the grassy, lakeside area with lawn games for the children and will have live music at this location. Musicians already slated to perform will be mainly from Sussex County, starting with Steve Chapin performing on Wednesday nights during the winter months.

Retro pub
This establishment might be competition to Salt Gastropub but it gives Boyle the latitude to offer something different. Being situated far from the potential customer traffic on Rt 206, the property is located in a close knit community and will be touted as a “retro pub”.

Family friendly, down home cooking and a full line of familiar draft favorites including Budweiser and Coors will be offered in a comfortable, friendly, less intimidating atmosphere. Their slogan for the type of food that will be on the menu is, “The food your Momma made…But not like THIS”, and includes new twists on old classics.

Appetizers like wings, nachos, soups and salads will be served up in a modern form, while entrees like Yankee Pot Roast, a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches and grilled pizzas will tantalize the taste buds. The restaurants signature dessert will be “Troll House Cookies” served in a cast iron skillet. Table snack food will be help-yourself-popcorn from a retro popcorn machine.

Pictures have been collected from locals who read the Facebook post calling for memorabilia and are now on canvas waiting to be adorn the walls. They include vintage and current scenes of Lake Lackawanna and Byram and a Harry Chapin quote that reads, “I want the fact that I existed to mean something.”

The one thing that won’t change with this location is the parking lot. Carpooling is encouraged when possible as there are not as many parking spaces available. No reservations will be required and customers will be seated on a first come, first seated basis.

Hometown roots
The Boyle family has lived in the area for generations and Brad, along with his wife Laurie, started serving up meals at their Newton restaurant called Bula. They established Salt Gastropub in Byram Township seven years ago which continues to thrive, bringing a wide array of culinary dishes to the area and a huge selection of beers. But the chef who appeared in the television show “Chopped” expanded by opening the Salt Studio.

SG Events is the catering branch of the Salt Gastropub company and is operating as Salt Studio. The culinary studio holds pop-up restaurants and beer tastings, private parties, culinary instruction, and other events throughout the year. SG Events also has six off site locations where events are catered, including The Conservatory in Augusta at the fairgrounds, Tamarack B & B in Byram, and Rutherford Hall in Allamuchy and can host up to 250 people with either themed or classic events like wedding showers and rehearsal dinners.

Event Planner Mary Cutrone and Laurie Boyle work to make each event unique, with menus that can be customized, including making meals from the customers family recipes.

With every new venture, the separate Salt corporations bring more types of tasty food, greater community outreach, as well as dozens of employment opportunities to the area. Community outreach has always played a part in every venture the Boyle’s undertake, which they chalk up to family values.

“I was raised that way," Boyle said. "It's important, especially if you have such a voice that people will listen, you should use it for something.”

Community oriented
“We’re very community oriented. It’s all about being a good neighbor and we’re a pretty big neighbor in this community so we need to be there for people," Laurie Boyle adds.

One example is the Giving Tree that is set up each year near the front door of Salt Gastropub and is decorated with handmade ornaments from the local Scout Troops. Each ornament has a wish list of gifts from local children and families in need for games and toys, as well as new coats and shoes.

Another example is Thanksgiving turkey dinners that are prepared each year, along with providing families with food staples of dry non-perishables collected from donations in the weeks prior to the holiday. In 2014, 250 turkeys were prepared for area families. The over-abundance of dry goods were donated to Bodhi Monestary in Lafayatte for their food pantry. With help from Andre, from Dre’s in Newton, and over a dozen members of the Salt Shakers trail running club, the program was organized in shifts to prepare, package, and distribute the meals.

One of the most touching personal act of kindness is the benefit called ‘A Meal for Amiel’. Last year the Boyle’s held a benefit for the loss of a child of a friend and fellow chef, Florian Wehrli. The fundraiser featured five area chefs preparing lavish meals for attendees. The Swiss native was so moved by the outpouring of support that he is paying it forward by continuing the fundraiser this year in order to build a green house/interactive classroom for the Frankford Township School System in Branchville. This years event will also be at Perona Farms on Feb. 8 and will have at least 15 celebrity chefs from the tri-state area preparing a 5-course tasting meal and sharing their passion and knowledge of food and nutrition.

Another community-oriented facet is The Salt Shakers, a running club whose members also like beer. Resident Rob Davidson started the “club” with Brad, and together they welcome new members every year. There are now more than 50 people who run the trails through Allamuchy State Park weekly. The goal of the Salt Shaker Trail Running Club is to raise money for the Sussex County Women’s Forum (SCWF) and the Friend 2 Friend free mammogram program. Through their efforts, the club cleans up the trails and makes improvements and has put Salt Gastropub on the map — the restaurant is now an official trailhead in the Highlands Trail system.

Also in 2014 Boyle created a program called Bounty of the County. The intention is to host dinners at local farms like Race Farms in Blairstown and Windy Brow in Newton by serving meat and produce grown locally. The sold out affairs have put area farms in the spotlight and customers closer to the food produced in the area.

Information for all of the annual events and benefits can be found on Facebook or www.saltgastropub.com.