This Month’s Featured Article

“When Ryan and I first started dreaming about working together, we always said, ‘Maybe one day we’ll end up back in the Berkshires.’ It just felt like home – the pace, the culture, the people who care deeply about food, art, and nature. So when the opportunity to join Cello came up in Lenox, it felt like the stars aligned,” said Kim Boya, partner and general manager at Cello, located in Lenox, MA.

Robert Fried and Karen Kowgios opened Cello in May of 2023, and Kim and Ryan Boya came on board as partners in July of 2024. Being located in Lenox wasn’t just a happy coincidence for Kim and Ryan – it’s where Kim fell in love with the community in the Berkshires and where she started to imagine what it would look like to build something of her own. 

“I have very warm, very real memories of connecting with people through food in this town,” she shared. “Lenox is such a special place – rooted in tradition, but open to new ideas. It’s the kind of town where a restaurant like ours can really thrive because people are curious, loyal, and love supporting local. We’re grateful to be part of this community.” 

Back to the Berkshires

For both Kim and Ryan, their love of food originated with their grandmothers. Kim grew up in Topsfield, MA, baking with her grandmother. “I used to enter baking competitions at the Topsfield Fair and would bake cakes for any gathering I could – it just became my way of showing up for the people I loved,” she shared. Her sister attended Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI, and Kim knew she wanted to follow a similar path. When it came time to apply for college, she applied only to Johnson & Wales, where she earned her associate’s degree in baking and pastry arts in 2014. 

Following graduation, Kim landed a job at a catering company that does all of the food for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She spent summers working at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA, and the rest of the year at the shop in Boston. “I ended up falling in love with the Berkshires during that time and decided to stay,” Kim explained. “Over the next several years, I worked at places like Blantyre, Allium, and Mezze. I also ran a couple of small side businesses – most notably Front Porch Pastries, a Sunday morning pop-up on the front porch of the Thornewood Inn, where I sold fresh donuts and breakfast pastries.”

Ryan’s story shares some beautiful parallels to Kim’s. He grew up in Indian Lake, NY, a small town in the Adirondacks, and was always inspired by his grandmother’s baking. In middle school, he got the chance to be a part of a career day program that placed him in a professional kitchen at the Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, NY, and that was it. Ryan worked his way up the ranks, starting as a dishwasher at the Indian Lake Restaurant at 15 years old, while also attending a special culinary program offered in partnership with his high school. 

Like Kim, he attended Johnson & Wales, where he earned both an associate’s degree in baking and pastry arts and a bachelor’s degree in food service management. Following graduation, he stayed in Providence for a few years before moving to Boston. After some time at Bondir – a farmhouse-style spot that specialized in farm-to-table American plates – he became the executive pastry chef at Liquid Art House in 2016, then later took on the same role at Cafe ArtScience in Cambridge, MA. 

Ryan and Kim met at the Nantucket Food & Wine Festival – Ryan was a featured chef and Kim was working on the culinary crew supporting visiting chefs. “We got paired on a dinner, started talking, realized we both went to JWU, and then discovered that he even knew my sister!” Kim recalled fondly. “We kept in touch, reconnected the following year at the same festival, and from there, it was kind of meant to be. I moved to Central Massachusetts in 2018 so that we could build a life together.” 

In 2019, Kim and Ryan moved to Vermont for a change of pace, but within a year, they found themselves “missing home and moved back to Massachusetts to be closer to family.” 

Kim began working front of house at Medusa Brewing Co. and unexpectedly fell in love with that side of the industry. “The energy, the connections with guests, building a motivated team – hospitality lit a fire in me I didn’t know I had,” she shared. Meanwhile, Ryan became the opening chef at Wild Hare, a scratch kitchen cafe in Hudson, MA, where he found his rhythm in small-scale, thoughtful cooking, and cultivating a positive kitchen culture. 

In May of 2024, Kim and Ryan got a call about a potential opportunity at Cello. “It was one of those moments that just felt too aligned to ignore – a return to the Berkshires, a chance to finally work together, and a space we genuinely loved,” Kim said. “We had dreamed of opening something together, but it always felt a little out of reach. When this came along, it was a full-circle moment. We officially joined as partners in May and had our first service on July 31, 2024. It’s still surreal sometimes – but we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.”

Curating the menu

Kim and Ryan’s approach to the menu at Cello is deeply rooted in seasonality, creativity, and collaboration. The menu changes often – typically every day – depending on what’s coming in, what is inspiring Kim and Ryan in the moment, and what they’re excited to cook and share. 

“We’re both classically trained in pastry, so that foundation definitely influences how we think about balance, texture, and flavor, not just in desserts, but across the whole menu,” Kim explained. “We’re also very driven by emotion and memory. Sometimes a dish starts with a feeling – a cozy moment, a nostalgic flavor, or even a place we’ve traveled to.” 

For example, she noted that they frequently offer Greema’s Cake – an ode to Ryan’s grandmother – which is a chocolate mayonnaise cake that he has featured on every menu. Other times, inspiration strikes whilst Kim and Ryan are walking through the farmers market and find a particular ingredient during its peak season. 

They take a similar approach to cocktails, too. The three rules they like to live by when it comes to creating cocktail recipes are playful, seasonal, and “not too fussy.” 

“We’re always thinking about how the cocktail list can complement the food menu, and we love incorporating infused syrups, fresh herbs, or house-made tinctures,” Kim said. “A great cocktail should feel like a natural part of the meal, not just something on the side.” 

As previously noted, the menu changes with the seasons, and that is one of the things that Kim and Ryan love most about being located in the Berkshires. “There’s so much beauty and abundance here, and we try to let that guide us as much as possible. We want guests to be able to come back often and always find something new to be excited about, while still feeling the through-line of who we are and what we love to cook.” 

Sourcing locally is also something that they value both personally and professionally. The Berkshires are abundant in farms that produce incredible ingredients – from produce to dairy to meat and more. “This means that we get ingredients when they’re truly at their peak, and that translates to fresher flavor, better texture, and a deeper connection to what we’re serving. It also creates this wonderful rhythm for the menu, because what’s available changes with the seasons. We love that. It keeps us on our toes and keeps the creative process really dynamic.” 

Beyond quality of ingredients, sourcing locally also allows Cello to support the community that they’re deeply ingrained in. “These farmers and makers are our neighbors, and when we highlight their products, it’s a way to celebrate and sustain this place we love.” 

Cultivating a love of food

What Kim loves most about the restaurant industry is how deeply human it is. Cooking (and hospitality in general), she notes, is all about connection. “Whether it’s a thoughtfully plated dish, a beautifully balanced cocktail, or just the feeling someone gets when they walk through the door and are greeted warmly, it all comes down to making people feel something. That’s incredibly powerful.” 

Kim acknowledges that the restaurant world is challenging – that is without question – but the industry is also chock-full of creativity, resilience, and the kind of camaraderie that isn’t cultivated anywhere else. 

“I love the rhythm of it, the constant movement, the way a team comes together during service. There’s a sense of purpose and pride in creating something night after night that brings people joy,” she said. 

Undoubtedly, the most rewarding part is watching someone experience something that they’ve made. Whether it’s a dish that brings up a memory or a bite that makes a customer stop and say, ‘Wow,’ it’s these moments that provide little sparks that remind Kim and Ryan why they do what they do. “We’re not just feeding people – we’re offering them care, beauty, and sometimes, even a little bit of magic. That never gets old.” 

Always looking forward to the next dish

Since Kim and Ryan joined as partners in July of 2024, they have been thoughtfully building on the legacy and vision that Robert and Karen began. “Since our first service together, the restaurant has truly become an extension of who we are – warm, thoughtful, creative, and rooted in hospitality,” Kim explained. 

They’ve worked hard to build a team culture that feels collaborative and genuinely joyful, something that isn’t necessarily as common in the restaurant industry as one might think. This stems from their desire to provide top notch hospitality service. “We want guests to feel cared for from the moment they walk in – not just through the food, but through the atmosphere, the service, and the little details,” Kim shared. “That’s been a big shift for us: not just focusing on what’s on the plate, but the full experience.”

Long term, Kim and Ryan see Cello as a place that can continue growing alongside the community. They want to continue to expand offerings in terms of events and special dinners and keep pushing themselves creatively in the kitchen. But perhaps most importantly, they want Cello to remain a place that feels welcoming and meaningful – a space to gather, connect, and celebrate.

“We’re building something with a lot of heart, and we want people to feel that when they walk through the door. Whether someone’s here for a special occasion or just stopping by on a weeknight, our hope is that Cello always feels warm, welcoming, and full of thoughtful touches,” Kim said. 

“We’re just getting started. We’re so excited for what’s to come – for the menus we haven’t written yet, the connections we’ll continue to make, and all the ways we’ll keep growing alongside this community.” •

Cello is located at 37 Church Street in Lenox, MA. Visit them online at cellolenox.com or on Instagram @cellolenox.