A tide change is happening in the Mayberry Landing shopping center on the corner of McCarran Boulevard and Mayberry Drive. The positive response to the stylish and ambitious Claio Rotisserie represents a new direction for the Mayberry-Highland Park neighborhood.
The latest addition to the shopping center is Madein Food and Drink Collective, which is set to open in August. I sat down with co-owner Will Truce and bar lead Jesse Silva to talk about their grand ambition with this new project—and, of course, cocktails.
When the Mayberry Landing owners reached out to Truce and his wife, Rachel Macintyre, to tap them for an open location on the property, Truce and Macintyre knew they wanted to celebrate all things local, as they have in their other businesses. Truce is co-owner of Black Rabbit Mead Company; Macintyre is co-founder of Wandering Wyld, a small business incubator and pop-up artisan market, and The Virgil, an event venue and coworking space.
“The idea was to bring together folks who are doing good things in food and drink and provide them with a fun and hip outlet for their vision,” Truce said. “There is a strong desire to bring together as many different elements as we could to be a celebration of the food and drink scene here.”
Madein is home to three concepts in one: a coffee shop featuring a program designed by Reno’s own Forged Coffee Roasting Company; a restaurant inspired by the Roman apertivo (the custom of having a light drink and snack before dinner), helmed by co-owner and chef Shawn Giordano; and an ambitious bar program curated by the team at Black Rabbit Mead Company. Attempting to do three things well is no easy feat, so when I asked Truce what would keep Madein from being a jack of all trades but a master of none, he said the goal is to empower the team with knowledge. He cited passion, expertise and training.
“We won’t be just throwing people in and telling them to pull a shot and steam some milk,” he said. “We will be spending hours with them to ensure they are capable.” The staff will participate in hands-on training for each discipline, required reading and hospitality immersion.
Said Silva: “Within the training, yes, the how will come with time, but we want to focus on the why.” He plans to empower his team by feeding their strengths but still expecting employees to challenge themselves. “We want continued education and growth so that however long the staff is with us, no matter what, they can do bigger and better things,” he said.
The bar program at Madein will feature 18 items on draft including beers, wines, cocktail-style meads and cocktails like single-origin espresso martinis. A draft negroni base will give guests the option to choose from the many drinks on the negroni family tree, like the Americano, the old pal and the boulevardier. The cocktails, draft offerings and other beverages will use local ingredients as the stars of the show, and the overall tone of all the drinks will be fun, light and approachable.
The initial menu will feature Italian sodas made with homemade syrups. Silva also plans to offer a show-stopping house limoncello that will be used to create several cocktails.
The Madein team is excited about the new challenge of cultivating regulars and is committed to continuous improvement. They aim to provide a product that feels like it has always been there, adjusting menu items, drink styles and draft items as they settle into Mayberry Landing.
“As far as what we are able to do with our capabilities, we should be able to adapt to what is best and most wanted in the neighborhood,” Silva said.
Madein will serve coffee and light breakfast fare with pastries from Beloved’s Bread in the morning, and the full menu of food and cocktails from 11 a.m. onward. There are also plans to add retail items and grab-and-go food options. Learn more at www.madeincollective.co.