Smoke and Savor
Smoke and Savor
Cigar and bourbon pairing at The Silver Fox to offer new flavors, experiences
A Western New York native and registered nurse by trade, Susan Baryza has always loved the village of Ellicottville and recently fulfilled her dream of opening her own business there: she shed, he shed. As the name implies, the boutique at 22 Washington Street has a variety of pieces and gifts for men and women alike. What sets this boutique apart from other businesses is its unique offering of cigars – a niche market that Baryza noticed had been missing from the village shopping scene.
Now in her second year of business, Baryza is excited to work with Michael Nickolson, owner of the Silver Fox Steakhouse, to host Smoke and Savor, a cigar and bourbon pairing, at the restaurant on Friday, March 11th from 6:00-8:00pm. “Even if you’re new to cigars or consider yourself a regular, this will be a great event to try something new and get together with friends,” said Baryza. “Cigars are an art; they’re cut a certain way, lit a certain way. There’s an etiquette behind it, so this can be an introduction to that if someone is new to the experience!”
Baryza first met Nickolson as she was preparing to open her shop in 2020, the year after her son passed away. “I was a director at a hospital running a cardiology department,” Baryza said of her former career. “After my son passed away, I knew I needed to do something different. Healthcare wasn’t for me anymore, and I think you need to be able to pivot and still move on. My family really needed me, and they were so supportive of this dream of mine.”
When Baryza was planning to open her shop, Nickolson, who also owns his own construction company, was working on EBC Tap + Bottle & Taqueria next door. “That’s where my husband and I got to know him, and he definitely helped us a time or two,” she recalled. In October of 2020, she shed, he shed opened.
When Baryza began purchasing cigars, she noted that there was a steep learning curve, especially with regards to state licensure requirements. However, “The knowledge I've gained from it and working with reps from different cigar companies has been amazing. There’s actually an art to smoking them. It's sophisticated, and I’ve come to the conclusion that every day, I become more and more excited about learning about them!”
The 250-stick humidor is located at the register in the he-shed area, and popular brands include Acid Cigars, Cohiba, and Macanudo. Baryza said, “There are cutters, small travel humidors, and cigar holders to take on the golf course that fit in a pocket or golf bag. I always take recommendations. I’m learning along the way!”
For the Smoke and Savor event, Baryza will be featuring some bourbon barreled cigars, including a milder cigar for those who may be newer to smoking, and a couple of surprises. “I’m not planning to go too full-flavored - I’ll keep it mild to medium and probably feature some cigars that people wouldn’t normally purchase.”
Nickolson knows exactly which bourbons he’ll be serving and is eager to do so in the space that provided several years of enjoyment for cigar smokers. “I turned 21 in October of 1974, and my dad and I opened the Silver Fox in December of 1974,” he recalled. “We’re working on our 48th year. Upstairs used to be the cigar bar until the ban on indoor smoking.”
Now, the upstairs area is open for dining and private parties, and Nickolson is looking forward to seeing it being used similar to the way it was in 1974.
New York state allows businesses to host two indoor smoking events per year through special licensing. This event would be the first of those two, and Baryza and Nickolson are optimistic about hosting another pairing in the future. While this is the first cigar and bourbon pairing event that Nickolson has hosted, he is hardly new to the bourbon scene. The Silver Fox has over 40 bourbons in-house and has hosted bourbon tastings in the past. Over the years, Nickolson has traveled to bourbon festivals and done many private tastings in Kentucky.
“I went to Kentucky 12 to15 years ago for the first time, and I was able to see it before it all blew up,” said Nickolson, referring to the recent popularity of aged bourbon. “These little places like Jim Beam would have you in their private home for a tasting. Now, there’s a multi-million dollar welcome center. The boom in bourbon has really changed things.”
Nickolson noted that liquor trends are cyclical; in fact, the vodka boom of the 1970s led to the popularity of aged bourbon. At a VIP tasting with the owner of Heaven Hill, Nickolson learned that when vodka took over the industry in the 1970s, barrels of bourbon sat unsold because there was no market for it. “The true southern bourbon drinker, the Kentuckian, typically would only drink Kentucky two-year-old straight bourbon,” Nickolson explained. “As it ages, the flavors become more complex, heavier. They didn’t like that. For years, especially at Christmas time, you’d see decanters that look like a train or a turkey. They used to put the bourbon in those old decanters and wouldn’t specify the age. This was one of the ways they would try to sell the old bourbon that the Kentuckians wouldn’t drink.”
Now, there is an incredible demand for aged bourbons, and Nickolson is looking forward to sharing those on March 11th. The pairing event will include Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 82.3 Proof, Four Roses Single Barrel 100 Proof, Bib and Tucker 6-year-old 92 Proof, and a Bernheim Wheated Whiskey Small Batch 7-year-old 90 Proof. Finger foods will also be served during the pairing event, which has a limited capacity of 35 guests. Tickets are $105 each and include two hours with three cigars, six pairings, a cutter, and a t-shirt. To purchase, visit https://theshed.boutique/product/smoke-savor/ or contact she shed, he shed at 716-699-9121. Baryza recommends signing up early, as many people are signing up in groups, and tickets can go quickly.