By Emmett Esnard
Crafted Palette is a tongue-in-cheek new restaurant — though the term fails to embody the breadth of what they do here — in the Riverfront District, taking the “paint and sip” model and running wild with it.
Its name comes from the paint palette you will use if you are feeling artsy, the food palette if you are feeling hungry and the pallet tables themselves.
Primarily run by the mother-daughter duo of Gail and Melanie Knight, the younger is the de facto manager when she isn’t in the back acting as their chef. All the recipes are her own.
Her mother is the primary investor and store owner; having had the initial idea, she drafted her daughter who brought with her much of the creativity now present in their operation.
Crafted Palette is a hard business to pin down: it serves light food, coffee by day, wine by night and hosts “paint and sip” events where anyone regardless of experience can book a table (and canvas), aided, of course, by alcohol and their finger food menu.
There is also live music provided by Gail’s son, local folk musician Josiah Knight, as well as many other local acts.
The inside of the establishment evokes the DIY spirit and avant garde ethos that its creators brought to the table.
In the case of these entrepreneurs it is literally brought to the table: constructing their array of tabletops entirely from salvaged pallets themselves. Art — including painting and sculpture pieces — from numerous artists hang on the walls, ready to be sold or simply enjoyed.
Crafted Palette’s grand opening is today, taking part in Reno’s Wine Walk. You can book a place in their paint and sip parties through their website craftedpalette.com.
