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She's Back, Jack A nd now, three ways Susan Seiler describes herself: "I smile in a Cheshire Cat way"; "I'm 58 and proud of it!"; and, "My dream was always to own a restaurant." She accomplished the last of those statements in 1986, when she was in her early 30s. Te place was called Jack Fry's. She'd already worked with a famous local food family by the name of Grisanti and with Kathy Cary, now of Lilly's fame. Not to mention time at Manhattan's Windows of the World atop the World Trade Center. After more than two decades at the Jack Fry's helm, Seiler sold it in 2008. Recently, she opened Relish (1346 River Road). Te white walls are anti-Jack Fry's, spare other than a few items from her personal collection: some black-and-white John Baldessari prints and three wooden communal food bowls from New Guinea. Te kitchen makes soups (lentil chili), salads (Seiler's basically been living of the one with roasted chicken), sandwiches (chef Jack Beeson says the ropa vieja, or shredded brisket, "is sometimes 25 percent of my sales"). Tere's a curved glass display counter, which holds, for to-go orders, spicy grilled eggplant, root vegetable pot pies, North African barbecue shrimp with couscous. Right now Relish is only open for lunch, but there are plans for dinner by early March. Light breakfast, too. "Used to be that a diner was a greasy spoon. But a diner serves a community all day long," Seiler says. "I see this place as a modern interpretation of a diner." What was your frst restaurant job? "Waiting tables at the Oriental House on Shelbyville Road. When I was a teenager, I really loved to cook. And throw parties... unfortunately when my parents were not at home. One night, for whatever reason, I had strawberries Romanof, which doesn't really go with beer. Strange pairing." Did you always know this would be your career path? "Te interest was there, but I didn't connect the dots. In college at Cornell, I was originally studying to be a language interpreter; I was taking French, German and Chinese, and I could not get Chinese. I asked a tutor I had hired, 'What do you think?' 'Nope, not gonna happen.' My dad gave me the best advice. He said, 'Susan, the best job in the world is to be your own boss.' He said I'd never have to worry By Josh Moss Photos by Jolea Brown about a glass ceiling. And the restaurant scene was wide open for women. I transferred to the hotel school." You became one of the owners of Jack Fry's when you were in your 30s. "I'd always liked it. I like small and intimate and authenticity. I was aware that there was a history, but I think we were a little under the radar, which was very nice. Tat area of Bardstown Road was not densely populated at that time. Although it was a neighborhood restaurant, it wasn't a destination." Why'd you sell it? "I had zero seller's remorse. Ze-ro. For me, it was 23 years of owning it. I had a vision for the business, and I had taken my vision as far as I could. You wake up one day, and it's time for you to retire and turn it over to someone else who can carry it forward. It is our oldest freestanding restaurant. Because you love it, you need to let it go. I always refer to Jack Fry's as my frstborn. It's almost like having a kid who grew up." Did you have a moment like in the Cheers fnale? "What I remember most was the send-of party. I get choked up thinking about it. But there are a lot of younger people than I, and they're able to stay up a little bit later and take care of closing up." So you retired? "Well, retirement from Jack Fry's. I didn't know what the next chapter was going to be. I knew I needed to take a chunk of time and be quiet and let the next thing percolate. I sold the business in February 2008, and in October, I loaded up a car with both of my dogs, a lot of dog food, a lot of books, my computer and a stack of CDs and drove to Nova Scotia." What CDs and books? "I'm a big Leonard Cohen fan. Oh, my gosh. All Leonard Cohen. What else did I take? I read a lot of nonfction: philosophy, Jungian psychology. I'm also a big Bufalo Springfeld fan. Cream." Let Clapton's guitar clear your head. "Love it, love it, love it. Little Enya thrown in there, too. I rented a cabin in the woods and decided to do a wilderness retreat. One's identity gets really attached sometimes to exactly what they do for a living. For me, I was the owner of Jack Fry's. I felt like it was important for me to go up there and detach from that and come out of that experience as Susan Seiler again." Where'd the idea for Relish originate? "My father had open-heart surgery six years ago or so. Tat requires a person to change their lifestyle, including what they eat. My mom couldn't take in all the information, so I told her that I'd cook for them for two weeks and show her what to do. If I made asparagus soup, I would put asparagus in the blender to thicken the soup rather than use cream or butter. Tat's how the idea started. Healthy without sacrifcing taste or sophistication. Some people want to eat like this; some people have to." People must think you're crazy for choosing River Road. Tere's not much here. "Te area's underserved. Tere's Tumbleweed and Joe's Crab Shack, but you don't have my kind of food in this part of town. I love being a pioneer. Others will come. If I see it, others will see it. It will become a destination." Inside, Relish is the opposite of Jack Fry's. "Jack Fry's was like putting on your blankie. It envelops you. Cozy, warm. Also dark. Tat's OK; I'm not being critical. Here, the exterior — this vista on the river — is the backdrop. And the interior is minimal and modern so the food is the pop of color. It's like, 'Boom!'" Have you been back to Jack Fry's since you sold it? "I stayed away for a few months intentionally after I sold it because I wanted people to separate me from the restaurant and acknowledge the new owner. When I came in, God love 'em, I just got showered with attention. Now enough time has passed that I can go in and just be a customer. But I do get VIP treatment. Tey treat everybody very well, but you know, I may get a free dessert." Tink Relish can last as long as Jack Fry's? "It's not about proving anything anymore. And that's the great thing about middle age. When I was in my 20s and early 30s, I felt like I had something to prove. But not now. You're released from that. And that's very liberating." 2.13 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 5 7