Savoring a new Morsel: Rind and Wheat owner Ricky Webster opens new shop for breakfast and lunch takeout in the former Fery’s Catering

Breakfast and lunch takeout is served at Ricky Webster’s new Morsel by Rind and Wheat, the second location of Rind and Wheat that is focused on sustenance beyond baked goods, wine and cheese that the original location has become known for in Browne’s Addition.

At Morsel, in the former Fery’s Catering & Takeout owned by Fery Haghighi (Webster has taken over the lease), the baked goods are ever-present, but new offerings include avocado toast, a breakfast sandwich, ricotta toast and specialty sandwiches including the Garbage Goat, the Manito and the Greenbluff.

Go to morselbyrindandwheat.com to get the descriptions and details of these menu items, and don’t ignore the baked goods, including the black and white cookie, kouign amann, maritozzi, blondie, madelines, financiers and croissants because they’re awesome.

I used to live downtown and frequented Rind and Wheat well, frequently, and now that I live in South Perry, I think that I’ve tried everything at Morsel. Morsel is another winner for Webster, who is Spokane’s king of reality-TV baking competitions, as he has won many of them in recent years.

Webster chatted at Rind and Wheat in Browne’s Addition ahead of officially opening Morsel at 421 S. Cowley St. in medical row on April 19:

How did the opportunity to expand to the former Fery’s Catering building arise?

Fery and I were at an event together, and I mentioned to her that the current space I’m in with Rind and What was limited – space, fridge, everything – and she suggested that I should rent her space. “My kids are making me retire, and I think the space would be great for you,” she told me.

One thing led to another, and everything just seemed to fall into place, just like Rind and Wheat, and here we are. Fery has been extremely supportive wanting it to work with me. She’s the first person to come to Spokane and do croissants and espresso. She is a Spokane staple and mainstay.

Fery is officially retired now, correct?

She is officially retired. We’ve talked about her coming in here and there. It’s the same for any one of us in this industry. We’re going to die doing what we love. I don’t ever see myself saying, “OK, that’s it,” and washing my hands of this. Cooking is a passion, and we like to take care of people through food.

She has embodied that her entire career. Retiring was very sad for her. There were moments where we would be talking about a piece of equipment, and she would get choked up. Or a customer would come in and say, “No! I don’t want you to leave.” She would respond, “You’re going to be in good hands.” It’s bittersweet.

When did the conversation start?

The candid, throwing-it-out-there conversation started in August at the Terrain Table fundraiser at Celeste Shaw’s farm. That’s when it started. It started out slow, but they knew that they wanted to have their lease through the end of the year. Her granddaughter was getting married, so they were going to take a break.

The original plan was to take it over in January and open by February to give us a little more time because we had a very busy holiday season at Rind and Wheat. They needed more time, and she wanted to work a little longer, so I officially took over the space on March 1 with the goal of opening officially in April.

Do you consider this your second location of Rind and Wheat?

Yes, although it has morphed a little bit since beginning talks last August. I originally thought of using it as a commissary space and moving all pastry production over there so that we could expand production and add more wholesale accounts. Then we could grow bread production in our current location to also take on more wholesale and grocery store accounts.

But then I thought that if we were going over there, we might as well activate the space to come in and grab and go just like Rind and Wheat. There are a lot of hospitals in that area, so it’s a great spot to stop at on the way to and from work. I thought that there was a need for us over there.

Then I thought that there wasn’t a space in that area that serves hot food for breakfast and lunch. So, we’re going to do a small lunch menu and breakfast items, as well. It’s different from Rind and Wheat – it’s Morsel by Rind and Wheat. Stop in for a morsel of yumminess for breakfast and lunch! And we’ll have some different pastry items at Morsel, as well.

What are you hoping for with Morsel?

We hope to keep the tradition of Fery alive a bit and continue her long tradition of catering excellence. And we want to expand our production. It’s an interesting time, and we want to continue to serve the residents of Spokane.