Thyme + TIDE Kitchen
Some of Chef Ben Reed’s earliest cooking memories are of watching his parents and grandparents working in the kitchen. After graduating from the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, the Stratham native quickly established himself as a catering chef at places like The White Apron in Dover and Phillips Exeter Academy. It was while working at the latter that Reed, off for the summer, took on smaller catering jobs and discovered a unique opportunity to go into business for himself while sourcing from local farms and vendors. He later founded Thyme + TIDE Kitchen (97 Lafayette Road, Hampton Falls, 770-2009, thymeandtidekitchen.com), a full-service caterer now operating out of a lease-to-own commercial kitchen on Route 1 in Hampton Falls. Reed named his new venture after a spice blend his grandmother used to make out of leftover dried herbs in her garden, which she called “thyme and tide.” Weddings are at the forefront of the business, with Reed’s wife, Cory, handling all of the event inquiries and planning, but Thyme + TIDE will travel all over the area for events large and small. When the pandemic hit, Reed started a grab-and-go service called Thyme at Home (thymeathome.com), featuring menus of seasonally inspired entrees, salads, sides and desserts available to order online and pick up with a 24-hour advance notice. The Scene recently caught up with Reed.
How long has Thyme + TIDE Kitchen been around?
This is our fourth year in the kitchen on Lafayette Road.
What makes Thyme + TIDE Kitchen unique?
Everything we do we make from scratch. … We have sample menus, but we work with individual clients on every event. Everything is kind of customized. I feel like catering is really a mindset, where it’s all about bringing the best experience possible.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
My favorite thing is really just being able to work with local product. There are plenty of things we do really well that are more about the ingredients and the experience, and utilizing what is around us.
What is something that everyone should try?
We take the time to do a pig roast really well. I love working with the smoker. … Our street corn lobster tacos are killer, and we also make a mean banh mi that uses local produce, a pineapple-based kimchi, an Asian-style steamed pork pate and a ginger, garlic and scallion base.
What celebrity would you like to have catered for?
Ernest Hemingway. I’m an avid fly fisherman, and I definitely also appreciate his writing and feel like he’s a very stoic figure.
What is an essential skill to running a catering business?
It’s kind of two-fold. You’ve got to be patient, but you’ve also got to care enough to do a good job.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
The seasonality, both in terms of the products available for cooking, and in terms of getting outdoors with my kids. Having that constant change of the seasons is nice. It really helps a lot with recipe and menu development.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo Credit: Rolleyholers.
