While running Kinship Butcher and Sundry, co-owners Myles Moody and Rachael Pack are opening K|n, a 12-course tasting menu highlighting Southern ingredients and local farmers. This will be the pair’s first venture in the fine-dining world.

“We’ve always wanted to do fine dining,” Pack said. “It’s been in our hearts and in our souls, whether that’s smart or delusional, that’s just what we wanted to do.”

Pack is a self-taught sommelier and attended the International Culinary Center in San Jose. Moody, an Atlanta native, began his culinary career at Holmin and Finch before working at numerous renowned restaurants. The pair first met at Aska, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, where they envisioned a future as business partners.

“When we were in New York, we would always dream and scheme about what we wanted to do with our own place,” Pack said.

The couple are married and made their dreams a reality in 2021 when they opened Kinship Butcher and Sundry in Virginia Highlands. The neighborhood’s residents know Kinship for their high-quality meat, coffee and breakfast sandwiches, but from the beginning, Pack and Moody have always had bigger plans.

“We decided we wanted to start with Kinship as a way to understand the community, meet the farmers, and start from a grassroots level,” Pack said. “We wanted to be part of the community and understand the landscape first.”

Kinship Butcher and Sundry opened four years ago, but the embedded pop-up, K|n, has been running for friends and families for only six weeks. It will officially open to the public on Sept. 5 for Friday and Saturday nights. Moody, the head chef, adjusts the menu based on seasonality and his culinary background.

“When creating the menu, my first and foremost concern is flavor,” Moody said. “After that, it’s about how impactful the story is. Whether that story is about a memory, technique or ingredient it has to be strong enough to merit the guests attention and interaction.”

Pack and Moody have emphasized the farm to table movement in their restaurant. This is being emulated with K|n through a menu that reflects the offerings of local Atlanta farmers.

“The whole ethos of K|n is the Southern Bounty and being able to work with our farmers, our producers, and be part of our community,” Pack said. “That is the heart and soul of it.”

Since K|n is located inside the butcher shop, the prepwork and ingredients for the restaurant are brought into Kinship before the weekend service. Both Moody and Pack work at the butcher shop seven days a week and do pop-ups on the weekends. Although time-consuming, the effort is worth it for both co-owners.

“I love Kinship, but there’s an element of service that I love,” Pack said. “The pairing of wines and working with Myles. It’s this really fun creative process for me that I’m excited to be facing and curating those experiences again.”

Located along the four person dining top inside the butcher shop, Kinship’s pop-up requires reservations beforehand due to the small setting. Ryan Scheinfeld, Virginia-Highland resident and Midtown parent, is interested in the future of Kinship as it transitions into a fine dining establishment.

“I love the idea of having such a bespoke and intimate dining experience right here in our neighborhood without having to journey to Buckhead or West Midtown,” Scheinfeld said.

Currently, the pop-up is planned through December with the intention for it to continue into the new year after the co-owners reassess. Throughout the year, K|n will continue to revise their menu based on what is in season, while also reinforcing the quality of their dishes. Despite these changes, the personal atmosphere remains the same. As opening day approaches, both Pack and Moody are prepared to take on this new challenge.

“I’m excited to see how the dishes and our service evolve,” Moody said. “How we can be more efficient, honest and reflective of not only the seasons we are moving into, but also our own narrative. This is just the beginning, I am still and always will be finding my voice, learning myself, and my craft.”