Inside Brooklyn's Coolest Wine Bar
Cherry On Top is a Bushwick-based "not so petit bar à vin naturel" that serves wine and snacks just as heavenly as their decor
Fun news: I’m starting a monthly series where I talk with businesses I’m inspired by to learn about the design choices that make their spaces unique, special, and personal!
I’d love to hear about the places that make your inner interior designer smile. Comment and let me know!
Shout-out to Slick for putting today’s spot on my radar.
Now, without further ado, let’s step inside Bushwick’s very own Parisian paradise: Cherry On Top.
Cerise Zelenetz is the owner of Cherry On Top (or “Cherry” for short), Bushwick’s best natural wine bar. The bar is named, as the New York Times points out, after the English translation of the owner Cerise’s name (🍒).
I had the opportunity to chat with Cerise about the stories behind some of Cherry’s best furniture and knick-knacks, including a table that was forced into a Prius, custom cushions made with deadstock fabric, and some plates from a nifty antique store in Vermont that just felt right.
…Did I mention Cerise is also an artist?
Q&A with Cherry On Top’s Founder Cerise Zelenetz
Was there an item or piece of furniture that was an absolute must for Cherry On Top’s space, even before you had it?
About a year before COVID hit, I had the opportunity to visit a vineyard in Tuscany where I found a single porcupine quill hiding among the vines. I carried the quill with me to Formentera, Spain where I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in an artist residency program and began using the quill as a type of watercolor ink pen to paint with. Using the ocean water mixed with my tiny travel watercolor set, I created a painting of a misshapen double cherry based on my childhood signature that became the logo for Cherry On Top. The small painting now hangs on the wall above the banquette at Cherry and no matter how much the other walls get filled with all sorts of artwork, I will keep this wall as it is, in recognition of the project’s very beginnings when it was just an inkling of an idea on a beach from another continent.
What item or piece of furniture in your space means the most to you? Why?
The bar stools are really special to me because they were custom-made from my own design. I also stained them and sewed all of the cushions myself from deadstock fabrics I sourced in Vermont. It was definitely a challenge to get them produced but it was worth it.
Do you have a dream piece of furniture or decor you hope to one day own?
I recently had the idea to turn the back seating nook into more of a lounge area with a custom wraparound sofa fitted to the dimensions of the walls. I’m thinking of very deep cushions in green velvet or similar woven fabric to the stool cushions for this. I’d love to get this made at some point.
What item has the best story behind it?
Ha. There is definitely a clear winner here. There is one table and bench set on the roof that I found on Craigslist. On the same day I was meant to pick it up from the seller in Bed Stuy I went upstate to look for patio furniture with my sister. It was meant to be a fun, leisurely outing but we ended up spending the whole day driving from place to place before all the stores closed without a spare minute to stop for food or coffee. By the time we got to Bed Stuy, it was already dark and the table and bench were both bigger than expected (and definitely too big for my sister’s Prius). We first tried to call an Uber XL, whose driver saw us standing with the furniture and kept driving. We then managed to maneuver the bench into the trunk but when we got to Cherry it wouldn’t come out. After half an hour of wiggling the unyielding metal frame, we finally removed it, drove back to Bed Stuy, and were left with the round wire table. Left with no other options, we stuck the table in the back with the top sticking out and the trunk door open. I held onto the legs from the inside the whole trip so it didn’t fall out and we finally made it to Cherry, driving the whole way with the trunk open and the blinkers on.
I definitely make a point to sit in that spot when I’m on the roof more because it was such a struggle to get it there.
What decor item is most representative of Cherry On Top?
It’s hard to choose one item as Cherry On Top is built on the idea of the collection as a means of storytelling. I do think the hand-painted lampshades in the wine room and back nook are quite representative of the Cherry spirit as they are written in french with semi-puns that don’t quite make sense but make you think. I think Cherry conveys that feeling too. A little confusing at first, but opens your mind and makes you smile.
What’s your most aesthetically pleasing piece of kitchenware that is also the most useful?
I found all of our green and white plates and bowls at an antique store in Vermont in the town I grew up. I saw them and immediately knew I had to have them. When I inquired about them to the shop owner, he told me they were from an Oddfellows lodge from the 1800s. I knew it was fate at that moment as Cherry On Top was formerly the factory for Oddfellows ice cream.
I’m also very attached to the marble cheese trays as they are sourced from the scrap pile of a marble processing facility I visited on that same previously mentioned trip to Tuscany. The black & white one in particular is very special to me as it was a remnant from the marble used in the MoMa interior.
What's your favorite memory at the bar?
We have so many unique pop-ups and events from chef dinners to jazz performances to wine spelling bees and cowboy nights, that every evening seems like a new favorite memory. Just last night, my friend had his birthday party at the bar and another of his friends hired a drag queen to recite a passage from ‘Breathless’ to him. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind experience but just another Monday at Cherry On Top!
I'd also love to send a big shout-out to my awesome GM Carrie, amazing chef Sydney who's doing new food specials every weekend, and our wonderful team of bartenders!
Don’t forget to Visit Cherry On Top & Follow them on Instagram.