In the UK, the word “moreish” is used to describe food that’s so delicious you can’t help but want more. English chef Michael Johnson and his wife Shey Aponte have embraced the term at Moreish, their new British eatery in Beacon’s Hudson Valley Food Hall, where they strive to serve dishes that leave customers craving seconds. “It’s great to be churning out British classics and introducing people to cuisine they might not be used to,” says Aponte.
Born and raised in the Brighton countryside, Johnson’s passion for food began at 13 when he started washing dishes at the Blackboys Inn, which dates back to the 14th century. “I fell in love with the flames and the chaos and the cooking,” says Johnson. “It’s one of the oldest pubs in England. They used to burn coal in the woodlands, and eventually the boys working would come up with soot all over their faces—that’s where the name came from.”
At age 16, Johnson attended culinary school at Sussex Downs College. For the next 20 years, he went on to work in kitchens throughout the UK, including Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury 5-star hotels, airlines, stints at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and even returning to the Blackboys Inn as head chef. Johnson met Aponte, who is originally from New Jersey, in Nicaragua after pandemic travel restrictions eased up. “We were traveling separately and our paths just collided,” says Aponte. “One of the first times we hung out, Michael said, ‘One day I’ll have my own restaurant.’”
They moved to Beacon in November 2023, and opened Moreish in March. The menu at Moreish is meant to offer a sampling of British classics, but it’s also personal to Johnson. “It’s all the bits that I’ve missed being in America as a British expat,” he explains. “I wanted to get a proper British sausage roll, and no one does that. I thought if I’m missing it, other people will too. There are lots of British people coming out and showing support, and I never realized how many British people were in Beacon.”
The menu at Moreish offers options both savory and sweet. The savory menu includes items like full English breakfast (which can be made vegetarian), bangers and mash, pie of the day, and sausage rolls. The sweet menu includes traditional Bakewell tarts, banoffee pie, and scones with clotted cream and jam. Moreish also offers an assortment of packaged British chocolates and sweets, including HobNobs, Crunchies, and Twirls.
Everything is homemade, including the pastry. The duo get fresh produce from local farms, and they source their sausages and bacon from Myers of Keswick, a traditional British grocery store in New York City. Their bread is baked fresh in Beacon every morning at the All You Knead Artisan Bakery.
Currently, Moreish is offering specials to celebrate the Premier League soccer season. In the next few months, they hope to have regular specials that celebrate various British holidays, and they plan on offering new menu items like traditional English Sunday roasts, sticky toffee pudding, crumbles, and trifles. "We’re just excited to be a part of this community here in Beacon, and everyone in the food hall has been really supportive and welcoming," says Aponte. "It’s a good place to find our roots."
Moreish is open from 10am-6pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and from 10am-8pm on Friday and Saturday. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Breakfast is served all day, but from 10am-12pm, only breakfast items are available. The shop is located in the Hudson Valley Food Hall at 288 Main Street in Beacon.
