Macomb – Your taste buds can tour the world, from juicy Korean BBQ ribs to Spanish-style stuffed peppers, all thanks to Chef Shawn Mckerness. He and his wife Rachelle are the owners of a small plates restaurant in Macomb called Regale,.
Chef Mckerness was born in Nova Scotia and always worked in restaurants. When he was 27 years old, he got an opportunity to work as a chef on a cruise ship, and he jumped at the opportunity.
“It was always a food adventure going out in the different ports of call,” explains Chef Mckerness.
While on the cruise ship, he visited 87 different countries and met his wife Rachelle. She was a dancer for the shows on the cruise line and as she put it, they “fell in love in Curacao.”
Eventually, they wanted to settle down and start a family. Rachelle is a Michigan native and wanted to move near her family, so they ended up in Macomb. At first Chef Mckerness looked for another job as a chef, but he just couldn’t find a place that suited his expertise, so they decided to start their own restaurant.
In 2019 they opened Regale, a small restaurant with an intimate atmosphere. Touches of their nautical past can be found around the restaurant, like their rope wall, a bell that used to hang in the ship, and a model of the ship where they met.
The food, of course, was influenced by their travels as well. Based on the Portuguese style of dining called petiscos (think slightly larger portions than tapas) they serve many small plates that are meant to be shared. Dishes range from those more locally influenced like an east coast jumbo lump crab cake, to dishes from far away like kimchi fried rice. Their scotch egg is definitely one to try. Instead of being a hard-boiled egg, it is soft-boiled and wrapped in a lamb sausage with curry spices served over a refreshing basil yogurt. Another popular dish is a fun riff on chicken and waffles. Instead, they do a chicken fried lobster tail served over a bubble waffle stuffed with cheese and bacon, served with a bourbon sriracha honey sauce.
For the full story, watch the video above.
Regale is located at 48810 Hayes Rd, Macomb, MI 48044.