About Poppyseed Market
Click to read a recent article about Poppyseed published in the Quick Bites section of NewsObserver.com
Welcome to Poppyseed Market, THE Gourmet Deli and café in North Raleigh, located conveniently in the
Harvest Oaks Plaza at 8801 Leadmine Road. Whether you choose dining in or take out, you are sure to enjoy
Poppyseed Market’s delicious menu selections.
Owner and chef Julia McGovern’s creative and eclectic menu is anchored by gourmet salads, massive
sandwiches, palate-pleasing entrees, and mouth-watering jumbo cookies. Julia uses family recipes to create
such comfort foods as “Granny’s Mac ‘n Cheese” her mother’s own “Butternut Squash Lasagna”, and the
biggest “Twice Baked Potatoes” you’ve ever seen. Her signature, soon-to-be-famous creation, “Not Yo’
Mama’s Pimento Cheese,” is both a mealtime and a take home favorite.
Poppyseed Market is founded on passionate family involvement with great food and wine, The inviting
color scheme of poppy red and burnt sienna brings on thoughts of Tuscany, encouraging you to linger
over your meal. The extensive wine list features selections available by the glass and by the bottle. The
restaurant’s knowledgeable staff is always available to suggest wine and food pairings.
Chef Julia named the café / deli after her Grandfather, Poppy. From the comfortable furnishings to the
tasteful decorations, the restaurant elicits a feeling of family, and reflects North Raleigh’s southern traditions.
To further the Tuscany café ambiance, during warm weather, diners are invited to enjoy alfresco dining on
quaint sidewalk tables, and on the patio’s picturesque umbrella tables.
Poppyseed Market is family and child-friendly. Besides the regular delectable selections, the menu
features gourmet pizzas. For pizza lovers beyond their childhood years, the café features the finest
of micro brewery beer.
Salads, entrees, prepared foods, cookies, every menu item is prepared from fresh ingredients in the
restaurant kitchen. Meats and cheeses for our heavyweight sandwiches are prepared from real cuts of meat
and blocks of cheese, not cylindrical processed “foods.”
Courteous, efficient service is “job one” at Poppyseed Market. Because all entrees are prepared to order,
there is a little time involved in preparing your savory selection. Our professional staff prepares each item
with care and delivers it to you ready to eat. And you never have to clear your table at Poppyseed Market;
we do that for you.
Catering is a Poppyseed Market specialty. Whether a party for 10 people, or a business gathering of 50,
Poppyseed Market will wow the guests with a sumptuous selection of deli trays, individual meals, or boxed
lunches. Also the deli stocks many gourmet food products and gift items. Poppyseed Market gift baskets
are the perfect special choice for the gourmand on your gift list.
Exceptional quality wines are a Poppyseed Market tradition. The last Thursday of each month from 6pm
until closing there is a wine tasting in the restaurant’s dining room. Besides regular menu items, Chef Julia
prepares delicacies that pair with the wine selections.
Enjoy music and entertainment at Poppyseed Market. Besides appearing at the wine tastings, local
musicians and vocalists also appear frequently on weekend evenings at the restaurant. Be sure to sign
up for email notices of all special café events.
Don’t delay...come experience Chef Julia’s good food and welcoming spirit at Poppyseed Market today!
THE EARLY DAYS
Poppyseed Market’s present location had been a bakery and then an Italian deli, which closed several years
ago. While working her way through Wake Tech’s culinary arts program, Chef Julia visited the site and wished
that it would be available when she was ready. The North Raleigh location seemed so ideal, that she began to
picture the site as she refined her dream of a restaurant that combined the best features of a café and a deli.
Julia’s mom, Mary Kay (whose father “Poppy” is the restaurant’s namesake) and father, Ken (nicknamed
“Pop”) joined her husband, Jim McGovern in urging her to pursue her ambitious deli dream. In June, 2006 the dream became a reality as Poppyseed Market officially opened as a deli with café aspirations. (At first there
was only seating for approximately 20 people.) The alfresco sidewalk dining experience was born out of necessity for lunch seating. Very quickly the current tradition of couples having dinner and wine on the
sidewalk after work became established. The café style umbrella tables have made this culinary experience
available to many more diners.
Poppyseed Market is the quintessential American family business. Mom Mary Kay does the accounting
and greets customers during rush periods. Jim’s family and father Ken built many of the tables, counters,
and other furnishings. Other family members and friends are part of the restaurant’s professional staff.
To this day, the only advertising is word-of-mouth, with “Pop” pounding the North Raleigh pavement armed
with dine in, takeout, and catering menus
In 2006, Julia was honored to be chosen sous chef to Angus Barn Restaurant Executive Chef Walter Royal
on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” program. The Royal team won the competition, preparing
savory southern cuisine inspired dishes using the mandatory ingredients ostrich meat and eggs. While you
won’t find ostrich eggs at Poppyseed Market, Julia does prepare a delicious array of quiche dishes, which
are served in generous portions.
By the end of 2006, Poppyseed Market had firmly established that café style dining was North Raleigh’s
preference. The Boars Head® meats and cheeses, salads, wines, gift baskets, and prepared foods from
the deli were popular, but Poppyseed Market needed to become more like a sit down restaurant. Fortunately,
there was space available next door. Once again, husband Jim, Pop, and friends and family pitched in to
build tables and fixtures to provide café seating to serve both individuals and private parties. Local artists
provided framed original art for the restaurant. These items are for sale, reasonably priced, and
make excellent gifts.
The new space allowed Mom Mary Kay to move the accounting office from its former location in a janitorial
closet to a more suitable area. It also provided a venue for private parties and the cafe’s entertainment and
monthly wine tasting events.
BUILDING ON SUCCESS
The family and professional employees of Poppyseed Market have worked hard to earn our reputation for
excellent food and “over-the-top” service. Besides serving delectable salads, prepared foods, and entrees
for lunch and dinner, the café now hosts private parties in the dining room. Scouts, soccer teams, tennis
groups, birthday parties–any celebration is more special if held at Poppyseed Market.
Catering for large and small gatherings has become an increasingly important part of the deli side of
Poppyseed Market. Chef Julia is becoming known for her creative presentation as well as for her delectable
catered treats. The catering kitchen is equally comfortable preparing simple (but delicious) boxed lunches
as they are preparing a banquet spread for your most special occasion,
Pizza. Beer. Who would have thought an upscale café like Poppyseed would offer pizza and beer? North
Raleigh foodies wanted it, but not just ordinary pizza and beer. Family member Matt McGovern drew on his
experience at a New York state pizzeria. He and Chef Julia developed tempting, hand-tossed pizza recipes
with that special Poppyseed touch. Robust and flavorful microbrewery beers, carefully chosen to
complement the gourmet pizza, insure that pizza lovers will not be disappointed.
