Two longtime leaders in Raleigh nightlife team up for a restaurant of their own
Though it’s named for the fastest animal on the planet, the upcoming Raleigh restaurant Peregrine tells a slower story, a journey spanning many years and countless miles.
It begins for Saif Rahman and Patrick Shanahan at the same place on opposite sides of the earth — grandmother’s house.
Peregrine is the new restaurant from former Vidrio chef Saif Rahman and Watts & Ward co-owner Patrick Shanahan, opening in early 2025 in the massive North Raleigh development The Exchange. Saif will serve as executive chef and Shanahan, an artist and filmmaker by trade, will lead the design and Peregrine’s beverage program.
Serving a menu blending global cuisines, Peregrine will feature dishes telling the story of Rahman’s upbringing in Bangladesh, his culinary training in New York City, and his move to North Carolina, where he’s made his home. For Rahman, the 2021 North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Chef of the Year, this will be his first restaurant of his own.
“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Rahman said. “I’ve worked for so many people and I’ve always done their food. This one is my food, my story, my heritage, tracing where I’ve been and where I’m going.”
For Rahman, those food memories begin in his grandmother’s village in Bangladesh, where she would cook fish caught from a nearby pond and rice grown in the neighboring fields, and where he would eat mangoes and lychee and climb trees.
“These are memories of this golden era, but I didn’t realize this until I moved to the U.S.,” Rahman said. “When I moved to North Carolina I learned about Southern hospitality and how it aligns perfectly (with how I grew up). It connects me back to my childhood. The countries are so far apart, but connected through hospitality.”
For Shanahan, his grandmother’s table was in Wilson, where he’d watch in wonder as her dinner table would fill with dishes made and remade, perfected and coveted.
“My grandmother was the epitome of Southern hospitality,” Shanahan said. “It’s amazing how different (mine and Saif’s) backgrounds are, they could not be more different. But it’s the differences in cultures that make them so special. And they people together through food.”
The space for Peregrine is still under construction, but the owners are aiming for an opening by the end of March 2025. The 4,000 square foot space will have room for around 100 diners. There’s talk of even a small garden supplying the restaurant with ingredients by the spring.
“Patrick and Saif’s vision for Peregrine resonates with our ethos at The Exchange,” said Todd Saieed, owner of Dewitt Carolinas, the owner of The Exchange development. “This restaurant is the focal point when you turn onto Skygarden Way; it’s fitting that your first impression will be Peregrine, setting the tone for The Exchange.”
The menu at Peregrine
Rahman said Peregrine will include flavors and dishes from around the world, each connecting his time in Bangladesh, New York and North Carolina.
Look for Carolina Gold rice in a clay pot, touching on his childhood and local rice from the Carolinas. A dry aged beef dish with pickled bon chon takes its inspiration from eating in New York City’s Koreatown. Expect a fish curry called “Ode to Amina,” named for his grandmother and based on her version of Machher Jhol and techniques.
“I could smell the fish from far away and know what she was cooking,” Rahman said. “Ours will be a dayboat fish, roasted and served with a luxurious fish broth. I’ve added saffron, but when someone tastes that dish they’ll be able to recognize (its inspiration).”
While Rahman and Shanahan are best known for spots within the heart of Raleigh’s nightlife districts, they said they were attracted to the space of North Raleigh, where they can stretch out a bit. The Exchange follows developments like Raleigh Iron Works, North Hills and Fenton in drawing downtown chefs to glitzy suburban sites.
“I’ve always been a downtown man, it’s the heart and soul of Raleigh and has been something really special for the last 20 years,” Shanahan said. “Downtown is still having its moment and still growing, but it’s also really special that all of Raleigh is getting to experience new chefs and new restaurants.”
