About Us

     
 Samantha Swan and Paul Cheek taste Relish in their family home on Cottage Lane in Chapel Hill NC
           

We are a woman owned, family business with generational ties to Chapel Hill, NC and a genetic, deep love of spicy pepper relish and all things spicy.

About Cottage Lane Kitchen:   

Cottage Lane Kitchen Four Generations One Kitchen
Cottage Lane is hidden in the heart of Chapel Hill where at least one member of our family has lived since 1922. 
And in one home on the lane, four generations have cooked and preserved pepper relish in the same kitchen out of love and tradition.
This is the origin of the business name, Cottage Lane Kitchen - to honor a very special place and acknowledge our family legacy.     
 
Cheek Family residence in White Cross, Orange County, NC    Family Residence on Cottage Lane, Chapel Hill NC
         Then                                                      Now
About our Products:
This is not your ordinary relish. We create a fiery, distinctive Southern Pepper Relish!  Made from fresh chile peppers, with not a cucumber in sight, our relish has a modern, bold SPICY flavor with a firecracker personality to boot!  We have two flavors - Get Me A Switch is based on an heirloom family recipe. Its name embraces our southern roots and identifies its  zippy sweet/heat character while Cape Fear is a modern recipe and its name identifies its lingering habanero fruity/fiery character. People say they bite back, but we prefer to say they nibble.
They are sodium free and use all fresh chile peppers that have been chopped and slow cooked in apple cider vinegar. Both provide ‘just enough heat to make you happy’ and make your dishes sing with delight! We believe our relish, with ‘No pickles, just peppers!’, will become a staple on your table as it has been on ours for generations.
And 2020 was the year of Hissy Fit Hot Sauce! Launched during the pandemic, Hissy Fit is our answer to the ubiquitous southern vinegar based hot sauce.  We've added our own special blend of spices and tasty twist for the modern palate. With the perfect amount of tangy smoky heat, it's the gourmet artisanal southern sauce updated for the 21st century.
We are proud of the lineage of our recipes; our history in Chapel Hill, NC where our home has been for generations; the quality of the ingredients used in our products and the bold flavors we continue to preserve.
                           
Cheek family altar with relative photos, Chapel Hill NC

Meet the CLK TEAM:

Samantha Swan Founder of Cottage Lane Kitchen

Samantha Swan

Founder, CEO
Even though Samantha has lived in many different places and traveled the world, her deep family connections have continued to call her back to NC.

After working in the Fine Art field for over ten years and with the encouragement of her husband, Roby, she decided to pursue a career in food, her first love.

Being a home cook, she wanted to learn to make the family's spicy pepper relish. Her grandfather’s last batch was from the 1990’s and there were very few bottles left. With no written recipe, she decided to record her father's ‘dash of this and that looks about right' in measurement of cups and teaspoons.

Throughout her travels and relocations, there was only one place remained a constant in Samantha's life - her family's homestead on Cottage Lane in Chapel Hill, NC.  Family history surrounds her on Cottage Lane - a street she has known all her life. Therefore, her company couldn't possibly be named anything other than 'Cottage Lane Kitchen'...

 

Arya Ranjan Marketing Coordinator for Cottage Lane Kitchen

Arya Ranjan

Marketing &

Special Projects

Coordinator

Arya has been a member of the Cottage Lane Kitchen team since February 2021. Starting as an intern, she has contributed to various aspects of CLK's operations, including social media management, outreach initiatives, research endeavors, and general administrative tasks.

Alongside her work at CLK, she is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Data Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She expresses that through her position at CLK and through Samantha’s guidance/mentorship,  she has developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the food industry in North Carolina. In addition to industry knowledge, she is also grateful for exposure to the powerful ecosystem of entrepreneurs in the state, as well as crucial business skills.

She is very proud to support CLK as a woman-owned business that has such strong ties to family (and incredibly delicious products). To discuss all things CLK and beyond, contact her at arya@cottagelanekitchen.com.

 

Roby Swan CFO of Cottage Lane Kitchen

Roby Swan

CFO and Co-Founder

Roby began his varied and illustrious career in the food industry.

 

After obtaining his MBA in International Business Administration, he worked in operations with Pizza Hut in the USA, before transferring to Mexico, Central and South America, and later on becoming the Area Vice President to Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

 

After ten years with Pizza Hut, he embarked on his own entrepreneurial journey as investor, founder and manger in several varied companies within the restaurant business, property development, high security software, and music and video retail.

 

He founded CLK with Samantha in 2011 and was instrumental in the funding, marketing and operations during the first five years. He stepped away from daily operations in 2015 to pursue Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures but continues to remain in the role of CFO and assist with logistics for Cottage Lane Kitchen.