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Jessica Capels and Billy Brill’s lives have revolved around cooking ever since they could remember. And last spring, their dreams of opening a restaurant of their own became a reality.

“We both quit our jobs and went all in,” said Capels, the co-owner of Daybird, a new eatery on South Clinton Street.

Daybird is a grab-and-go style eatery with classic deli favorites alongside Mexican-influenced dishes. Husband and wife duo Capels and Brill own and operate the deli, which opened on June 7 and is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Capels grew up in Syracuse, attended the Atlantic Culinary Academy in New Hampshire and worked at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona, before moving back to Syracuse to work at Pastabilities for 10 years. The cook ran the bakery and kitchen at Pastabilities and did all of the recipe development, which gave her the confidence to open her own place, Capels said.

“We’ve always had this dream of opening something, and Billy is a great home cook,” Capels said.

From the age of 10, Brill, who is from Old Forge, New York, remembers pretending to host cooking shows in his kitchen.

Capels and Brill initially wanted to open a taco shop but adapted their plans after finding an available deli space in downtown Syracuse.
Louis Platt | Culture Editor

“It was just always in the back of my head that at some point I was going to have something to do with cooking,” Brill said. “(Jessica has) had the thought in the back of her head as well.”

The process of opening Daybird happened very quickly, Brill said. The couple had been planning and practicing recipes for a taco shop but never found the perfect space for a restaurant of that nature.

When Joe Barbaro, the owner of Joe’s Deli, retired in the spring, Capels and Brill jumped on Barbaro’s space in downtown Syracuse and immediately began to envision how they could turn their taco shop idea into a breakfast and lunch spot in that location.

Capels and Brill always wanted to work in a smaller space when they planned for their taco shop. The pandemic only reinforced their idea that opening a restaurant with a lot of staff in a large space wasn’t going to work, Brill said.

Although Capel and Brill’s dream of opening a taco shop shifted to owning a deli-style eatery, many Mexican-influenced flavors and recipes that they crafted for the taco shop are featured in the menu.

“We almost abandoned the whole idea of any kind of Mexican influence. But that’s really what I love to cook,” Capels said. “So after we went over a million other sandwich ideas and sides and soups, we were just like, what are we doing? We’re going to turn everything into a sandwich.”

Daybird offers a range of classic deli items like breakfast sandwiches, cold-cut sandwiches and salads. It has vegan and gluten-free options such as the spiced sweet potato sandwich, and Mexican-influenced flavors include homemade chorizo and guajillo chili-braised short rib.

Yanira Johnson, a frequent customer at Daybird, said she enjoys Daybird because of the food and customer service.

“I come every day,” Johnson said. “They have amazing energy, their food is really good, and I like the Mexican twist they put on the different sandwiches.”

So far, the pozole soup with grilled cheese is Johnson’s favorite because of the flavor profile, she said.

Since day one of opening, Brill and Capels have learned to trust each other when it comes to figuring out what aspects of the job they are better suited for, Brill said. Each day their communication and organization improves as they understand the flow and dynamic of Daybird more.

Daybird is “100%” where the couple wants to be, and every day their confidence in Daybird being a long-term operation grows, Capels said.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something like this because I’ve done it for so long,” Capels said. “I just know that this is where I want to be, and I’m excited to grow.”

Published on October 19, 2021 at 11:03 pm