DeWITT — Some restaurants boast a farm-to-table concept, but not too many restaurant owners can say they also own the farm. That’s what helps set Stone’s Steakhouse apart from the competition, says April Stone. In addition to owning the restaurant at 3220 Erie Blvd. E. in DeWitt, she also co-owns Green Acres Black Angus Beef […]
DeWITT — Some restaurants boast a farm-to-table concept, but not too many restaurant owners can say they also own the farm.
That’s what helps set Stone’s Steakhouse apart from the competition, says April Stone. In addition to owning the restaurant at 3220 Erie Blvd. E. in DeWitt, she also co-owns Green Acres Black Angus Beef Farm in Marathon with her brother, Michael Favaloro. The farm supplies the restaurant’s beef and pork.
Stone, a retired nurse who also owns CNY Infusion Services in DeWitt, was kicking around retirement ideas with her brother. He had always been interested in having a farm. And, “I have always loved good food,” she says.
Together, they developed the idea for a restaurant and farm partnership that would bring dishes made with fresh, top-quality Angus beef to Syracuse diners.
Stone started with a small concept in ShoppingTown Mall in DeWitt. Stone’s Farm Fresh was open for six months, serving burgers and salads made with farm-fresh ingredients.
The concept was a success so Stone moved on to a full-scale restaurant in 2017 — in the nearly 6,600-square-foot building at 3220 Erie Blvd. E. that was formerly home to a Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant.
In July, Stone’s Steakhouse celebrated its second anniversary and started an expansion project.
Case Avenue, Inc. of Auburn started work on a 20-by-30-foot expansion at the restaurant that Stone hopes will pave the way for outdoor seating next summer. The addition includes storage space, bathrooms, and provides server access from the proposed outdoor seating area to the kitchen. Stone expects Case to complete the project by September. She declined to discuss the project cost.
“The outdoor seating is not going to happen this year,” she says. However, Stone hopes the town will approve the project and she can add outdoor seating for 50 people next summer. “I think it will just enhance our already beautiful restaurant,” she says.
In the meantime, Stone’s Steakhouse (www.stonessteak.com) has seating for about 150 in its elegant dining room and its Boardroom private room, which seats about 40. Stone employs about 20 people at the restaurant, and the farm has three employees.
The Boardroom, which features its own private entrance, a flat screen TV for presentations, and a fireplace, has helped keep business steady, even during seasonally slower times, with private bookings, Stone says.
She declined to share revenue figures, but attributes the success of the restaurant to the high quality beef and pork raised on Green Acres Black Angus Beef Farm. Stone handles the business end of the farm, while Favaloro provides the “hard labor” on the farm, which they started in 2014.
“My beef — I know where it’s coming from,” she says. “There are no growth hormones. There are no GMOs in there. There’s nothing added. I think that makes a difference.”
Before starting the farm, Stone and her brother toured a number of farms around the state. They saw some things they liked and some things they knew for sure they wanted avoid. One thing she knew was that she did not want their cows confined to small pens.
“I wanted them to be free-range,” she says of the farm’s beef cattle. Calves get to stay with their mother and all enjoy lush pastures. “I know that my cows are happy. They’re well fed,” Stone says.
In addition to using its own farm-raised beef and pork, Stone’s Steakhouse sources as many ingredients as possible from local growers and producers.
The restaurant uses mushrooms from Fruit of the Fungi farm in the town of Lebanon (Madison County) and cheeses and chicken from Jones Family Farm in Herkimer. Greens and other produce come from a variety of other local producers.
Stone’s Steakhouse Chef Brian Dewey uses those ingredients to whip up daily specials. The restaurant’s menu varies with the seasons and what types of produce are available that time of year.
“People are understanding that food is not about quantity all the time,” Stone says. “It’s about quality.”
Stone’s Steakhouse is open from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.