slhl DELISH DISH + CHEERS
By Barbara E. Stefàno Photography by Colin Miller/Strauss Peyton
Steak Au Poivre.
COTTAGEVILLE Stone Soup Cottage keeps its business cozy, but with big-time nostalgia in historic Cottleville.
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Carl and Nancy McConnell have had a close and enduring professional relationship with Wiese Nursery since opening Stone Soup Cottage in Cottleville nine years ago. They were mere minutes away from the Wiese family farm, making treks for the freshest product an easy bet. One hundred percent of the restaurant’s produce still comes from the farm… only now it comes from the 6.5-acre parcel they purchased from the Wieses, and where they relocated in 2013. Proteins come, whenever possible, from Missouri-based purveyors. “People have talked about the farm-to-fork movement for a long time, but we actually are right on the farm where we get our produce,” says Chef Carl McConnell, who co-owns Stone Soup Cottage with his wife, Nancy. “That makes us special in St. Louis—and unique in the region—and our clients really do appreciate it.” Everything about Stone Soup Cottage, in fact, is as close-to-home as one can get. The cozy 40-seat restaurant, built with wood salvaged
from an old barn on the property, features comforting fi eplaces and warm, inviting décor. Carl still offers his signature prix fixe dinner service three nights a week, with Nancy welcoming guests for the feast. Lest one get the impression the move was made with expansion in mind, Nancy is quick to set the record straight: “The temptation for a lot of people is to grow bigger or open a second location,” she says. “We made a concerted effort to keep it small and intimate. It’s not just about the food or the atmosphere or ambiance; it has to be all those things. So, for us, it’s no high-volume, no turning tables. We had to make a decision that we would never get larger than 40 people. And [Carl] makes it a point to meet each of the guests and make it an experiential dinner.” The only “expansions,” per se, the two have made is to the functionality. Carl has a larger kitchen in which to operate. There’s now a smokehouse, and they’ve built an arbor right in the middle of the farm, as well as an infini y
NOV/DEC 2017 STLOUISHOMESMAG.COM
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10/11/17 3:20 PM