In a world where fine-dining restaurants are struggling to attract customers, Carl McConnell has not only opened a restaurant focused on classic continental food, he is serving dinner by reservation only for one seating on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. That’s it. Diners can choose either a four- or six-course tasting menu, paired with wines or not. There is no à la carte menu. Stone Soup Cottage seats just 24 people, and McConnell reports that this seemingly restrictive business model isn’t just working, “it’s actually far exceeded our expectations.”
Why did you decide to go this route? [My wife, Nancy, and I] had searched for a long time for a boutique property, something that we could make fine dining. The stars were aligned and we just happened to drive by 5525 Oak St. It needed a ton of renovation. But we knew, this was it. So as far as the schedule, number one, there’s not much going on out here on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I wanted to use that time to focus on the marketing aspect of the business. But in addition, to be able to make my son’s soccer game on Tuesday afternoon. It’s a balance of business and my personal life, and I think that in the restaurant business, you can have both.
You traveled the world as a corporate chef for a cruise line, so what is it that made you gravitate toward French cuisine? I’m interested, fascinated, by the history of French cuisine. I’ve traveled France extensively. I don’t think I’ve had a bad meal there. There’s just this mystique of romance. It’s classic. It’s the root of what we are all taught in culinary school. It’s the root of modern cooking.
And your menu changes all the time. My menu changes weekly. I’d like to get to the point where I’m issuing menus a month in advance. It’s difficult for me, though, because of my relationship with Norman Weise of Weise Nursery, who is growing most of my produce. He can’t tell me four weeks in advance what’s going to pop up out of the ground, what’s going to be ready to harvest. He can give me an idea … two weeks out. This week he has this beautiful white sweet corn. He has turnips in as well. Sweet potatoes. So I’m utilizing those products. He gives me the incredibly fresh ingredients and I create a menu, I work with it.
How did the partnership spring up? He’s my neighbor. I live in the subdivision next to his farm. I bought landscaping supplies from him over the years and got to know him. It was always our concept to partner with local businesses and organizations, to marry our ingredients together to create something beneficial for both of us. … When [Norman’s] father ran the farm many years ago, he grew produce and he sold it at the family stand. When his father passed, Norman wanted to honor him and he wanted to go back to growing and selling produce, which he started this year. I went up there to buy hydrangeas or something, and he had all these tomatoes laid out. He told me the story and I said, “Well, do you think you could grow produce specifically for my restaurant?” And he handed me a seed catalogue and he said, “Pick out what you want and I’ll put it in the ground.”
You’re also partnered with Cottleville Wine Seller. When we first opened, I had a client ask if they could buy a bottle of wine. I don’t have a retail license to sell, so I went to Don Yarber, the mayor [of Cottleville] and owner of the Wine Seller, and I said, “Don, I have people asking to buy my wines. I can’t sell it to them. Would you exclusively retail my wines?” It works out for the both of us.
So with the menu changing all the time, the wines change too. How do you pick what to pair? A ton of tastings. We have our wine suppliers here every week, sometimes two times a week. I’ll develop the menu, call my wine rep and say, “Here’s what I’m doing, come in. I’ve got a white-corn bisque this week, a smoked-duck cannelloni, a beef tenderloin.” I give them an idea: I want a Chardonnay with this, a Bordeaux with this. They bring me wines to taste.
It’s a constant creative process for you. In my 10-year corporate career, it was Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, pushing pencils, creating schedules. There was no creativity to that job. My passion is food. The reason I became a chef is because I like to cook. Period. I woke up one day and [realized] I’m not home. I miss my family. And I’m not cooking. Even though I’m the corporate executive chef, it has nothing to do with cooking.
You must be immeasurably happier now. I feel like I’ve awakened. I have nobody but myself to blame for anything and I’m my own toughest critic. I’m intellectually challenged by this. It’s constant. It’s a great balance between food and business. I absolutely love it. I’ve never been happier or more passionate in my life than I am right now.
Stone Soup Cottage
5525 Oak St., Cottleville
636.244.2233
This article appears in Oct 1-31, 2009.