Chef Carl McConnell and his wife Nancy are planning to relocate their restaurant Stone Soup Cottage; however, the restaurant won’t be moving far from its current address at 5525 Oak St., in Cottleville, Mo.
As reported by St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe, the McConnells have purchased a 6.5-acre parcel from the Wiese family that owns the adjacent 40-acre farm that supplies the restaurant with produce.
In a phone conversation with Carl McConnell, The Scoop learned that construction on the new Stone Soup Cottage has already begun and is slated to be completed by the fall.
In regards to the decision to move, McConnell said, “Nancy and I felt constricted in the current digs we are in right now. Though it is a wonderful 1850’s building, we are limited in where the can expand our restaurant brand.” McConnell illustrated his point by adding, “Currently, I am unable to hold any additional kinds of functions. In the new building, we will address that by having a satellite room where we can host private events.”
Currently on the site of the new restaurant, there is a barn that was built in the 1931. Because the barn is no longer structurally sound, McConnell explained, “I’m tearing it down and rebuilding in its footprint, reusing the old lumber from the barn in the new building.”
The McConnells are also preparing for another move. Carl’s parents are relocating from Michigan to Cottleville, and his father will become the restaurant’s official gardener. In addition to the two greenhouses and three hoop houses the McConnells currently use, they plan to have chickens on the property as well. “We want to approach this in an even truer farm to fork style here,” he said.
— photo courtesy of Stone Soup Cottage
This article appears in April 2013.