Ted Stonebely spent a lot of his early years in Redding. His family had a weekend home and then lived here full time for a few years. He fell in love with the area and when it was time to move his young family from the city he knew where he wanted to be. Eventually settling in Weston with his wife Colleen and children Henry, 4, and Jane, 15 months, Ted turned his attention to starting a new business.
With his background in restaurants and hotels, Ted and Colleen had often talked about opening their own eatery. About 2 years ago, they found out that the Squires (Donna and Michael Roberts and Louis McCall) had decided to sell the popular Redding Roadhouse. The project would be too large for just the two of them to tackle so they continued to look elsewhere.
In stepped Colleen’s brother and sister-in-law, newlyweds Wirt and Karen Cook. The recent transplants to Redding who also had extensive food and beverage experiences would form the perfect partnership with the Stonebelys. The Redding Roadhouse acquisition began!
Although the Roadhouse turnover was a surprise to many and it seemed sudden, it took about 2 years from the time the restaurant went on the market to the date of the closing when the Stonebelys and the Cooks took over.
Squires Redding Roadhouse closed on July 2 and the new Redding Roadhouse opened for dinner to a packed house on July 5.
Meet the New Owners
Ted Stonebely has worked for most of his career in the culinary industry including working with chef Daniel Boulud and with the Marriott Corporation for 7 years. Ted is in charge of the physical transformation of the building. The outside has been painted and fences have been replaced. He is working with a branding company on a new logo, website and social media presence. Ted has been working on renovating the Mark Twain room upstairs at the Roadhouse. This auxiliary dining room is now available for on-site catering for holidays, rehearsal dinners, showers, family gatherings, and more. By September, Ted hopes to have the transformation of the entire Roadhouse to be complete.
Wirt Cook has worked in the food industry in NYC for the past 15 years. Most notably with Food Network star Alex Guarneschelli at her Butter and The Darby restaurants.
Karen Cook has spent many years working at Best Cellars, which is a value focused wine store. She brings her expertise to the beverage side of the business. Karen is also the General Manager and can be found most days and evenings at the Roadhouse.
Colleen Stonebely brings the consumer perspective to the group. She has been the artistic director, coming up with color schemes and ideas. She has her finger to the pulse of what the community and local families want to see in their Roadhouse.
So, How’s the Food?
The menu has been totally revamped. The style can be called Modern American.
The Roadhouse has been known for their lobster bisque. It is still on the menu, but the new recipe is light and flavorful with large chunks of lobster. The clam chowder is herbaceous and more of a Rhode Island Chowder than New England.
The Spinach and Fava Bean Crostini is crispy, creamy, and fresh.
The offerings here are best described as clean, fresh, and flavorful. While innovative, the choices will please any palate. Many old Roadhouse favorites are still on the menu, revamped to fill the requirements of fresh and local ingredients.
The children’s menu has healthier versions of kid favorites.
Wine, liquor and beer choices are plentiful.
Weekly and daily specials will be available.
Keeping the Old, But Making it New
Music has always been a big part of the Roadhouse. Ted said that the Roadhouse will soon be featuring different varieties of music including jazz, local duos, and trios and work from local singers and songwriters. Music can still be heard in the tavern area but will also be moved onto the patio or upstairs in the Mark Twain Room for a cabaret feel.
Special events are also planned such as Oktoberfest with local and craft beers. Healthy Curbside Pickup is also in the works.
For now, catering is only available in house. Check out the Roadhouse for your corporate luncheon or community event. The Roadhouse hopes to partner with local institutions such as New Pond Farm for a farm-to-table series.
Visit the Redding Roadhouse to enjoy the casual and friendly atmosphere and delicious food with friends old and new, and check them out online.