May 2012. Farm to Table in Lafayette, La.
Mary Tutwiler and Nathan Stubbs, owners of Lafayette’s latest farm-to-table sensation — the Saint Street Inn, have years of experience in the food world.
Writing about food, that is.
After seven years working together at a local media outlet, Tutwiler and Stubbs decided to try their hands at the restaurant business.
“Everything came together at one time,” Tutwiler says. “Nathan was at that same point in his career. We went out to lunch together every day for seven years and did a lot of thinking about this. When this building came open for rent, we just jumped. Neither of us has ever run a restaurant before. It’s been a roller coaster.”
Years ago Tutwiler spent a year in France and shopped daily at local markets. She says that experience shaped her perspective on “the sterility of American supermarkets,” and she wanted the new restaurant to be a testament to the difference in food that’s grown locally and eaten fresh.
Hence, the Saint Street Inn.
According to Tutwiler and Stubbs, they procure their ingredients from at least seventeen providers—ranging from one farmer who provided an exotic Japanese mustard green in the fall, to another who brings mushrooms from Breaux Bridge, to fresh shrimp from the Gulf direct from the shrimpers—and they take regular trips to Eunice for grass- fed beef.
The journalists-turned-restaurateurs are fully committed to making the farm-to-table concept a reality. And, already, plenty of success has come their way.
Hanging out at the Saint Street Inn, for many, is like being a part of a low-key, but quirky and fun party. The wait and kitchen staff seems to be in full accord that the Saint Street Inn has struck upon something special.
“Love it. Best job I’ve had. I’m in it for the passion, “ said Kelsey Leger, in the Inn’s kitchen. “The menu is always a surprise — and I can dye my hair blue.”
Waitress Bahareh Mirian, a UL student, agrees that the overall relaxed atmosphere is special, and a part of why she loves her work. As Mirian set up her station one day in mid-April during the pre-lunch-quiet-before-the-rush, a faithful customer was enjoying his lunch on the front porch. Tutwiler walked back inside the restaurant.
“Change the music,” Tutwiler said.
Apparently the patron on the porch wasn’t in the mood for Adele’s “Rumor Has it.” Through the screen door, he yells, “Play some Bob Dylan.”
One of the bartenders was already working to change the tunes and paused when he recognized the voice. He smiled and called the customer by name, adding, “Oh, he’s never satisfied with the music.”
But just like so many others, he keeps coming back.
One of the things the Saint Street Inn has done well is directly connecting to the depths of community knowledge — not only about food tastes and whereabouts, but music, as well. For example, on Saint Patrick’s Day, not only did they serve a local version of corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips and green beer, but they asked Mitch Reed and Friends, a local Celtic group to come play on the porch. Details like that draw in an ever-increasing audience and create standing room only crowds.
“People really responded to us being determinedly local. Not only is the food local, but it really has become the neighborhood bar,” Tutwiler said. “People ride their bikes and bring their dogs by. I had kids the other day using the front porch as a stage. They were putting on a show. It’s fun.”
Stubbs also appreciates the chance to get to know and interact with the local farmers.
“It’s been really gratifying getting to meet and know all of the people from the farmers to the shrimpers,” he said. “We’re building out that network of people who are growing their own food and with a passion. Any way to help bring that to the table is gratifying.
“We’re probably still learning how best to communicate what we’re doing and how to get that out to people,” Stubbs says. “We were pleasantly surprised that we got a lot of immediate response from people who were looking for farm-to-table on a reasonably priced menu. We’re keeping food simple and keeping it local – not overcomplicating things.”
Tutwiler’s been watching and cheering for the Acadiana’s farmers market movement for years.
“After the stint at the paper, I was itching to get my hands on something that was hands-on,” she says.
Tutwiler says the Saint Street Inn’s menu “is driven by what walks in the door that week.” Whether it’s fresh wild blackberry coulis that is transformed into an original mojito or a load of vegetables, Tutwiler and Stubbs and their staff have fun figuring out what they’re going to do with the bounty of South Louisiana.
Tutwiler particularly likes remembering one day last fall when friend, neighbor and fellow-writer Jason Brown brought in sixteen pounds of eggplant. Tutwiler and Stubbs had a blast figuring out creative ways to present the aubergine.
“Of course, now we go through much larger quantities than we did back then,” Tutwiler said—as though last fall was a distant past. It’s a clear indication of the learning curve and just how much happens in the first year of a new restaurant venture.
“We don’t always know what we’re going to have on the menu tomorrow,” she says. “It’s creative, impulsive. It’s hard.”
Stubbs agrees that the ever-evolving menu is a constant challenge. “But that’s the fun thing, as well,” he says.
And judging by the response the restaurant has met since its August 2011 opening, a lot of people are hungry for the food the Saint Street Inn is bringing from the farms and putting on its tables.
Details. Details. Details.
Saint Street Inn
407 Brook Avenue
Lafayette, La.
(337) 534-8112
Lunch: Tuesday—Saturday, 11 am–2 pm.
Dinner: Thursday – Saturday, 6 pm–11 pm.
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