History of Kennett Steak & Mushroom |
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In June of 1997, Lou Caputo and Jeffrey “Herb” Guest, two partners in the largest Shiitake and Oyster log supplying companies in North America, purchased a real estate investment that was previously known as a community eyesore, the old Birch Inn. This early 1800 building that was once a Fertilizer plant, Hardware store, Paint Supply and Tractor Repair shop and in 1949 became the Birch Inn, when owner Don Davenport started selling beer. After adding rooms upstairs in 1950, he was able to purchase the original Kennett Hotel Liquor license. After successfully running the Birch Inn for twenty-four years, Davenport sold the Inn to the DeWire family who ran the business for another successful twenty-four years before selling to Caputo and Guest in 1997.
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They started by renovating the old motel. Destroyed in a fire in 1998, they rebuilt and re-opened the motel in April 1999, which provided 14 comfortable and incredibly clean appointed rooms to accommodate overnight guests visiting Kennett Square. Renovations began in 2003 on the restaurant and Caputo and Guest opened the Kennett Steak and Mushroom Restaurant/Motel in 2004. What makes this restaurant so unique? Not only is it located in the fresh mushroom capital of the world, but it’s the only restaurant in this tri-state area that offers complimentary sautéed fresh mushrooms on Saturday nights to their restaurant patrons - free of charge.
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We want to share our love and passion for mushrooms with everyone that comes through the door. We bring fresh picked mushrooms from our mushroom farm on Saturday nights and set up a table right inside the front door so people can watch us sauté various exotic mushrooms to taste. Not only do they enjoy watching us cook them, but also some customers have said they probably would have never tasted some of the exotics if we had not given them the opportunity to try them like this.
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Not only does Kennett Steak and Mushroom have sautéed fresh mushrooms, they also offer, aside from various Seafood and Mushroom dishes, hand-carved steaks and desserts that are flambéed tableside. Their vision of increasing public awareness by educating their customers to the art of mushroom growing, housed in a beautiful, comfortable arena in which to taste the fruits of their labor is nothing short of a phenomenal dining experience! |
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