Stella’s Barn on Wheels shifting gears

It comes as no surprise to loyal patrons of Stella’s Barn that the business is reinventing itself. The Newfield restaurant has a long history of evolution and growth.

Since opening Stella’s in 2003 as a small country craft store, owner Terry Ferrara has steered the business as it grew to include an ice cream window, a lunchtime café and, eventually, a full service restaurant and bar. She had planned to transition to a celebration and event venue this spring, when COVID-19 set up a roadblock and forced her to shift gears yet again – this time to a food truck.

Ferrara explained that when the pandemic hit, cancellations for her farmhouse Airbnb and private event bookings started coming in one after another. What had appeared to be a successful first season as a celebration venue fell apart before the doors ever had a chance to open.

With bills coming in and little to no revenue in sight, the decision to sell the properties was written on the freshly painted gray walls.

“The universe was sending us a message,” Ferrara said. “I think big weddings are going to be a thing of the past, for a while anyway.”

But she wants to assure everyone that, “Stella’s Barn is not going away.”

Lauren Carpenter, Ferrara’s daughter, has been part of the business from the beginning, scooping ice cream and learning to serve customers during her college breaks. She talked about the inspiration for Stella’s on Wheels, taking the business on the road.

“I think opening up for takeout only during quarantine was an eye-opener for us,” she said. “That was a brand-new learning experience, an introduction into what was to come. It’s sad in a way, but this is what has to happen.”

With a new direction in mind, Ferrara and Carpenter wasted no time. The pair acquired a food truck from a Keuka Lake restaurant that is going out of business, and they are in the process of converting it to fit their needs. Already equipped with everything required for a commercial kitchen, it is mostly a matter of cleaning the interior and decorating the exterior.

“We’re going back to our roots, the original red and butternut yellow, the rooster logo, the Stella’s Barn font,” Ferrara said. “Our customers will recognize us.”

Planning for an Aug. 1 opening, the truck will serve food similar to their takeout menu of the past few months – gourmet mac and cheese, Stella’s famous fish fry, salads and sandwiches.

“The takeout process has helped to narrow it down,” Carpenter said. “[Terry] had to figure out what she could turn around fast on her own in the kitchen, while still tasting great and being hearty. Every weekend, we’ve sold out of the mac and cheese.”

Stella’s plans to offer some healthier options, too, including salads, grain bowls and a black bean burger.

“And we’re going to keep offering weekly specials – even prime rib,” Ferrara said.

She’s excited to develop some new recipes too, including a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and oyster po’boys.

“I want to make things I love to make and watch people enjoy the product that goes out the window,” Ferrara said.

There are a couple of regular locations where the food truck will set up shop, including Eddydale’s Farm Stand on Route 13 and at the base of Vankirk Road in Newfield. Other than that, it’s an open road. When festivals return, they’ll be ready to go.

“It’ll be great to work festivals,” Ferrara said. “We’ll have some of our old customers, but it’ll be fun to meet new ones.”

Catering of private events is another avenue that they see exploding with pent up demand when things open up.

“So many people are postponing, having small wedding ceremonies now, but planning a big party in the future,” Carpenter said.

Wherever they are, Carpenter will update the website with the truck’s location and specials.

“I’m completely redesigning the website, but the address is the same [stellasbarn.com],” she said.

She encouraged people to like and follow Stella’s Barn on Facebook and Instagram (stellabrate.upstate) to get regular updates. There will also be a location tracker and map service (#trackstellasmac) to help people find the food truck, even if they are not familiar with the area.

It is clear that mother and daughter each have their own role to play, as they did in the restaurant. The food is all Ferrara, though she insists that Carpenter is going to learn to make all her recipes. Carpenter is the creative marketer and handles the business’s social media presence. Both of them are brimming with ideas and enthusiasm.

“I’m working on graphics for the truck wrap and menu,” Carpenter said. “We’ll be serving out of a bread bowl and stick a fork in it as we hand it to the customer. So, I’m designing a bowl on wheels logo with the #stickaforkinit written inside. The wheels will be our Facebook and Instagram icons.”

Meanwhile, Ferrara is considering making a few of her homemade sauces available for purchase.

“People can buy a jar of my piccata sauce and put a meal together at home,” she said. “I’ll put a short video on our website to walk them through it step-by-step.”

Neither one of them have completely given up on opening a wedding venue at some time in the future. A licensed esthetician, Carpenter envisions doing makeup for the bridal party out of her home. They have an outdoor spot on their property that would be ideal for a small ceremony, with “dreamy” views of the Newfield hills, with a few tables, maybe some live music and of course food by Stella’s Barn on Wheels.

In the meantime, Ferrara is embracing this new fork in the road. She’s looking forward to slowing down a bit and having more time with her grandkids and more fun with the food business.

“I love the game, but I want to like it again,” she said. “I haven’t been excited about anything like I am excited about this for a long time. We’re going to rock out that food truck.”

For her part, Carpenter sees the business coming back full circle to a smaller, family venture.

“The hardest part [about selling the restaurant] is that I served the same people for almost two decades, watched their kids grow up,” she said. “That’s the part I’m going to miss.”

And while she’ll also miss the restaurant’s staff, they are taking on at least one new counter person.

“My 7-year-old daughter Lila wants to work the window,” Ferrara said. “We’ll have to get her a stool and scale down the apron to fit.”

It sounds like the future of Stella’s Barn is in good hands.