New owner, new chef both come from Turning Stone Resort
The Cazenovia Country Club restaurant has a new owner, new chef and new public hours. The restaurant, called “Meat You There,” will now be open to the public one day a week as well, as part of owner David Hill’s new business model.
“My goal is to offer a great dining experience in a comfortable atmosphere,” Hill said. “People expect a good meal when they eat out — you’ve got to have good food and be consistent; consistency is the key to good business.”
Hill, who previously worked for 13 years at Turning Stone as the food and bar operations manager, purchased the restaurant this past February. While the restaurant is attached to the private country club, it is a separate entity.
“I was tired of working for somebody else and this was a great opportunity,” he said. “And I love golf.”
Cazenovia Country Club is a private golf club on Number Nine Road in Cazenovia that offers an 18-hole course, swimming pool and bar/restaurant. For the past two years, the CCC restaurant was “The 10th Tee,” operated by Bruce Hirsch. That relationship ended last year due to a difference of philosophy, said Kevin Chase, CCC communications director.
“We are so excited to have Dave here,” Chase said. “He is the kind of owner members like … he’ll fit right in with everyone, and that was a big draw for us.”
Meat You There will have some similarities to the previous restaurant at the club, but will for the most part be different, Hill said. Besides the new name (which stemmed from Hill’s near-opening of a New York-style deli in Oneida that ultimately did not come to fruition), there is an entirely new staff and a new chef. Chef Colleen Gulianno, who worked at Turning Stone for 20 years, has also created new lunch and dinner menus that will have a “good selection of food at reasonable prices,” Hill said.
Also new to the club will be a beverage cart out on the golf course every day of the week for members to enjoy, burgers and hot dogs offered at the turn on weekends and use of the covered station on the golf course that will also offer burgers and hot dogs. “You’re not going to go hungry or thirsty, that’s for sure,” Hill said.
The use of the restaurant will also be complemented by people other than members, Hill said. They already have booked some weddings, bridal showers and organizational banquets for weekends, he said, but the major change will be the opening of Meat You There to the general public one day per week.
The new public hours of the restaurant (not the golf course) — every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. — started on April 15, and will continue for about one month. After that, the public day will change to every Friday.
The restaurant also will be open to the public for Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday, May 14, for a family-style dinner.
Chase said the CCC board of directors is hoping that both the core club members and the community will discover what a great addition to Cazenovia Hill will be. “We were so happy to get him, and we want everyone to see how much value he brings to Cazenovia and Madison County,” Chase said. “Keep it simple, keep it good, keep it consistent — and we’ll meet you there.”
Meat You There restaurant is located at 3711 Number Nine Road in Cazenovia. For information or reservations, call 315-655-4915.
What’s on the menu at Meat You There?
The CCC’s new restaurant has a new chef who has created an entirely new menu. Lunch offers starters, housemade soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers, with nothing priced above $9.95. The dinner menu offers 10 entrees from $9.95 to $19.95, including items such as prime rib, chicken riggies, baked macaroni and friend shrimp, friend clams and haddock dinners. The restaurant’s signature dishes are its Friday night fish fry and its chicken riggies, said owner David Hill. The desserts, made fresh at Murphy’s Specialized Pastry in Manlius, include cheesecake, mint chocolate cream pie, banana split pie and Italian style cannoli, among others.
