Stella: Kenwood’s newest Italian delight
The entrance to Stella (Ashley Waite)
By: Dylan Cooper, Features Editor
It’s dinnertime, and you’ve grown tired of constantly microwaving the same shoddy leftovers every night. You decide to treat yourself to a fine restaurant when you suddenly get the hankering for some truly authentic Italian cuisine. Yet, try as you might, there aren’t many restaurants in Sonoma County that can provide a worthwhile dining experience. So, you travel all over, trying to find the perfect dinner, but nothing seems to satisfy those real cravings - that insatiable desire for some savory mozzarella or a delectable bolognese. Well, the good news is that the never-ending search has come to an end, as Kenwood’s Stella has officially opened to the public and has proven itself to be a worthy contender to some of the greatest Italian restaurants in the area.
Located at 9409 Sonoma Highway, this restaurant is a great addition to our local community, offering customers flavorful entrees and appetizers in a delightful setting. The location was previously home to Cafe Citti, another Italian restaurant that attracted many families to dine there. With a reputation for good food built into the building's history, it only made sense that another high-rise restaurant would find its home in that area. “The concept was a restaurant that I would want to eat at multiple times a week,” said Ari Weiswasser, one of the owners of Stella. He was not alone in this endeavor, working alongside his wife, Erinn Weiswasser, and another couple, Spencer and Ashley Waite, to open the restaurant. Each of the owners, as well as the team they worked with, jumped through many hoops to ensure the restaurant would pan out.
In a conversation about the trials Stella went through, Weiswasser reflected on the pieces he had to put together to make this thing happen. “Every step was an enormous hurdle. To take the building, turn it upside down, and shake it out, we had to be working with the landlord.” The project turned out to be quite ambitious, involving revamping the building into something entirely new and unique. Construction took a great deal of time, and could have been even longer due to outlying issues.
One major problem the restaurant encountered was the amount of power the building required, which needed practically double the supply at the time. The situation would only get worse with PG&E getting involved and starting to make the workload pile up. “The biggest hurdle that almost ended the deal was that they had to replace a power pole next to a transformer, and that transformer was on Sonoma Highway,” said Weiswasser. “This meant that legally, Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, had the right of way, so you would need permission from Caltrans to do any work on the highway. Now you have two enormous state agencies that you’re trying to manage.” The process could almost be described as mind-numbing, with an issue like this having the chance to extend the opening out by another year and a half. Luckily, through much political maneuvering, Weiswasser and his restaurant partners were able to bring the issue to the attention of people like Congressman Mike Thompson, addressing the problem sooner rather than later. Weiswasser was more than relieved to get the problem dealt with. “We worked the system and they prioritized the project, getting it done in a timely fashion.”
Gorgeous meat preparation at Stella (Jesse Cudworth)
It is also important to note that Stella is not the only restaurant Weiswasser has created, with the ever-popular Glen Ellen Star already solidifying itself as a highly successful and award-winning business. Much of that restaurant has served as an inspiration for what Stella would become. “In Italian, Stella means star, and it’s kind of a sister brand to the Glen Ellen Star,” said Weiswasser. It opened in 2012, back when he “wasn’t privy to the process of opening a restaurant,” stated Weiswasser. “It’s a completely different world now.”
After all the work that has been done, the restaurant has proven to be an inviting establishment where anyone can come in and enjoy. The team spent a long time gutting the building and turning it into its place, allowing new additions that help to liven up the experience. For example, “the centerpiece of the restaurant is this amazing wood-fired grill. It’s the focal point of the restaurant,” said Weiswasser, who spent some time reflecting on some of the best parts of the building. The grill is imposing, but only complements the already beautiful scene that Stella offers. It's a wonderful place for families or individuals to come and enjoy the most essential part of the dining experience: the food.
Boasting a wide selection of meats and pastas, the menu at Stella is genuinely something to drool over. A key element that the restaurant utilizes is its use of freshly imported cheeses straight from Italy. “It’s a delivery from Italy that gets drop-shipped over,” said Weiswasser. These cheeses above pave the way for the restaurant's mozzarella and burrata bar, a lovely addition that has proven itself to be a widely profitable part of the business. “We sell one at every single table.” This touch of true Italian authenticity elevates the experience and flavor of every meal, as if you're stepping into Italy itself. Aside from its gourmet cheeses, Stella is also a step ahead when it comes to its pasta selection. “We do extruda pasta, which are the ones you can’t make by hand, like rigatoni, penne, and umake,” said Weiswasser. If you have a hankering for any specific type of pasta, chances are that Stella has you covered. The menu also features many different meat entrees for a hearty and worthwhile meal. One of the most enticing but expensive dishes is the $150 tomahawk for two, a gigantic feast that is more than filling for anyone willing to take on its enormity. However, there are tons of other options to choose from, should the size or price be a little too daunting. There are also salads, drinks, and plenty of additional specialties that you can enjoy while sinking into your seat for the night.
All of these fine meals come from the hands of the service staff, who work tirelessly to ensure that each customer finds their visit to be exquisite. The kitchen is the very heart of every restaurant, and the chefs at Stella make sure that the night runs smoothly, no matter what. “They want to please people. They want to make something that was the best anyone’s ever tasted,” said Weiswasser. That passion for cooking blends seamlessly into effervescent food that you will be thinking about long after you’ve left the establishment. Pairing the food with excellent service throughout the night, Stella will soon become a frequent delight in your restaurant portfolio.
Looking ahead, Stella still has a variety of routes it can take to advance the business to the next level, many of which are already being explored. Ideas about to-go services and even a lunch menu are already being tossed around, and Weiswasser shows his hopes for this, wanting to “build it into a place where [they] are able to succeed in all those avenues.” However, no matter where it goes from this point onward, it is without a doubt that Stella has proven itself to be a success and will continue to attract customers with all its stellar qualities. Weiswasser is delighted with how everything has gone so far, and he expresses pride in the new heights Stella is bound to reach. “It’s been very well received, and we’re very excited to introduce it to the neighborhood!”