On Sept. 5, the Historic Owego Marketplace and the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce celebrated the Cellar Restaurant’s change of ownership at the Front Street establishment.
The new owners of The Pumpelly Estate, John and Stephanie Whitmore, have invested further in our community by purchasing The Cellar, and are excited to continue doing their part in the community by following in their predecessors’ footsteps.
Bob and Sandy Layman were also recognized at the ribbon cutting and event as they enter retirement after 21 successful years of business.
Bob and Sandy Layman have long shared a passion for great food, friends and fun, and were accustomed to working long hours in the restaurant industry. An opportunity to purchase The Cellar came in late 2003. The couple found the chance too enticing to let it slip by and believed their respective skills and talents combined would form a recipe for success.
Bob and Sandy Layman were all smiles on Wednesday as they enter the next chapter of their life. Here, they are pictured next to the smoker, and in a location where the Layman’s have spent years connecting with the community. (Photo by Wendy Post)
Being located only feet from the Susquehanna River in a basement level business had its challenges. After flooding in 2004, 2005, and 2006, the Layman’s decided to take the Cellar’s good name and move it up. They purchased the historic building and street-level renovations began. Nature’s way and the river had redefined their restaurant and their lives.
Bob, meanwhile, has developed over 40 years in the culinary arts industry. Self-taught, the ability to produce quality food that “dances in your mouth” is his gift.
In early 2000 Bob had the opportunity to learn from a regular customer with Celiac disease how to cook gluten-free. Over ten years later, cooking without gluten is common practice in Bob’s cooking style and is evident in the wide variety of gluten free menu items he effortlessly prepared at The Cellar Restaurant.
Pictured on Wednesday, from left, are Bob and Sandy Layman, and John and Stephanie Whitmore. (Photo by Wendy Post)
With dedication and determination, the Laymans and their three sons turned a local favorite into a regional destination. Now, and with Stephanie and John at the helm, guests can expect the same dedication and determination seen in the Laymans.
You can contact the restaurant and bar by calling (607) 687-2016, visit thecellarrestaurant.net, or stop by and see them at their 196 Front St. location along the river.
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