The Shed at Stowe Vt.
The best burgers I have ever eaten were at The Shed.
The best part of making runs with friends is the opportunity to discover new places to eat and refresh. Such was the case on July 4th when I was riding through Vermont with some friends. Our adventure took us through Stowe Vermont and we stopped at the Shed on Route 108 in Stowe for lunch.
The Shed is a unique establishment. It contains a restaurant with an expansive menu to cater to every taste. It also contains an English style pub and a 7 barrel brewery, parts of which are visible from within the pub. If you like to dine outside there is an expansive deck behind the Shed complete with tables with umbrellas.
I have been there twice and I have found the food to be excellent as is the service. You must absolutely try the Shed Burger. It is served with a sweet pepper and onion relish that is like nothing I have ever tried before. Since the Shed is a micro-brewery there is always plenty of fresh brew to be had. It is on draft, it is cold and there are different brews available depending on the time of the season and the whim of the brew master.
While speaking with Ken Strong who is the proprietor, I learned that they get a large amount of biker traffic during the bike week at Laconia and I can understand why. He stated that at times he has trouble finding his staff because they are in the parking lot looking at the bikes. The one thing that I noticed was that in spite of the upscale image, our little entourage was made to feel quite welcome. The service was friendly, warm and excellent and we have already declared our love of their burgers.
The Shed has a rather unique history and I am going to present the history as defined by the Shed and printed on their Lunch Menu.
For over a quarter of a century, The Shed has been a popular Stowe tradition. While our history as a restaurant goes back to 1965, our roots go back to 1830 when the building was first constructed as Foster’s Cider Mill, a place where local farmers could bring their apples to be pressed into cider, which was consumed both fresh and “hard”.
According to contemporary accounts, residents who attended church in what is now Rocky River Lodged right up the road, would leave their apples while on their way to church on one Sunday, then pick up the finished product after services the following week. In the era when church socials where common, this nearby location provided a convenient opportunity for the men to slip over and sample the fermented brew, which became a social event in its own right.
After a short period of neglect, in 1938 the building was converted into the headquarters of Camp Idletyme while included a variety store with a gas pump, a youth hostel(boys upstairs, girls in the barn which is now the Ilse de France next door) and Stowe’s first tennis court. In the meadows across the road was held Vermont’s first air show. In 1939, the camp tennis instructor was a ski school stayover, Sepp Ruschp, a young Austrian who was to become the president and general manager of the Mt. Mansfield Company and one of the pioneers of the ski industry in North America.
Camp Idletyme succumbed to WWII in 1942 and the building remained unused until 1965, when present owner Ken Strong and then partner Ted Ross, two Mt. Mansfield ski instructors opened The Shed, A Pub, on a whim and a couple of thousand dollars. The place was an immediate success serving Shedburgers, steaks and salads. Kenny bought out Ross in 1967. The Shed’s popularity grew with several additions over the years including a small porch, a main dining room, the back bar, and an initial patio. Kathy Casey joined the Shed in 1979 and assisted in the creation of a special ambiance with the very popular garden room and greenhouse – a first in Stowe!
Ken and Kathy, with the talents, direction and hard work of two grand ladies – Architectural and Interior Designers Isobella Kreizel and M.J. Shaw, added a new chapter to the history with the reconstruction of the Shed following a tragic fire on January 26, 1994 that burned the restaurant to the ground. Stowe’s premiere Brewery Pub featuring English style hand-crafted Ales brewed in our new 7 Barrel Brewery was the highlight of the reconstruction. Built with study, hand hewn native timber resembling the Original Shed Pub, the front bar hosts the Brewery’s Mash Tun and Brew Kettle which are visible for viewing the start of the brewing process.
So there you have it. Another piece of Americana hidden in Vermont that at first glance does not seem like it would be biker oriented but in fact really is. If you are in the Stowe area, stop in and give them a try. I am sure that you will not be disappointed.
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"The Shed"
Friday, August 06, 2010 R