Staunton Grocery Restaurant to close on Dec. 23

When it first opened five years ago in downtown Staunton with the name "Staunton Grocery," many thought a new source for food shopping had popped up on Beverley Street. They soon discovered it was an upscale restaurant that had moved to town, opened and operated by a chef, Ian Boden, from New York City.

Chef Boden announced this week that the restaurant will be closing on December 23. On the website, he left a message to "loyal guests, farmers, supporters, and friends":

Six years ago I moved from New York City to the town of Staunton Virginia with a goal. I wanted to create the first farm to fork restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley that was chef driven, locally sourced and with none of the trappings of a traditional fine dining restaurant. I wanted to bring something new to the area and help bill this great town as a destination for dining and agriculture.

In a lot of ways my goal was simple.  Cook great food, sourced from the best farmers for appreciative guests and they'll come back.  And you all did! In fact at The Staunton Grocery I've had more loyal guests come, more consistently, than any other restaurant I've ever been a part of.

I wanted to make people feel that they were coming home to eat, just with some new ingredients that they may not use regularly at home. Over our five year run there has been a lot of changes, new faces and lots of political and economic change, but we have always managed to keep executing that original goal.

With great sadness in my heart we will be shutting the doors of The Staunton Grocery. Our last service will be December 23rd 2011, which is just about 5 years to the day of our opening.  If you are interested in keeping in touch and finding out about the development of new projects please follow me on my new twitter account @chefiab. I am also in the process of developing a blog which will be announced on my twitter page.

For our last two weeks of service we will be offering a 50% discount on our wine list for wine with dinner or ‘to go’.  Stop by and fill your cellar with some unique wines from the only award winning wine list in the Valley, most of which is unavailable in wine shops or restaurants in the area.  Or stock up on some house made pasta or charcuterie.  All pasta's are $10 per pound and pates and terrines are $15 per pound.

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for all of your kind words, loyalty and continued support of me and my dream. I wish you all of the best in your endeavors and hope to see you again soon where ever I may end up.

Ian Boden
Chef/Owner
The Staunton Grocery

There was no reason given for closing but the Staunton Grocery Restaurant may be a victim of the current tough economic times. At the pricey end of the food scale, it catered to higher end clientele which left out many of the local residents.