Our Team
The hustle at Stone Row is a team sport. Founder Andy Gütt likens the culture to a “brigade” since everyone plays a role in bringing the collective vision to life. The kitchen isn’t filled with egos and the dinner service isn’t a competition between servers. There’s a shared rhythm to a good day’s work here — an industrious spirit true to the restaurant’s roots. Gütt opened the doors to Cafémantic as an ambitious graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University. Over the past decade, he’s grown it from an independent coffee shop to a culinary destination, expanding into events and catering with Moveable Feast + Co. Reinvention is in his DNA. When the 2020 pandemic shook the hospitality world, Gütt turned to Executive Chef Tyler May to chart a new course as Stone Row, a nostalgic reference to Willimantic’s historic tenement neighborhood where the restaurant now stands.
The culinary team finds inspiration close to home. Chef May describes his cooking as sleight of hand, building on many of the tricks he learned at New York City’s legendary WD-50; 22 Bowens in Newport, Rhode Island; and the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University. At Stone Row, our team maintains close friendships with local growers and can often be spotted at the Willimantic Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. It’s the kind of place where a passion for the craft and love for simple pleasures determines every move.