Trattoria Stella

Specialties

Trattoria Stella is a traditional Italian restaurant with a farm to table approach supporting the rich agricultural tradition of northern Michigan. Chef Myles brings in whole heritage breeds from local farms including Suffolk lamb and Mangalitsa and Durok-​Yorkshire pigs.

The menus change daily and the wine list is loaded with the best of the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas, plus unique and hard-​to-​find wines from all regions of Italy. Trattoria Stella also features an extensive beer selection including a custom draft, and a cocktail list on which the spirits produced in Michigan figure prominently.

Set in the castle-​like building of the old state mental on the most palatial grounds in the region, Trattoria Stella is a unique culinary expression of place.

History

Established in 2004.

In July of 2004, Paul and Amanda Danielson together with partner and Chef Myles Anton opened Trattoria Stella as the first business in the redevelopment of the old state mental institution. The farm to table approach was a corner stone of the business even then and Chef Myles had to seek out farms that had the produce to support his vision for the daily changing menu.

Just five months after opening, Paul and Amanda welcomed their daughter Sofia Adele into the world and in October of 2009, Myles was blessed with daughter Annika Ruth. In May of 2010, both families spent a week in NYC to cook at the James Beard House.

Also since opening, Amanda has passed the Advanced Sommelier exam and will soon sit for the Master Sommelier Diploma. Both Paul and Myles were named most influential 40 under 40 in the Grand Traverse Region and Chef Myles was a 2010 semi-​finalist for the James Beard Foundation award Best Chef Great Lakes.

Meet the Business Owner

Paul, Amanda, Myles A.

Business Owner

We always wanted to see what could happen if dedicated, passionate people started a restaurant with the goal simply to do something great: Find the best sources for food, seek out the finest wines in the world, and build a staff of like-​minded individuals to help us in our efforts and put quality ahead of the bottom line. Since we opened, we have successfully surrounded ourselves with a staff that understands our goal and wants to be a part of it. We have found that much of the best food we can find is grown within twenty miles of our kitchen door. We happily learned that while we can put together a wine list to compare with the best in the country, much of ours comes from our own region. We put our efforts – and our staff’s – to the test every time a guest sits down. Do we always get it exactly right? Of course not; we’re people. We do, however, take our mistakes to heart as this is our place and we want to make people glad they chose to dine with us.

Trattoria Stella also recommends

The Franklin

160

reviews

American (New)

,

Pizza

Paul, Amanda, Myles A. says,

«We celebrated ten years of striving to deliver the best in food, drink and hospitality by opening a second restaurant in the center of our fair city.»