From Seed to Plate: South Mountain Creamery to open farm-to-fork...

South Mountain Creamery (SMC), Maryland's first on farm milk processing plant, is opening the first Maryland farmer-owned restaurant in downtown Frederick. Set to open in the spring of 2019, the restaurant will feature two distinct dining options - the South Mountain Creamery Ice Cream Shop and the Hometown Harvest Kitchen. Located at 50 Citizens Way, Suite 101, the new restaurant will feature indoor-outdoor seating for up to 200 people and create approximately 35 new part-time and full-time jobs in downtown Frederick.

An emphasis on high quality food at an affordable price, Hometown Harvest Kitchen empowers guests to make equally nutritious and delicious food choices. From seed to plate the owners and farmers of SMC, along with their Head Chef Jesse Rogers, will be involved in all aspects of the food that is made from scratch daily.

"Through our home delivery service, we deliver the farmer's market to your door - making local food more accessible," said Tony Brusco, Co-Owner of South Mountain Creamery. "Our new downtown restaurant will offer the farmer's market on your plate. We are excited about this innovative initiative for our business and our family farm. The SMC mission is to help people eat fresh local food while connecting our love of the family farm and passion for local food to our community."

Formerly the site of the Greene Turtle, Hometown Harvest Kitchen will feature a line-style layout showcasing local food through hand-tossed salads, hand-crafted sandwiches, hot comfort foods, hot and cold sides, and of course South Mountain Creamery's handcrafted premium ice cream. It will allow patrons to 'grab and go' or sit and relax with healthy, locally sourced culinary classics.

"We're bringing back this classic style dining by making good fresh food and keeping it interesting," said Chef Jesse Rogers. "Folks will be able to get "home cooked" food at a restaurant quickly and for a reasonable price. Best part is that our menu will change regularly during seasons as local, fresh produce is available. Certainly, it will be farm-to-fork fresh and delicious."

The South Mountain Creamery Ice Cream Shop will offer their premium ice cream by the pint, the scoop, or in milkshakes. "A visit to our downtown store will bring a little nostalgia and a lot of happiness. We will bake our waffle cones daily, make our whipped cream from scratch, and serve it all in traditional fountain glassware. Our generations old devotion to farm fresh foods is something we want to share with everyone," states Abby Brusco, Co-Owner of South Mountain Creamery.

The SMC family owns and farms roughly 3,000 acres in Frederick County where they milk 550 cows, raise over 100 beef cattle, and 16,000 laying chickens. Three generations now work on the farm. Tony & Abby (Sowers) Brusco and Ben & Kate Sowers now run the company. SMC is an important part of the local economy that employs more than 85 people.

SMC began in 1981, when Randy and Karen Sowers delivered glass bottled milk out of a single Ford explorer to about 20 customers. In 2001, SMC became the first on farm milk processing plant. Today, SMC delivers to nearly 10,000 customers in a 35,000 square mile area stretching from Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and DC.

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