ABOUT US,
Trattoria Stella, in the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, is a neighborhood restaurant and bar with strong roots in fine traditional food, wine and service. The team of professionals that has come together over this restaurant is committed to delivering you a unique experience on every visit, no matter how many times we see you. More importantly, while each experience will be unique, you will always feel at home.
GENERAL HOURS OF SERVICE
| Monday - Thursday | Seating from 11:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. |
| Friday & Saturday | Seating from 11:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | Seating from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. |
NEWSLETTERS
Please use the forms below to subscribe to our periodic notices of Stella News and Upcoming Events and/or classes for the trade (TIPS and ServSafe).
MORE ABOUT US:
We opened on 6 July 2004! Thank you so much to those who have supported us. Every goal we set for ourselves is with your continued delight and friendship in mind.
It is amazing that two years have already passed and that during that time we opened our trattoria successfully, earned two major awards for our wine list, started our Slow Food convivium and most miraculously, brought our little Sofia Adele into the world. The relationships that we’ve built with our guests inspire the feeling that we’ve been part of this community for a generation or more. That said we would like to remain a part of this community for generations to come and leave a legacy for our children and those of our treasured guests who have contributed to our success thus far. To this end we will be more than merely a restaurant that serves extraordinary Italian food and beverages daily; we will nurture our commitment to community, quality and education of both guests and staff in the following ways:
Remain owner operated and stay small.
We will only grow our business to a level that enables us to maintain the quality of product and service you know and deserve be it in the dining room, through catering outside events or in the special programs we offer throughout the year.
Source the best ingredients from our neighborhood out.
Getting our products from local farms and producers of other goods makes sense for the community both nutritionally and economically. If we cannot get our fresh products in the Grand Traverse region, then we will look to the rest of the state of Michigan, from there to the whole Midwest, the United States and so on. Specialty items such as wine and cheeses that are indigenous to specific areas will be selected based on the highest quality standards and on the producers’ commitment to their own locale and responsible practices.
Start with the best ingredients and make them into something great ourselves!
In addition to sourcing the best raw ingredients, we make nearly everything in-house: bread, desserts, most pasta, sauces, dressings, etc. We believe so strongly in this that despite many guest requests, we refused to sell gelato (ice cream) until we had a machine to make it. Well, now we do; and we will. We believe that we have the best staff in place in key areas to prepare goods far better than anything that can be purchased.
Support local businesses personally and professionally.
The big chain stores that sell basically disposable goods and items of little or no character have enough support so much so that in many communities they drive out local businesses. We will not eat in restaurants that get their pre-packaged raw materials from a central warehouse when there are other owner-operated restaurants making real food. Nor will we buy our daughter disposable clothing and plastic toys from any “mart” when we can support members of our community and get better quality at stores like Dandelion and Toy Harbor.
Maintain the most knowledgeable food and beverage staff in the Midwest.
Amanda’s commitment to deepening her knowledge of the world of wine became formal when she took the Certificate Course of the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2003. She is now studying to take the Advanced Course within the next few years. In the meantime, she furthers her education and that of the staff through a bi-weekly wine class mandatory for all servers, bartenders and managers.Additionally, Mari and Jon, our dining room and bar managers respectively, just successfully completed the Certificate Course themselves.
Continue to encourage a healthy and happy community through education.
In addition to our efforts with Slow Food Grand Traverse, we will continue to create and support educational programs related to food and wine. Whether it be local food in schools, making donations of time and/or goods to educational charities or expanding Scuola Stella (classes we currently teach) to include organized trips to Italy; we will freely share our time, effort and knowledge with interested members of our community.
Provide a sustainable working environment for our employees.
We believe that as business owners we are obligated to our staff of sixty-five employees to provide an environment that encourages self-sufficiency, a healthy lifestyle and promotes saving for the future. Inherent in this directive is the need to provide health insurance, a retirement savings plan and daily benefits such as discounts on food for employees and their families. This encourages the good health and longevity not only of our staff members, but also of those for whom they are responsible.
