The Stardust Cafe in downtown Lewisburg will soon be changing hands.
The announcement came to the Stardust Cafe Facebook page on January 21 from current owner, Sparrow Huffman.
“The time has come to pass the torch,” wrote Huffman. “Next week Stardust will have new owners to love her, and learn with her, and with you. … Stardust formed me in her mold of devotion, joy, love, pride, hard-work, independence, fear, betrayal, heartbreak, and forever and ever humbled me. Somehow, unbelievably 17 years has strolled right by us since we opened our doors on February 14, 2005. 17 years. How?”
Huffman’s announcement also came with the new owners.
“We are thrilled to share that the new owners Savannah Mae and Dan Perry will hold true to the Stardust vision created so long ago and with a lot of the same friendly faces. We are so happy for them.”
Speaking with The West Virginia Daily News, Mae explained her family has been around the Stardust Cafe for years.
“I actually worked at Stardust six years ago, and left right before I had my son, Joe,” explained Mae. “Right when I left, my husband Dan started working at The General Lewis Inn, Stardust’s sister establishment, as the front of house manager. A few years after, that he became the manager of Stardust. Stardust has always been a part of our little family.”
According to the Beckley Register-Herald, Sparrow and Aaron Huffman purchased the General Lewis in 2014, the newest owners since its opening in 1929. At that time, Huffman told the Herald that not many changes would be “noticed” by the guests. Similar to then, the Stardust Cafe’s new ownership isn’t expecting to make big changes.
“There’s not going to be a ton of big changes or meal changes to be honest,” Mae said. “We love Stardust and definitely plan on keeping her traditions, while also building some of our own. All of the staples on the menu are staying. Forever Curried Chicken included. … We plan to to change the menu twice a year and have a Spring/Summer, and Fall/Winter menu.”
This decision could be for the best, with the Stardust Cafe previously winning WV Living Magazine’s 2020 “Best Farm-to-Table” restaurant. In addition to food continuity, current customers can expect to see familiar faces behind the line with a few new additions.
“We definitely plan on keeping the current staff,” Mae said. “We have known most of them for a long time, and we truly hope that they are just as excited as we are. We are also very excited to announce that Stephen Anderson from Appalachian Country Cuisine and Gina Anderson, the previous owner of Greenbrier Valley Baking Company, will be assisting us with our desserts.”
The time between the announcement and Huffman’s final day would be less than the space between issues of The West Virginia Daily News. In the post, Huffman noted she would be cooking on January 22, the last day of the “Old Stardust.” Huffman also reflected on the years spent with the restaurant in the post.
“I raised all my babies in Stardust, Sophia wrote her entrance essay for Boarding school on being raised in a restaurant,” Huffman wrote. “The amazing bit is that Stardust didn’t just raise me and my babies, but countless staff members, both current and long past, found their homes at Stardust. We have been a true family. And then there is you dear customer. You made us what we are, from your requests, to your love and devotion, to your undying loyalty. This path was paved with your intentions, and we love you more than you will ever know. How do you shrink 17 years into a few sentences? Short answer is you can’t. Thank you Stardust and Farewell!”
After this, Mae and Perry will take the reins.
“Dan and I are overjoyed,” said Mae. “This process has been months in the making, and honestly, the fact that it’s finally here is mind blowing. We have received an overwhelming amount of support in just a few hours, it’s incredible. We are so excited to be a bigger part of our community, and we can’t wait to build relationships with all of our customers.”
Author’s note – Mae is a friend of the writer. However, no goods or services were exchanged for coverage in The West Virginia Daily News.
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