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Turning Stone Bets on Restaurants

NEW YORK – As reported by the Albany Times-Union: "When Rose Grillo wanted to treat her mother to a special lunch earlier this month, there was no question in Grillo's mind where they should go: Wildflowers.

"Located in The Lodge at Turning Stone Casino & Resort in Verona, just west of Utica, Wildflowers is the newest high-end restaurant at the Oneida Nation property. It's more than a half-hour away from Grillo's home in Liverpool, but the psychotherapist is convinced it's well worth the drive.

"…Following the trail Las Vegas casinos blazed a decade ago when they began luring celebrity chefs and master sommeliers to work their culinary magic at newly opened gourmet restaurants, Turning Stone and its two competitors in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, are attempting to become dining destinations in addition to dollar-and-a-dream casinos.

"…By the end of next year, Turning Stone expects to have 23 different restaurants. This is a dramatic change in the dining landscape at the 11-year-old casino, where an all-you-can-eat buffet was the primary eating option when it opened.

"…It's certainly too early to tell if food lovers from as far away as the Capital Region will be willing to drive almost two hours for dinner and a little time at the roulette wheel. However, restaurant consultant Clark Wolf, based in New York and Las Vegas, believes Turning Stone and the Connecticut casinos are going about it in exactly the right way.

"…Andrew Lee, vice president of food and beverage at Turning Stone, expects to have about 1,000 people working in food service by the end of this year. This fall, he established a culinary training school on Oneida Nation property near the casino to prepare his ever-growing staff…"

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