Stony Creek Serves Up a ‘Slice of Life’ Every Saturday Night

The stillness of early evening is broken by sounds of laughter and lively conversation. Tantalizing aromas from a wood-fired brick oven fill the air. It’s Saturday night at Stony Creek Farmstead, and a pizza party is underway.

It has been more than 15 years since Kate and Dan Marsiglio took over management of the farm owned by Dan’s parents just outside of Walton.

“We loved visiting Stony Creek when we were students at Syracuse University and dating,” Kate said. Later, she noted, the couple married and returned to the farm repeatedly. “It got into our blood. It became our permanent home when our daughter was 1.”

The couple brought to the farm not only muscle and young enthusiasm, but new ideas that have since helped Stony Creek grow. Pizza night began as a special evening for guests occupying the large, platform-style “glamping” tents that the Marsiglios had installed in the woods, steps away from two picturesque red barns.

“We started glamping before it became a hot trend,” Kate said, laughing.

Situated on 90 acres of verdant farmland with 60 more leased for farm animals, Stony Creek Farmstead is ideal for guests looking for a special camping experience. Visitors can come and go as they desire, or relax and soak up the simple life, far from the hustle and bustle of daily routines. Children love the farm experience, visiting and making friends with farm animals.

Cooking up Camaraderie

Initially, every Saturday night, campers, neighbors and friends were invited to partake in pizzas and salads made with produce from the farm’s fields. Attendees often participated in the pizza-making, choosing from the many fresh ingredients for toppings, then watching as the pizzas browned in the wood-fired, outdoor oven. This farm-to-table pizza happening began to draw locals to the table, too.

it is WonDerful seeinG hoW pizza niGht has GroWn. pizza niGht fit riGht in With our vision for the farmsteaD as a plaCe Where people CoulD Gather, muCh like the farmsteaDs of olD Where families in the Community Were inviteD to Barn DanCes anD Barn raisinGs. people Came BaCk aGain anD aGain, not only for the fresh pizzas, But for the CamaraDerie.” top left to right, clockwise: Kate Marsiglio demonstrates her pizza-flipping skills. Eve Foster tosses greens for a fresh, all-you-can-eat salad. Luke Potrzeba pulls a pizza from the wood-fired, brick-oven stove. Stony Creek Farmstead’s signature all-natural, wood-fired pizza. From the fields to the table. Sarah Morgan prepares a pizza for the oven. All of the pizza preparation is done outdoors at a long wooden table

“It is wonderful seeing how pizza night has grown,” Kate said. “Pizza night fit right in with our vision for the farmstead as a place where people could gather, much like the farmsteads of old where families in the community were invited to barn dances and barn raisings. People came back again and again, not only for the fresh pizzas, but for the camaraderie. Guests often lingered well into the evening to enjoy good conversation and the unfolding of a soft summer night in beautiful surroundings.”

Pizza night also afforded Kate the opportunity to indulge in one of her passions. “I love feeding people,” she said. “It’s part of my Italian heritage.”

kneading to Grow

As the popularity of pizza night grew, the Marsiglios realized they had to expand. Dan added picnic tables and a wooden platform for a new pavilion to accommodate more diners. The couple hired local men and women to help prepare and bake the pizzas, and young people from the area to serve them.

The Marsiglios encourage guests to come with a hearty appetite. Pizza night is an all-you-can-eat, pizza-plus-salad affair. Menu favorites include vegetarian pizza, made with seasonal selections from the field, and, for meat lovers, a pizza topped with the farm’s bacon and sausage, plus pepperoni.

Two specialty pizzas are named after servers: “The Cella” is a pizza made with caramelized onions, garlic, kale, capers and artichokes and “The Jimmy” is white pizza with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, sausage and pickled jalapenos. Guests can also order custom pizzas. Can’t make up your mind? Go for the chef’s choice and let the pizza makers work their magic.

To accompany pizzas, guests can choose one of Stony Creek Farmstead’s fresh salads: kale with lemon juice and oil, green salad with house vinaigrette or classic coleslaw. Or ask to try a sampler salad of all three.

Al Fresco Appetites

The action starts at 6 p.m., when the wood-fired oven is lit. Cars can pull in close to the two barns. Early-bird guests and their children are often invited to walk up a small path to visit the lambs and their newborns, before being seated at one of the picnic tables set up in a secluded grove under strings of twinkling lights.

The pizza preparation is all done outdoors, at a long wooden table where guests can watch Kate and her team prepare large bowls of salad and flip pizza dough. Servers bring pizzas, hot and bubbling, straight from the brick oven to your table. Guests are invited to bring their own wine and beer. Juices and seltzers can be purchased at the farm store, just a few steps from the pizza area.

The farm store features free-range red meat and chicken, fresh eggs, homemade soups, salads, granola that Kate may have made that morning and much more.

Call or text your order to Kate at 607-434-9788 for pick-up. The store is open daily, May through October. During the fall and winter months, the farm store makes deliveries to New Jersey, New York City and Delaware County. Or, shop online year-round.

To reserve a table for pizza night, Stony Creek asks that guests contact the farmstead by noon on the Saturday they plan to attend. Call (607) 865-7965, e-mail office@stonycreekfarmstead.com or text Kate at (607) 434-9788. Pizza night is $25 per person. Cash, checks or credit cards are accepted.

For more information on farm stays, workshops and apprenticeships for children, visit www.stonycreekfarmstead.com. +

Four Towns Forward is bringing Nashville to Sidney this summer.

The nonprofit organization, representing Afton, Bainbridge, Sidney and Unadilla, will host the inaugural Southern Tier Music Fest, Saturday, July 1, at the Sidney Municipal Airport. The one-day festival will showcase award-winning country duo Maddie and Tae alongside regional and local country acts, including Cassidy Lynn, Jason Wicks, Sundown, Devon Lawton & the In-Laws, Restless Road, Rylee Lum and more.

Four Towns Forward President Teri Schunk said Sidney businessman Ed Curley conceptualized the event roughly two years ago.

“In August of ’21, I bought tickets to a Kip Moore concert in Sylvania, Ohio for my wife,” Curley said, “He had a muscle shirt on and big muscles and it became crystal clear (why people would want to attend). Sitting there in Ohio in this outdoor amphitheater – Syvlania, Ohio is about the size of Sidney, Bainbridge and Unadilla combined –, I wondered, ‘Why can’t we do something like this in the tri-town area?’ We flew to Detroit, rented a car, drove to Sylvania, rented a hotel, bought gas, bought meals and spent quite a bit of money in Sylvania, Ohio, so why not do this locally and bring people to this area and have some economic development?”

Communities in Collaboration

Curley said his initial step was contacting Sidney-area leaders.

“The first person I called was Jim Reynolds at the (Sidney Federal) Credit Union, and he said, ‘This sounds like a good idea; let’s get Four Towns Forward involved,’” he said. “So, we called Teri, got the village, and said, ‘Let’s see if we can’t get this ball rolling.’ That was about a year and a half ago.”

Curley and Schunk credited a roughly 15-person committee, including representatives from each of the titular towns, with bringing the event to fruition.

“When we initially sat down … it was like, ‘OK, what organization do we want to run this through,’” Curley said. “We could’ve run in through the chamber (of commerce) or Rotary, but we decided the best place was Four Towns Forward, because they have the 501-C-3 and a structure, and the four towns are involved.”

“And it brings us more people to help with it,” Schunk said. “Terry Potter is the promoter – he does Spiedie Fest and the Dick’s Open – and (Sidney mayor) Ray Baker is involved; all the mayors involved.”