Nancy Haddad, Ashdon Kerr and Ella Shearer | Staff Writers
July 26, 2023
In the quaint town of Murray, Kentucky, citizens have a limited number of fine dining options, but this changed whenever Wade and Stephanie Balmer decided to fulfill a life long dream of theirs. Stephano’s Trattoria opened in May 2023 right across from the Murray State University campus. The name was inspired by Stephanie Balmer’s nickname, given to her by Mr. Balmer. The restaurant’s opening sparked excitement all throughout Murray.
Stephano’s Trattoria is a family owned restaurant with options ranging from charcuterie boards to Rigatoni alla Vodka to coriander crusted Chilean sea bass. Many of Balmer’s dishes include handcrafted pastas from scratch. The elevated experience is carefully curated by Mr. and Mrs. Balmer and Bradley Thorton, the executive chef. Together they ventured to Italy and shared many experiences to create their menu. In Balmer’s words, they ate their way through Italy. He emphasized that this trip heavily influenced his ideas for Stephano’s Trattoria.
Although owning a restaurant can have many highs, Balmer explained that there are various challenges that come with it. He spoke about the difficulties of maintaining high quality food to serve, including obtaining fresh ingredients and keeping up with rising inflation. Rising inflation has affected many food industries due to a change in the cost of production and food prices. Additionally, Balmer said finding a dedicated staff came with many obstacles due to splitting up shifts and staying staffed on busy days like Friday and Saturday nights.
All in all, the Balmers enjoy owning and running Stephano’s Trattoria. In fact, they are still dreaming about what their business will become. When asked about where he sees Stephano’s Trattoria in ten years, he enthusiastically shared his goals. He hopes to expand the back of the building to create a high quality wine cellar or private party room. Stephano’s Trattoria is rapidly gaining interest and a crowd of regular customers. In order to try their exquisite Italian cuisine, it’s necessary to make a reservation. Balmer says every day is busy but the ambiance on the weekends is unlike no other. Make sure to support local businesses and have a taste of a culture a world away at Stephano’s Trattoria!
Photo Credits: Bella Ezumah | Instructor
