Cello, offering “seasonally inspired farm-to-fork cuisine with an ever-changing menu made with the freshest ingredients,” is the Lenox restaurant scene’s newest menu special.
When chef/owner Bjorn Somlo decided last fall to close his restaurant in Lenox—Nudel, a local favorite for many years—Robert Fried and Karen Kowgios were already looking for a path to a new adventure. When they decided to enter a long-term lease for 37 Church Street from building owner Jonathan Molk (Housatonic LLC) this spring, they knew they had found it.
“Our kids thought we were crazy,” Kowgios notes, “but we’ve just been having a great time!” They clearly had the business acumen: As Fried and Kowgios Partners LLP, the pair provided tax, consulting, and accounting services in New York and London to the Broadway and West End commercial and not-for-profit theater industry for over 32 years.
In 2016, when their friend Bill Hagaman, then CEO of Withum, Smith, and Brown, a fellow accounting and advisory firm, expressed interest in acquiring their company, Fried and Kowgios merged with Hagaman’s firm—a move that allowed them to reduce their hands-on role and become full-time Berkshire residents gradually. “We had a great run,” both acknowledge. In a fitting cap to their careers, Fried received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre award for extraordinary achievement.
When they decided to sell their accounting business and move to the Berkshires, this venture wasn’t a top priority, but things came together unusually well. “We’ve been coming here for 13 years and always loved the space,” Kowgios says, referring to the previous restaurant iterations. “We also wanted to support Ray [Stalker, former Nudel sous chef] and the amazing creativity he has in the kitchen as well as support the surrounding community.”
They had enough business experience to know they needed all the essential ingredients on hand before turning up the heat—including a receptive audience, an intimate but vibrant atmosphere, creative ingredients, and an ever-changing menu— in addition to their prime location and experienced chef.
They found all that and more when they opened Cello on May 3, 2023. “In many ways, the restaurant business works like a theater community, with everyone playing an important part,” Fried and Kowgios point out. “It’s a very collaborative effort,” Stalker agrees, noting, “It takes four people to make one bisque, and the dishwasher gets the most respect for helping us do what we do.”
Building the new business
One of their first decisions was making Stalker a partner/co-owner of the business to acknowledge his importance to the restaurant’s success and ensure that there was equal motivation and commitment from all three. He built a strong house team with Dashaan Golden (sous chef) and James Eubanks (chef de partie) in the kitchen (aka back of house), plus front of house wait staff and expert mixologists Amanda Marcisz and Cody Miller. Sarita Orobio-Wolff works as chef and front of house as needed. Jeorge Choez and Freya (Carmen) Penarrieta work on food preparation and back of house.
Another critical decision was restoring the restaurant to a long-bench, shoulder-to-shoulder bistro atmosphere, with additional bar seating for those who like to keep an eye on the kitchen. “This is the only restaurant in Lenox where you can watch your food being cooked,” Stalker comments. You also sit close enough to your neighboring tables to get enticing glimpses of other menu items. “We wanted to bring it back to what it was,” Kowgios explains. “Everyone’s chatting together,” Fried interjects, “and after a very short time, all of our customers seem to know each other very well.”
“Hospitality is so important in the restaurant industry,” Fried continues. “It’s something we’ve always enjoyed.” Stalker affirms, “This is our house, so when you’re here, you’re in our house.” He describes his favorite nights as the weeks around the holidays when the twenty-somethings come home to visit, which feels like a big party.
“We were here every night getting set up,” Kowgios says, recalling the early days. “I was waiting tables, and Robert was helping out. He also did a lot of the painting and carpentry work before we opened to get the inside ready.” Now they come two or three times a week to eat instead—a fun and welcome routine—but still insist they are partners with their team and always willing to lend a hand. “It’s always about our staff working with us, not for us,” Fried is quick to emphasize.
Stalker, who worked at several area restaurants over the years before committing to Cello, knows that the chef’s job includes a little bit of everything. Some days he’s foraging in the fields or sourcing fresh ingredients from local farms; other days, he’s picking herbs or picking up goats from Sheffield to butcher and marinate for the next week.
Like many farm-to-fork establishments, the Cello partners are careful to note where their ingredients originated—including nearby places like Tyringham, Maplebrook, Berle, and Off the Shelf farms. On this particular night, the menu ‘mains’ include roasted chicken, seared walleye, poached shrimp, and grilled strip steak, along with D’s zucchini bread and Carmen’s Saturn peach cobbler for dessert. An additional drinks menu lists two pages of locally sourced wines, beers, spirits, and cocktails.
Ties to the community were also incredibly helpful in getting established. Kowgios has been involved with local organizations for years and currently serves on the board of Shakespeare & Company, giving her visibility and connections that have been especially beneficial over the past few months. They were able to build a following through word-of-mouth and social media before opening. “One of the best things we did was get permission from Bjorn [Somlo] to take over his 3,400 followers,” she shares. “He announced on Instagram that ‘Nudel’s gone and Cello’s here’ and invited them all to check us out—which made a huge difference!”
Asked about the restaurant’s name, Kowgios responds without missing a beat: “We’ve been huge fans of Tanglewood for years. Knowing that one-word shows on Broadway tended to have the biggest crowds and longest runs, we decided to honor our neighborhood ties with the name Cello.” She adds, smiling, “It also makes for a fun way to answer the phone… Chello?”
All three stakeholders acknowledge that scenarios from the Netflix series The Bear have proven true to reality on many levels—and given them plenty to laugh about. The truer discovery, however, is not the manic aggression but the pleasure Cello brings, according to Fried. Kowgios agrees, adding that rather than a cut-throat competitive environment, they have experienced an outpouring of guidance, helpful advice, and camaraderie from their fellow Lenox restauranteurs. “People really do want to see you succeed,” both insist. The firm believers in karma are eager to share the same generous support with others.
“My happiest moment so far was during the week just before we officially opened,” Fried recalls. “We invited our close friends and family—along with our staff and their close friends and immediate family members—to taste menu items and celebrate what we had achieved together.”
“That made us realize how much we’d missed this gathering place,” Kowgios adds. “We thought, This is why we did this!”
“People have been very receptive to us and thankful the restaurant is back—many eat here multiple nights a week,” Kowgios states. “There’s good energy, and you feel it immediately when you walk in,” Fried adds. “The best part for me and many of our diners is watching the creation that goes on at night. We print our menu daily because it’s always changing.” (They also post it on the website.) However, he advises, “I always recommend the ‘Chef’s choice’—it’s the best thing you’re going to get.”
What’s it like for Kowgios and Fried to be developing this new restaurant together? “We’ve been partners in every aspect of our lives and have gotten to share so many amazing experiences together,” Fried acknowledges. Their commitment to each other, their work, and the Berkshire community make this new venture yet another laudable experience.
Cello is open year-round, currently Monday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant seats 29 comfortably indoors and up to nine at two tables outside. Advance reservations are recommended, either online (preferred) or by phone (413 551-7183) after 3 p.m.
