A bit hidden up a little hill in Spartanburg is Rose Cottage & Gardens. It’s a one-stop shop—a restaurant, bakery and a place for ceremonies, receptions, cooking classes and even the occasional murder mystery dinner theater.
After serving just lunch and a Sunday buffet for a few years, now Rose Cottage & Gardens will be opening for dinner July 22.
“A lot of people are surprised when they come in,” says Stephanie Morgan, who is co-owner with her mother, Marlen Kuszmaul. “It feels like home and it’s comfortable.”
Morgan and her mom had been throwing around the idea of owning a restaurant for more than four years. They knew having a restaurant in a strip mall just didn’t appeal to them. Then they found the private house built in 1932 that was also a restaurant in the 1990s.
Rose Cottage & Gardens offers a lunch menu ranging from $5 to $8 with items such as soup, salad, pot roast, quiche, tuna melts and barbecue. You can also call ahead to let them know of a special diet like gluten-free. Morgan says they like to work with local companies to help stimulate the economy. The restaurant gets its produce locally, grows some of its own herbs and when the owners get their license they will offer beer and wine from the Carolinas.
“We wanted to try to keep things local as much as possible,” says Morgan, who has worked at several country clubs and is an adjunct professor at Spartanburg Community College in the hospitality program. “It’s hard for local businesses right now.” Morgan focuses more on managing and event planning for Rose Cottage & Gardens. “My mom is more passionate about cooking.”
Kuszmaul taught culinary arts at R.D. Anderson Vocational School and has been in the field for 23 years. Her love of cooking and baking came from her mother who was a baker and Austrian cook. Some of her dishes have a German influence.
When the Rose Cottage begins to serve dinner, dishes from Wiener schnitzel to chicken alfredo and breaded pork loin to shrimp penne pasta will be on the menu. Salads, 10-inch house pizzas and homemade desserts also will be available. One dessert is a personal creation from Kuszmaul. Kaiserschmarren is an Austrian dessert for two of fried dough with succulent rum raisins sprinkled with sugar crystals. Dinner prices will range from $8.50 to $24.
“There are so many neighborhoods (in this area),” says Morgan about deciding to open for dinner. “It was a no-brainer. It seemed like the right way to go.”
Rose Cottage & Gardens has hosted many celebrations and events such as showers, parties, weddings and business gatherings. They also provide off-site catering.
Along with celebrations, Rose Cottage & Gardens hosts cooking classes. Some classes in the past have been about learning how to make casseroles, pies and stews. Even a class on cooking a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner has been offered. Recently, the owners helped teach teens how to cook in college. “We’ve met a lot of great people and made new friends,” says Morgan.
