New Owner Transforms A Catering Business Into A Full-Fledged Restaurant

By Kaaren Valenta

Rudy Sorrentino took over the space that used to be the Bountiful Board catering in the Mt Laurel Plaza at 68 Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel last spring and has turned it into a gourmet restaurant that also offers an extensive catering menu and complete meals to go.

Rudy’s Gourmet is open six days a week from 7:30 am and soon may also offer a Sunday brunch. On Wednesday through Saturday there is light fare dinner menu and a martini bar from 6 pm to 10 pm, as well as a revolving regular menu. There is a complementary happy hour buffet on Friday from 5 to 7 pm. The restaurant closes at 6:30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Mr Sorrentino, who lives in Brookfield, was an accountant for 20 years but always had a dream of opening a restaurant. He finally decided that if he was ever going to do it, now was time to pursue his life’s dream.

“This place used to be the Bountiful Board, and when I understood that [owner Anne Trister] wouldn’t be at this location anymore, I hired most of her staff,” Mr Sorrentino said. “I have chefs that are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America and other talented staff members.”

His first task, however, was to undertake a complete renovation of the facility to create a new kitchen and a separate dining room.

“I changed the concept, too,” he said. “I wanted to take it to the next level and do a full-service restaurant while maintaining the catering and take-home food.”

The kitchen features an open design so customers can watch the food preparation. Through the arch is a separate dining room, or diners can opt to sit outside on the café patio.

“This is really a café environment — an adult hangout,” Mr Sorrentino said. “The streets are empty here after 8:30 at night. This is a place to come before a movie, after a movie, to have a drink, an espresso, a dessert.”

Rudy’s Gourmet brews Starbucks Coffee and makes its own desserts. Linda Pelletier is the baker, among her many jobs; Sharon DiBuono is the wedding planning coordinator; Paul Taylor prepares the lunches and does the ordering and planning; CIA chef Susan Hannigan oversees the catering. There is a regular staff of eight, plus a complete wait and bar staff for catering. Two staff members previously worked at Kabuki, and have brought dishes that blend in a Far Eastern flair.

The restaurant features a breakfast menu but most customers seem to prefer to pick up something to take with them on their way to work. Lunches include a large selection of specialty sandwiches and wraps ($5.25–$6.95); soups and salads ($2.95–$6.95), pasta, and entrees like Rudy’s Chicken, thin slices of boneless chicken breast topped with roasted red peppers and sautéed onions, served over wild rice ($7.95).

The light dinner menu might include appetizers such as Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes ($12); a cheese and fruit platter ($10); a portabello Napoleon layered with roasted peppers, basil, chevre cheese, and caramelized onion ($8); the quiche of the day ($7); a Mid-Eastern sampler ($10); Cobb salad; and classic French dip with roasted potatoes ($8).

One recent week the soups included roasted eggplant parmesan, Cuban black bean with ham, traditional French onion soup gratin, and gazpacho. Entrees, ($13–$17) featured pan seared tenderloin with bourbon sauce served with roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach with garlic; salmon in a sun-dried tomato crust with sautéed spinach and capriccio-style potatoes finished with a roasted red pepper sauce; chicken Marsala; Polynesian Chicken with pineapple and jalapeno mint relish; and seafood crepes with a fresh squash medley.

There are desserts like apple and pear strudel with caramel walnut sauce or strawberry and rocky road ice cream cake ($5). Finish with fresh brewed tea or coffee, including espresso, lattes, and cappuccino. “We brew our own iced coffee and iced tea,” Mr Sorrentino said. “Our entire night menu is portable.”

Soft background music plays in the restaurant but the facility is licensed for live music and Rudy Sorrentino said he is considering hosting singles nights.

There is also an extensive catering menu with hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, entrees, salads, side dishes, breads, and desserts.

“We do a lot of corporate events, cocktail parties, and weddings,” Mr Sorrentino said. “”We even catered for a fulltime chef who teaches at the culinary institute. Sharon [DiBuono] works with the client every step of the way to make sure the event runs smoothly no matter how many calls it takes. She will even take a call at 10 o’clock at night at her home.”

“Our staff works very well together,” he said. “We try to create a synergy. We have been very well received and are very optimistic about our future.”

For more information, call Rudy’s Gourmet at 743-4442.