From the island to the heartland: GC native Stoner launches Center Street Cafe in Union

It’s been a long, strange trip for Jamie Stoner. These days, he’s back in Iowa not far from where it all started, but this time, there’s a twist: he brought a big piece of Hawaii home with him.
           
Stoner, a Grundy Center native and 1991 GCHS graduate who spent six years on “the big island” of Hawai’i and became the general manager of a television station there before returning in March, recently opened the Center Street Café at the former site of the Union Supper Club, and if the early reviews are any indication, he’s got a bright future ahead of him in the restaurant business.
           
This area has always been known for its famous out of the way eateries—That Place, the Morris Inn, the Haverhill Social Club, Rube’s and the Skyway/Jack and Arnie’s, to name a few—and Stoner hopes to add Center Street to that illustrious list with a mix of Midwestern meat and potatoes favorites, seafood delicacies like shrimp, lobster and crab legs, breakfast and a variety of coffees and dairy products.
           
“We want to do something different, so that’s why we do the lobster and the crab legs. We’re going to do a lot more specials, and we’re going to get into doing a theme night,” he said. “I wanted kind of a Cracker Barrel feel when you walk into the front door.”
           
And there’s a firm emphasis on homemade, fresh and locally sourced products: the dairy comes from Hansen’s (based in Hudson), the meat supplier is a hop and a skip away and the lobster is grilled in a break from the traditional steaming.
           
But it could easily have never happened. Stoner was close to taking over a seasonal restaurant in Clear Lake when he made an offer for this property in the Hardin County community of about 400 people, and it was instantly accepted.
           
“This is closer to home for me, and I know a lot of the teachers at BCLUW,” he said.
           
So far, the biggest hit is the aptly named Tar Heel Burger, slathered on a homemade bun with sautéed mushrooms, onions, green peppers and Thousand Island dressing, and more traditional meats like ribs, chicken and steak have also proven popular. For a restaurant that opened in late August, the word of mouth feedback has already been great. 
 
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