Southern comfort

Slow-cooked barbecue, homemade desserts and a warm, friendly welcome.

It may not be exactly like a visit to grandma’s house, but Vicki Saunders hopes customers who visit her new restaurant at Celebration Square in Downtown Moneta will have a similarly comforting experience. She and husband Steve Saunders want every guest to feel right at home at the Smokehouse Restaurant.

“The plate that I put in front of you when you come to my restaurant is the plate I would put in front of you if you were coming to eat at my house,” said Vicki Saunders. “I learned to cook from my grandmother. It’s not anything fancy, it’s just good home cooking.”

Without a formal culinary education, Saunders doesn’t refer to herself as a chef. Instead, she’s fond of saying she graduated from the “School of Grandma.”

“My green beans cook for about twelve hours, the way my grandmother cooked her green beans. If she cooked it in an iron skillet, I cook it in an iron skillet. People are in such a hurry now; they don’t want to take the time to cook the old-fashioned way. Here, the things that we make, we spend the time to get them that way,” she said.

Until last October, the Saunders’ were living their dream of giving the Smith Mountain Lake public traditional, home-cooked meals from their former restaurant, the Marina Café, which they leased at Mitchell’s Point Marina. When owners sold the marina, the couple thought they might have to give up on being restaurateurs.

“It was a shock because they came in and told us they had sold the marina, and we didn’t even know it was for sale,” Vicki Saunders said. “We weren’t being given an option to stay, so suddenly we were faced with a decision of whether we were going to go somewhere else or whether we were just going to do catering. I cried for three days straight, then we started figuring things out.”

A week later, Downtown Moneta developer George Aznavorian approached the Saunders about taking over space formerly occupied by Bluebird Bakery and Grill. The couple decided to transfer their restaurant expertise, entire staff and catering business (Barnyard Catering) to the new facility. The Smokehouse opened in December, serving the same food – with a few new additions – that was a hit at their former eatery.

“So far, everybody loves the food,” said Vicki Saunders, noting that numerous customers have told her they prefer the new location. “People say they’ll miss us being at Mitchell’s Point, but a lot of people like that it’s a closer drive to where they live. They were coming by boat before, but now they’re coming by car. We got very little road traffic before because of where we were.”

The Smokehouse serves lunch and dinner items, a variety of coffees and teas as well as homemade desserts. There is also a full bar. The owners plan to increase the eatery’s summertime appeal with a patio dining area, live music and weekend breakfast.

Saunders said no matter where they serve food, the goal is always the same.

“We want this to be a place where everyone is friendly to you. It’s not going to be stuffy, and it’s going to be a pleasant experience with good food,” she said. “My main goal is to give you a welcoming, home-cooking experience.”


Want to Go?

Smokehouse Restaurant

Address: 1123 Celebration Ave., Downtown Moneta

Phone: 540.297.4646

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday,
11 a.m.-9 p.m. (later if entertainment is scheduled)


Try This

Smoked Chicken
A half chicken rubbed with signature seasoning and smoked on site served with choice of two sides and bread or hushpuppies for $11.99.

Barbecue Platter
Hand-pulled pork barbeque smoked on site served with choice of two sides and bread or hushpuppies for $10.99.

Cheeseburger
Traditional burger topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and onion, served with waffle-cut sweet potato fries for $8.99.  

Homemade Desserts
A variety, including the Death by Chocolate Cake, are offered for $5.29.