Stam’s Luncheonette: Chestertown’s Community Cornerstone
In the heart of downtown Chestertown, Maryland, there’s a little Luncheonette. Facing a theater built for vaudeville and a clock tower that used to house a Masonic lodge, it serves freshly mixed-to-order sodas, house-made ice cream and the world’s most perfect grilled cheese. This is Stam’s Luncheonette, a community cornerstone for generations.
Given a new lease on life by a generous benefactor who oversaw extensive renovations, the Luncheonette was the brainchild of Brandywine White, a transplanted pastry chef from San Francisco. White moved to Chestertown in 2016 with her husband, Neyah White, a Kent County native. Drawn by the promise of putting down roots, starting a family and hanging their own shingle, the Whites relocated, dreaming of bringing their passion for food and drink to the brick-lined streets of Chestertown.
Stam’s Luncheonette is Brandywine’s realization of that vision. While Neyah slings cocktails and elevated bistro fare down the street at the Retriever, Brandywine has built a castle to confections and classic comfort food in the jewelbox that is Stam’s. “We came to Chestertown to take care of this community,” White says. She gestures to a pink neon sign along one wall, her personal mission statement: “Our Product is Joy.” “We wanted to bring joyful experiences to people.”
Stam’s Luncheonette opened in June 2020 with big shoes to fill. Staying true to the essence of the original 19th century Stam’s Pharmacy, formerly on the site, was important. Long a community “third space” to Chestertown, it was more than just where you went to have prescriptions filled. The soda fountain—originally installed for medicinal purposes—and the lunch counter were a place to celebrate a winning game, to go with a date before prom, to meet up after school with friends, to drown your sorrows in a sundae or a house-made cherry Coke.
White’s stewardship of this tradition is evident in all of the care lavished on the menu, which changes depending on the season or White’s mood. From a “Jumanji’- themed sundae with house-made animal crackers, holiday hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and a peppermint spoon, or special Linzer heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day, White approaches Stam’s with a sense of creative fun. “The special touches were my dream,” White says. “Sometimes, I mull over something when I wake up in the morning and have this wave of inspiration. The day after Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, I woke up and was like, I need to make a warm brownie caramel sundae with ice cream to get people through this day.”
For White, keeping it fun and fresh for her customers, keeping them coming back and sharing the space, is paramount. She’s the first to admit that starting a restaurant in a pandemic hasn’t been easy, but when ice cream cones are flying out the door on a summer afternoon or the afterschool rush hits, it all seems worth it. “A restaurant doesn’t exist without the community to fill it—they bring magical sounds, smells, a feeling,” White says. “All this hard work, this machine of people, it all comes together in this incredible experience for the kids that come in to have ice cream after school, when their moms are catching up, people are dropping in and everyone is connecting.”
Follow Stam’s Luncheonette on their lively and appetite-inducing Instagram account, or on Facebook, and explore their menu or sign up for the Pint Club Program on their website.
Stam's Luncheonette
215 High Street, Chestertown, MD
(410) 885-6722
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