Owners' dream becomes a reality

The new owners transformed a landmark tavern into a fine-dining lakeside restaurant.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Six years ago, The Fifth Season was an imaginary restaurant Steve James dreamed up as part of his culinary studies at The Winner Institute of Arts & amp; Sciences in Transfer, Pa.
Now it's reality.
James, 27, has renovated the former Seven Mile Inn at 7098 Mahoning Ave. here, converting the landmark tavern into a casual fine-dining restaurant overlooking the pristine woodlands of Meander Reservoir.
The owner said he and Lisa James, his wife and business partner, spent close to $500,000 to give the old building a new look inside and out.
Renovations included the addition of a two-story entryway, a deck for outside dining, and extensive grading to accommodate more parking.
James likes the location because it's away from the bustling, commercial strips of Boardman and Niles, less than 100 feet from the waters of Meander.
So far, manager Bryan Sahli said, customers seem to agree -- reservations have been coming in steadily, and the eatery has been packed on weekends since it opened Nov. 12.
"The location sells itself," Sahli said. "It's a place where you feel like you're getting away without having to go away."
The menu
For James, who also serves as head chef, it's a great opportunity to practice his cooking skills.
He created the menu himself, using many of his own recipes. One specialty is the Fifth Seasons Tower, a beef filet topped with crab cakes and Bearnaise sauce. Other popular dishes, so far, include parmesan-romano breast of chicken with spinach Alfredo and potato-crusted halibut.
Prices range from $6 for sandwiches to $65 for some lobster and seafood combinations. The restaurant is serving dinner only, opening at 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
The restaurant employs 35 full- and part-time workers. Besides Sahli, who has worked with James closely since he made the decision to start a restaurant in January, other key employees include chef Doug Matthews and sous-chef Pat Marshall.
Getting personal
James graduated from Jackson Milton High School in 1993 and went to work with his father, Ron James, at a mobile home finance business in Alliance. He and his wife now live in Mineral Ridge.
Cooking was always a hobby for him, but in 1998 James decided to make it a career. He earned a culinary diploma at the Winner Institute and is three classes away from completing an associate degree in hospitality management at Youngstown State University.
James found work as a chef at several area restaurants, but he always hoped to own his own business.
He was intrigued when a real estate company began advertising the Seven Mile Inn for sale, James said, but he put aside the idea of buying the property after learning that a large restaurant chain was interested.
When that deal fell through he still hesitated, worried that whatever had caused the chain to withdraw might be a problem for him, too.
"I was leery at first, but I did some more research and decided to pursue it," he said.
His father-in-law Karl Gancarz designed the interior, incorporating the house behind the old tavern where the former property owners lived. AM Design Group of Austintown was the architect.
James said he and Sahli did much of the demolition and helped out on the construction as well. "In some cases we were the only crew," he said.
Well-received
Customers have been enthusiastic about having a new fine-dining destination.
"The demographics are so great. Austintown has more than 40,000 people and all these new housing developments going up, and those people are spending their money in other communities. Why not keep the money here?" James said. "The feedback we're getting is that Austintown needs more restaurants to keep people in town."
vinarsky@vindy.com