Encore: Music for Your Mouth Reopens Bigger, Bolder and Brewing

Four years to the day after opening its doors, Music for Your Mouth in Mayville has a lot to celebrate. The farm-to-table restaurant recently completed a full dining room renovation and has expanded its footprint with not one but two new ventures tied to Stedman Coffee Roasters, which the owners also recently acquired.

Karen Simmons co-owns Music for Your Mouth with her husband, Al Simmons, an Army veteran who served for 10 years. Together, they have built what Karen describes as more than a meal.

“It’s a dining experience,” she said. “It’s everything from the second you walk in the door.”

The restaurant’s slogan captures that philosophy well: “a dining experience to make your taste buds sing.”

The renovation, completed just before the anniversary reopening on May 14, transformed the dining room from the ground up. The ceiling has been lifted all the way to the rafters and painted black, lending the space a modern, elegant feel.

“Very modern,” Karen said. “Very elegant, upscale. Now our ambiance matches the quality of the dinner plate.”

Guests can expect delicious meals and the same chef they have come to know. The kitchen remains a true “from scratch operation.”

“We source all of our stuff. Everything’s brought into house raw, and we make everything from scratch,” Karen said. “Sauces, dressings. We cook all of our own meat. We don’t buy anything already cooked. We do it all in-house.”

The menu features certified grass-fed Angus beef and locally sourced ingredients throughout. Among Karen’s personal favorites are the chicken power bowl at lunch and the bang bang salmon at dinner.

The restaurant’s culinary talent comes with an impressive resume. Executive Chef Erik Alicea previously served as chef for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his arrival at Music for Your Mouth came about through a connection that Karen calls nothing short of serendipitous.

A fellow musician from Karen’s time playing first violin in the Warren Philharmonic suggested the chef’s name before the restaurant ever opened. Years later, when the time came to bring on a professional chef, Al discovered that Erik was the brother of the late father of his childhood best friend’s stepchildren. The family connection had been there all along, hiding in plain sight.

“You can’t make that up,” Karen said. “The connection is so uncanny.”

With the renovation and expansion comes an updated schedule. Music for Your Mouth is now open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday also brings a brunch service with made-to-order offerings that are sure to please any palate.

Another change to the scenery is the new Stedman Cafe, which operates inside the restaurant Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can enjoy locally roasted coffee and a full pastry case.

The Simmons recently purchased Stedman Coffee Roasters and, along with the cafe inside Music for Your Mouth, have also taken over the Stedman location in Lakewood. That spot is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is closed on Sundays.

Stedman roasts its beans in small batches, sourcing them globally. The brand supplies coffee to local restaurants, stores in the Erie area and is working to return to Wegmans shelves. The company also has active collaborations with area businesses. Southern Tier is using Stedman coffee in an espresso martini mix and a beer, and Wicked Warren’s has a custom “Wicked Blend.”

Plans are also underway to install a roaster in Mayville, which would allow roasting to take place at both the Mayville and Lakewood locations and increase overall production capacity. Music for Your Mouth has its own house blend, the “Music for Your Mouth” blend, available at the cafe.

As the region marks Memorial Day, the Simmons family’s appreciation for military service is woven into how they run their business. Al’s decade of service in the U.S. Army shapes the way they approach their everyday operations. Music for Your Mouth offers a 10 percent discount to military members, veterans and service workers every day of the year, not just on holidays.

“We’re able to do what we do because of others have been so selfless and sacrificed so much for our freedoms,” Karen said. “The 10 percent discount for veterans and military and service workers is nothing, but it’s just a small token of our everyday appreciation.”

For Karen, Memorial Day carries a simple and sincere meaning: “It’s just a time to remember and be grateful.”

The Simmons came to Mayville from Pennsylvania, where Karen had run a music school and long dreamed of a coffee shop venture. When they arrived in Chautauqua County, she saw a community she recognized.

“Mayville was very reminiscent of where I raised my children in Pennsylvania,” she recalled. “County seat, jail, courthouse, Victorian homes.”

What began as a coffee-and-dessert concept grew into a full-service scratch kitchen restaurant after local demand pushed them in that direction. Karen says she believes in the value of keeping things local and encouraging people to support their neighbors.

“With a world of everything being online, it is just nice to support hardworking local business people that want to keep revenue and things thriving in the small communities,” she said.

The restaurant draws visitors from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, some of whom make the trip out in the off-season specifically for the food. For anyone who has not yet made the drive to Mayville, Karen has a simple message: it is worth it.

Music for Your Mouth is located in Mayville, N.Y. For more information on hours and offerings, visit musicforyourmouth.com or stedmancoffee.com.