Farm-to-fork eatery to open at La Campagne site

Many Cherry Hill-area food lovers have fond memories of special occasions spent dining in the historic Kresson Road farmhouse that housed La Campagne.

Since that French BYOB closed its doors in 2012, citing leasing issues, La Campagne customers could only sigh over great-meals-gone-by.

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And while the region’s restaurant landscape has weathered rocky economic times better than many, with an uptick in some areas such as Cherry Hill, Collingswood and Moorestown, fine-dining establishments restaurants like La Campagne have long given way to much more casual choices.

So it’s big news, then, that a new restaurant is coming into that 1859 farmhouse, with a fine-dining pedigree and a farm-to-fork sensibility.

Meet Stu Wanicur, a Mount Laurel resident with more than 30 years in the food business, and Rich Cusack, currently sous chef at Parc in Philadelphia.

Wanicur hopes with Cusack in his kitchen, The Farmhouse will become a premier destination for those with a passion for seasonal, local sustainable food.

He promises “sophisticated comfort food with European influences and a very artful presentation.’’

From his first job working at the Silver Palace on Route 70 in Mount Laurel, making pizza, Wanicur has known his passion was restaurants.

In the mid-1980s, he rose before dawn to get to his friend’s dad’s shop on Staten Island to make bagels. He worked as a server at Pasta Bella, an Olive Garden-concept eatery.

His first “real job’’ after school was with Aramark as assistant food service director at the University of Delaware. He’s worked in food sales for Cisco and for Unilever, representing international brands.

Wanicur took a career detour for many years to work for the Tide Water Group, purchasing consultants for long-term care facilities, with meals being the biggest component.

But the dream of owning his own restaurant never waned.

“I love the food business,’’ he says, settled among a new chair delivery in a Farmhouse dining room in the midst of renovations. “It’s not work for me. I just love it.’’

Wanicur, who has two children — Ben and Sadie — now plans to move to Cherry Hill, where he hopes to open The Farmhouse before the holiday season.

“I’ve been thinking about this for years, at least 15 years,’’ he says, as he offers a tour of the restaurant, with its intimate dining rooms, fireplaces and country charm.

The restaurant has good bones, and plenty of space outside for a small farm plot, as well as open-air dining.

While family members — especially his parents, Elaine and Ed Levy of Cherry Hill — and other investors are offering support, it's Wanicur who's running the show, and choosing the chef.

Chef Cusack has been at Stephen Starr’s Parc for about a year and a half.

Before that, the Northeast Philly native, who now makes his home in Bellmawr, was chef du cuisine under Chef Pierre Calmels at Le Cheri at Le Cheri (formerly at Le Bec Fin) in Philadelphia. Earlier in his career, he worked with Calmels at his Bibou, and gained much of his training from luminary chefs Jean-Francois Bruel and Eddy Leroux at NYC's Daniel, considered one of the finest restaurants in the world.

"That was a French brigade kitchen where the kitchen is built on military structure,'' Cusack recalls. "That was very intense and fast-paced.''

Cusack heard about The Farmhouse concept from his wife, Christina Cusack, whose coworker knew Wanicur was seeking a chef. Cusack prepared a tasting for Wanicur, and won his respect.

Asked if his wife is in the restaurant business too, Cusack chuckles. “We just got married. No, but she acts like she is. She is really good. She’s kind of like my adviser.’’

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Cusack is working on his ideas for the seasonal menu for The Farmhouse, which will also have some initial input from a consultant chef, David Murray of Spigola Ristorante Vino e Cucina in Hamilton Township.

“It’s exciting,’’ says Cusack, and I can’t wait for the kitchen to open up. I have a million items on the menu, so we need to decide what to put there first.’’

The menu will change with the seasons, drawing on the best output from the region’s farm partners. Daily specials will showcase special farm-visit finds.

Asked what inspires him about cooking in late fall and winter, Cusack says “game ingredients, like venison, as well as pumpkin. And red curry squash is my favorite thing in wintertime.’’

He says he knows he and Wanicur can work well together, and he looks forward to “forming a relationship with regular customers. I‘d like to see them come back.’’

As for Wanicur, he’s in for the long haul. He’s bought the building, and is considering hiring a gardening expert to plant the 600-square-foot Farmhouse mini-farm for him.

He has great respect for the building and its past reputation. With that in mind, he is working with Jaqueline Interiors Ltd., of Cherry Hill, aiming for a mix of old and modern elements and one working fireplace.

The outdoor space will feature a new tent with retractable walls for al fresco dining and private affairs.

The kitchen will be entirely redone, and all hardwood floors are being refurbished. A new enclosed vestibule will greet guests.

“This place has so much character and history to it. We just loved it.’’

He is already forging relationships with farmers who will provide The Farmhouse with everything from vegetables and herbs to cattle and pigs and chickens.

“We’ll buy local whenever possible,’’ he vows.

Most ingredients will be from scratch, with The Farmhouse making everything from bacon to ice cream.

As for price points, Wanicur says to expect lunch to range from $12 to $22, while dinners will come in at between $18 and $48.

The hours are still being discussed, but expect lunch and dinner during the week, brunch and dinner on weekends, with chef’s dinners offered on Sundays featuring a special menu.

The BYOB will offer wine by the bottle in a special partnership with Coda Rossa Winery of Franklinville.

The goal to open is early December, and it’s easy to envision that fireplace crackling with the smell of harvest vegetables and game in the air.

And no sense of loss driving by that building on Kresson Road.

“To have guests become like family and friends, that’s my goal.’’

Tammy Paolino: (856) 486-2477; tpaolino@gannettnj.com

For more information

The Farmhouse, 312 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, is scheduled to open in December. A website is under construction.