GingerStone Gastro-House is a brand new restaurant that combines the traditional English "gastro-pub" concept with an eclectic American flair. Focusing on hyper-local ingredients and from-scratch, farm-to-fork cooking, all housed in a relaxed, casual atmosphere, GingerStone is bringing a new class of dining experience to Oveido, Florida.

Recently, the National Restaurant Association published a list detailing “what’s hot” in the U.S. culinary scene today. Crowding at the top of the list are:

Locally sourced meats and seafood

Locally grown produce

Environmental sustainability

Hyper-local sourcing

This list goes way beyond flash-in-the-pan, here-today-gone-tomorrow fads in the restaurant industry: it points to a deep, permanent shift in what Americans are looking for in a dining experience.

But if you’re looking around Oviedo for a place to eat out tonight that fits the bill, be warned: you’re going to come up empty-handed.

If you want grease, Oviedo’s got it. If you want high fat content, Oviedo’s got you covered. But when it comes to high-quality, healthy, locally-sourced dining options, the Oviedo restaurant scene is a little behind the times, and that’s putting it lightly. 

At GingerStone, we're breaking the grease-and-fat, quantity-over-quality mold and bringing the 21st century dining experience to Oviedo in a big way, with: 

Hyper-local ingredients

From-scratch cooking 

Farm-to-fork style healthy food 

A relaxed, casual dining atmosphere 

Our menu is a perfect blend of high-end English-style pub cuisine and ecclectic American fare, guaranteed to hit the spot for a wide array of tastes and appetites. 

Salads

Tapas

Boards

Hand-stretched flatbreads

Sandwiches

175 craft beers, 25 draughts, 50 wine labels and a full bar

GingerStone will be housed in a spacious, 4,300 square-foot space with ample room for indoor and outdoor seating, including a lounge area, patio, main dining room, private dining room and full-service bars, providing diners with an enjoyable, comfortable, casual dining experience. 

GingerStone is excited to be opening its doors at the newly rennovated Oviedo Mall. 

The mall is a major hub of social and commercial activity in the Oviedo area, home to a variety of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. Located at the enterance of Regal Cinema's #8 highest procucing theaters. In addition, it is located less than five miles from the University of Central Florida, boasting the largest enrollment in the united states, home to more 65,000 students. The Oviedo area holds the honor of being Florida's second largest growing community with an average median household income of $ 85,000 per year. Finally, the surrounding area is home to some of the most discerning, quality-oriented diners.

All of these factors make the Oviedo Mall the ideal location for a bold new local restaurant like GingerStone, and we're thrilled to bring our unique dining experience to the Oviedo Mall lineup! 

The GingerStone team knows what it takes to launch a successful restaurant in today’s marketplace.

Taken together, the team has over 40 years of experience in restaurant operations and consulting, including marketing, strategic and operations management, turnaround services and grand opening planning for the most discriminating and high-profile clients:

The GingerStone team's extensive network of friends and contacts within the restaurant industry serves as further proof that they have what it takes to bring a world-class dining experience to Oviedo. 

Michael Ward — Owner, Operator, General Manager 
Michael Ward will be the Operations Manager in charge of all day to day operations at the new GingerStone Gastro House, responsible for the overall strategic management as well as execution.

Michael is a dedicated, decisive, and entrepreneurial professional with proven skills and accomplishments in establishing new restaurants and concepts from the ground up and keeping them running successfully while remaining in charge of the day to day operations. He has developed and implemented training programs for the pre-opening teams; and institutes ongoing training for all employees, ensuring compliance with policies, procedures, and safety regulations. Additionally he is a motivational leader who is not afraid to “roll up his sleeves” and multitask in a fast-paced, time sensitive environment.

For the past year and half, Michael has worked as an independent food and beverage consultant. He has worked on such projects as Chef Lourant Tourandel’s LT Burger in Bryant Park in NY, Chef Alex Garcia’s - A.G. Kitchen NY, Alain DuCasse’s Benoit in NY, TAPS Restaurant & Bar in Naples, Hue Restaurant in Gramercy Park, NY

Michael’s corporate experience extends over more than 20 years. Starting as a bus boy at the age of fifteen then moving onto serving, bartending and managing all throughout college. Directly after graduating and early in his career he worked for the Hilton Hotel Corporation, serving as the General Manager of several different restaurants in both the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City and The Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL. Following that, he made a move to a job with Ian Schrager Hotels (now owned and operating as The Morgan’s Hotel Group) and China Grill Management, where he was the National Director of Food & Beverage Operations, in charge of openings. He spent time working for ClubCorp, America’s premier Private City and Country Club Management Company. There he served as General Manager, then as the Midwest Regional Director of Operations. 

Bruce Granet — Owner, Operator, Office Manager
As an operating partner, Bruce Granet brings years of Food and Beverage experience to the table. Bruce started off in the dish room of a Farrell’s Ice Cream parlor at 14 and has been in the industry ever since. Waiting tables and bartending his way through college Bruce found himself moving into management as his career progressed. Bruce was one of the opening managers for Penrod’s at Hamlin’s Landing as well as Mangrove Millie’s, Tarpon Springs. Early on as Assistant Beverage Manager for Westin Hotels and Resorts he was promoted to Beverage and Fine Dining Restaurant Manager. Bruce was recruited by Renaissance Hotels to be the opening Director of Beverage Operations for newly renovated and historic Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL. Bruce continued his move upward as Director of Restaurants for Renaissance Hotels and Resorts and Director of Outdoor Food and Beverage Operations at the famous Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. Presently as a Senior Event Manager for JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts, Bruce has added certifications as CMP and is a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers as a Second Level Certified Sommelier. 

Ceri Dowson — Managing Partner and General Manager
London, England native Ceri Dawson began her career in the hospitality industry working as a server supporting herself while performing on the New York theater stage. Ceri landed numerous rolls as a singer on Broadway as well as an accomplished ballet dancer. Ceri's path changed course in 1992 when she joined Spirit cruise Lines as a lead performer and show director on board cruise ships. In 2001 Ceri returned to New York City to a Restaurant Manager position with Heartland Brewery. Ceri successfully managed a 170 seat high volume restaurant as front of the General Manager supporting 140 staff, bar supervision and inventory management, marketing and sales. Finding great success in sales, Ceri moved into the Director of Special Events and Private Parties. Ceri planned, organized and introduce group events for seven locations throughout Manhattan. Administered scheduling and booking; conducted follow up with all clients. Created and designed dining menus for all budgets. Planned and developed custom design and theme for events. Presently, Ceri is the Director of Events for the New York Parks and Wild Life Conservancy, overseeing the planning and production of events in all the major parks and zoos for all 5 boroughs of New York. These include Central Park, Prospect Park and the Bronx Zoo. Ceri brings all of this experience to GingerStone Gastro-House and will help lead the restaurant to a very successful future.