The new owner of Aiken’s Tiffany’s at the Stables restaurant has been a stay-at-home mom and a cosmetologist, but Tiffany Burris Smith always gravitated back to her years of experience in managing bars in Augusta and working in the restaurant and catering business with What’s Cookin’ Downtown in Aiken.
“I’ve cooked, bussed tables, and worked 19-hour days. I decided if I was going to work that hard, I wanted to open a place for myself,” Smith said.
When the opportunity arose, she was able to fulfill her dream of owning a restaurant in a location that is part of Aiken’s history.
“When I walked across the bridge at Rose Hill to the stables, I knew it was perfect,” she said. “That was in August and 18 days later on September 2, my dream became a reality when Tiffany’s at the Stables restaurant opened our doors.”
Smith’s fast pace is a far cry from the slower lifestyle of 1898 when Rose Hill was developed by Colonel and Mrs. Sheffield Phelps as a winter home. Like many other Northeastern families, the temperate climate and Aiken itself caught their attention. The grounds, which cover an entire city block, included stables. In 2009, after extensive renovation, a restaurant was opened at the stables.
Now, Smith is keeping the historic name and southern hospitality alive with a modern twist. The venue itself is flourishing with music, a patio with a canopy featuring thousands of twinkling lights mimicking dining and drinking under the stars, a fire pit, and food from a chef with international experience.
“Our Chef, Samuel Fuentes Rosario, has established dishes that have already become customer favorites including Braised Short Ribs, Prosciutto Wrapped Filet, and Seafood Pasta,” Smith said. “We are fortunate that he helps makes this the experience I envisioned.”
For Smith, a longtime friend and business partner, Bennie Efird, and all of their staff, the “experience” is what is important.
“There are people that have lived in Aiken for years and didn’t know the stables existed, let alone that there is a restaurant here,” Smith said.
The horse is out of the barn, so to speak. Bookings are coming in for Christmas dinners from area businesses and a few other events are booked through March of next year.
The next steps for Smith and her team involve how best to utilize the stable space, which includes three private dining rooms downstairs. In the meantime, they’re introducing more options for “the experience.”
On November 7, the current schedule of Thursday to Sunday expands to include dinner on Mondays from 5 to 9:00 p.m. The following Saturday, November 12, Tiffany’s at the Stables will introduce a lunch menu from 1 to 4:00 p.m.
Halloween is coming up and this Saturday if you visit in costume, you get 10 percent off, no trick, just a treat. You can also sample their signature Green Goblin drink.
For more information on Tiffany’s at the Stables, visit their website or Facebook.
Editor’s Note:
Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia as Augusta’s Brad Means!
If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
