After the publication deadline for this story, the owners of the State Eatery informed Tompkins Weekly that they now plan to close the restaurant on Oct. 31 instead of Nov. 25.
After two years on state Route 13 in the town of Newfield, the bakery and barbecue restaurant State Eatery plans to close this fall.
Kal Awad and Sam Walker have managed the business at 1346 Elmira Rd. since October 2024. The State Eatery is known for its homemade breakfast sandwiches, pastries and Texas-style barbecue, including brisket, pulled pork, chicken and sausage. The couple opened the restaurant in Seneca County in the summer of 2020.
In an interview with Tompkins Weekly, Awad said that the business has struggled to stay afloat in recent months due to rising food costs, which have forced them to raise their prices. Awad said that he’s had to raise the price of most menu items by more than 25% over the past year, including doubling the price of beef and croissants, two of the restaurant’s most popular offerings. He noted that beef sales have dropped by about 70% since the start of last year.
“The up and down nature of the prices left us scrambling, rewriting menus, doubling the cost, then dropping the cost, then doubling them again. It was exhausting,” Awad said. “I saw that we were cooking more with our wallets than with our souls.”
The owners said that the State Eatery will close on Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving.
COVID success to a Newfield address
The couple met while working at a bakery in Baltimore, where Awad was a culinary director and Walker was a pastry chef. After moving to the small Seneca County hamlet of Canoga in 2019, they embarked on their first business venture: converting their garage into a bakery and barbecue joint.
The establishment, which opened under the name State Bakery & Smokehouse, was originally intended to provide wholesaled baked goods to restaurants and wineries. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made the couple shift course to handle only takeout orders, which proved to be a recipe for success.
“If you were locked up all day during the pandemic and someone said that you can go down to a garage and get barbecue, it was like heaven,” Awad said, noting that about 40% of their customers at the time were from Ithaca.
When the business eventually outgrew its Canoga home, the couple purchased the Newfield property, which had space for a dining room, a bar and new equipment, including two large smokers outside. The building was previously occupied by the popular family-owned restaurant Stella’s Barn for nearly two decades before the event venue Louella’s Space bought the property in 2020.
Newfield resident JT Tompkins said in an interview that he’s been a State Eatery fan since the restaurant opened in Canoga. He said that he’s enjoyed bringing family and friends to the business over the years, including taking his son to watch televised soccer games at its Newfield location.
“I just fell in love with the place from the get-go, especially their baked goods and brisket,” Tompkins said. “Then when I finally saw they were coming to Newfield, I was super excited and had bright hopes for its future.”
The State Eatery became popular for its wide food selection, including brunch items such as chicken and waffles, yogurt parfaits and brisket breakfast sandwiches. Walker also gained recognition for her homemade pastries, which range from almond cookies to chocolate caramel tarts to strawberry cream cheese croissants. Other offerings include mac and cheese and smoked beet salad, as well as smoked turkey and pies around Thanksgiving time.
Dining and Cooking