Donato, Gonzales say goodbye to The Buttery

There is a changing of the guard in Lewes. After 23 years, John Donato and Twain Gonzales have sold their iconic restaurant The Buttery. The Gates family, owners of The Gate House on Market Street, have taken over day-to-day operations.

“The Gates family seemed like the right people at the right time,” Donato said. “They’re rich with culinary skills – two or three chefs in their family – and they have the resources to pump money back into that building.”

The Gates opened their Market Street restaurant in spring 2014. At the time, matriarch Gretchen said she and her husband Chip had recently made the move to Lewes and had been looking to open a unique bistro-style restaurant. They brought in their sons Wilson and Taylor – both Culinary Institute of America grads – to help get the restaurant off the ground.

The Buttery sits on the corner of Savannah Road and Second Street in the old Trader Mansion, which Donato and Gonzales restored in the ‘90s.

The duo moved to Delaware from Pennsylvania, trading their corporate lives for a life on the farm in Georgetown.

“We quickly learned we weren't farmers,” Donato said.

Donato had extensive experience opening restaurants for investors along the East Coast, so they began searching Lewes and Rehoboth for the right location to open a restaurant. They felt Lewes was the right fit.

“We just thought there was a thirst for something really good,” said Donato, noting there were only two or three other restaurants in downtown Lewes when they opened in the spring of 1994 in the former New Devon Inn at the corner of Second and Market streets.

The Buttery expanded rapidly, doubling the space in two years. Donato and Gonzales knew they needed a bigger space, so they purchased the Trader Mansion.

“It looked like the Addams Family set,” Donato said. “We basically did three consecutive renovations to bring it up to what it is now. It needed so much. It was a labor of love.

“The town loved us for doing it,” he continued. “That corner was an eyesore; that building was just derelict.”

In the ensuing two decades, The Buttery set the standard in Lewes. Donato said he likes to think they brought a consciousness of cuisine to the area, a place where if a customer is paying $30 for an entrée, they get the service to go with it. And the area embraced them, he said.

“We've known people from birth all the way though christenings, sweet 16s and marriages,” he said.

It was a very difficult decision to sell the restaurant, he said, but the time was right. Donato and Gonzales both work for Delaware Tech, Gonzales as a career services counselor and Donato as a teacher in the culinary program.

“It was very difficult to make the decision to sell the restaurant,” Donato said. “It is my identity. I couldn't sell to just anybody.”

He said the Gates family shares his vision and will continue to operate the restaurant in a similar way, although changes are inevitable, he said.

“This sale seemed like a win-win-win,” he said. “It's good for the buyers and sellers, good for the town and good for the employees who are like family to me.”

The Buttery is open for lunch and dinner daily. Brunch is served every Sunday. For more information about the restaurant, go to www.butteryrestaurant.com.