About Moonstones
Scott Plath – Stones Hospitality Group, Founder
Scott Plath along with his wife Kathy own Moonstones, their second of three regionally successful restaurant ventures, the first being Cobblestones of Lowell, and now the “baby” being Stones Social in Nashua, NH.
In addition, Scott extols his passion for fine food, and all things hospitality, as he writes a humorous “restaurant insider” blog, and a regular column for Merrimack Valley Magazine entitled “A view from the kitchen”.
Early Years
Beginning at age 13, Scott was “lucky” enough as a paper boy to merge opportunity with preparedness when a local restaurant on his route offered him a job. He quickly fell in love with the restaurant business as a dishwasher in New York, working his way from the kitchen to the front of the house, next as a busboy, then as server, and personal favorite, bartender, all the while intent on achieving ownership by the age of thirty.
Education and Partnership
Scott’s vision led him to the UMass Amherst—where he met his future wife Kathy, who remains decades later his greatest stroke of luck! At UMASS, Scott majored in restaurant management. His senior final project, in both high school and college, was to create a foodservice concept and it was no coincidence that he ended up with “The International”, a globally themed restaurant featuring favorite dishes from a variety of cultures—inspiration that ultimately led to moonstones.
Heritage
The inspiration then, as now, was initiated by years of exposure to an ethnically diverse and deep culinary foundation while growing up in New York. In 1993, Scott decided he was all done working for others and committed to take the leap into ownership. His 1st restaurant, COBBLESTONES, opened on June 6, 1994 and immediately began its rise to the top of the Merrimack Valley restaurant scene, where it has since solidified its status as a consistent, and respected culinary and community leader for nearly three decades later and counting.
Entrepreneurial Expansion
While COBBLESTONES maintained its reputation of excellence, Scott and Kathy never stopped looking for the right opportunity to open a second restaurant. Through continued “research and development” in Boston, NYC, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, Paris, and Prague the concept of moonstones was born. Many hours of heated debate and sampling with a team of chefs at COBBLESTONES finally forged a collaborative menu, while Scott’s father-in-law supervised the demolition of the “Old” Ground Round in Chelmsford.
Scott, Kathy, and daughters Aislyn, Tara, and Kelli are thrilled at moonstones success as they just celebrated their 14th anniversary, providing the local community a progressive, quality and dynamic “urban dining experience.” Years later, further collaborating and creating has led the family to launching the Plath’s 3rd restaurant concept just over the border in Nashua, NH, Stones Social. Billed as “Deliciously quick and a bit more hip,” their newest venture was inspired by the younger demographic of the Plath daughters in mind—a smaller and more casual environment than the first two “Stones,” a place for the community to gather and relax without complexity or pretension, “your new, old haunt.”
