We are committed to providing the best dishes made from scratch. We strive for each dish to leave you with that feeling you get after eating your favorite home-cooked dish made by grandma.
Redstone Restaurant Group currently consists of 3 distinct and independent restaurants based in the Greater Hartford, CT / Springfield, MA region. They include Golden Irene Restaurant in East Windsor, CT; Redstone Pasta Company in East Longmeadow, MA currently under construction; and Redstone on Wheels, our mobile wood-fired oven and catering company.
Redstone Restaurant Group owner, George Akkouris, was born in Hartford, CT and grew up in Suffield, CT. After graduating from local schools, he attended Central Connecticut State University from which he graduated with a four-year degree in Molecular-Cell Physiology. During high school and college, he worked at his family’s restaurant, Golden Irene Restaurant, as a server, dishwasher, and cook.
George planned on continuing his schooling as a medical doctor when both of his parents fell ill and could no longer run Golden Irene’s. During this time, he worked at Hartford Hospital as a Patient Care Assistant and Physician Assistant Administrator. It was either remain in school and close Golden Irene’s or change career paths and bring Golden Irene’s back to its glory days. He chose to change career paths and started managing the family restaurant.
Spending the majority of his life in the restaurant business, George knew he was knowledgeable and resourceful enough to make the business a success. Over the next decade, he fully renovated the bar and dining room areas. In addition, a new patio area was attached to the restaurant nearly doubling the seating capacity of the dining room area. Through these and many other changes the restaurant has truly returned to its grandeur.
George studied over 80 hours a week for more than 3 years to master the art of being a chef. He learned the classic principles of cooking techniques and flavor combinations. This new knowledge changed the way he thought about food and enabled him to bring the outdated offerings into the now and attract newer customers while retaining his original customer base.
The more successful Golden Irene’s grew the more the idea of expanding came to life for George and his family. When the opportunity presented itself to open a second location, it was a no-brainer and so came to life Redstone Pasta Company. While under construction, the management team grew to ensure a seamless transition from a single location to multiple locations.
We wanted to test out our dough recipe since Redstone Pasta Company uses wood-fired ovens, something Golden Irene’s never operated. We traveled to Maine to cook in the same ovens that would later be installed at Redstone Pasta Company. For our first experiment, the results left something to be desired. We needed to find a way to refine our recipes before opening Redstone Pasta Company.
The idea for Redstone On Wheels emerged as a portable oven would allow our team to perfect our recipes and practice technique. As construction continued to delay our opening at Redstone Pasta Company, use of our trailer-hitched oven shifted towards recreational pizza-making. Demand for our hand-stretched, wood-fired pizza increased as our opening date grew later. With no brick and mortar establishment, it seemed only logical to put our mobile oven to work.
Redstone Restaurant Group knows that without our surrounding communities, we would not be the successful organization that we are which is why we like to give back whenever possible. Whether it’s sponsoring a fundraising event, gift card donations, or prepared meals, Redstone Restaurant Group will continue to support the community and strive to make a lasting impact on the lives of many.
The Redstone Restaurant Group has matured into an organization which concentrates its efforts on providing unbeatable customer service, unpretentious dishes, and a welcoming atmosphere. George Akkouris and the management team remain committed to providing quality meals, service, atmosphere, and memorable experiences.