Lynda Stone, left, and daughter Kristi Stone Elzinga in the Puffy Muffin, which is celebrating its 25th year Friday.

Brentwood's Puffy Muffin celebrates 25 years
By KERRI BARTLETT
For Brentwood Home Page
Upon stepping into the Puffy Muffin restaurant,  the smell of homemade baked rolls, cakes and cookies permeates the air. There’s also an air of excellence. Although food is important; the Puffy Muffin is more than just a restaurant. The restaurant’s success over the past 25 years is a reflection of founder and CEO Lynda Stone’s dedication to ethics and excellence in the workplace and life.

The local comfort-food favorite will host a party for the public in celebration of its Silver Anniversary on Friday. It will include complimentary treats that made the restaurant famous as well as a special gift for each guest and giveaways every hour.

About the milestone, Lynda said, “I am really grateful for the experiences and chances to be connected to the community and for their continued support over the years.”

A little history

Stone is always looking ahead toward future successes because she believes that her “best work is in the future.” If this holds true, Brentwood residents will have many more years of culinary enjoyment filled with melt-in-your-mouth homemade rolls, silky smooth quiche, savory Southern favorites, moist cakes and sweet treats.

But to understand her dedication to the future, one must appreciate her past.

Stone, a native of Washington, D.C., started her business in 1986 out of her Franklin home after her homemade rolls and bread became a neighborhood favorite.

Her business grew quickly, so she rented a small space at Brentwood’s Huff’s Food Town – which was in what is now the Brentwood Interiors store -- where she began serving sandwiches and other items.

In 1992, the business expanded to a small commercial space in H.G. Hill shopping center on Franklin Road where it is now located. When a larger storefront next door opened up, the Puffy Muffin used it as an opportunity to expand. It now has a second location 91 Seaboard Land in Cool Springs, across from Costco.

The Puffy Muffin is a family-operated business in which Stone’s husband, two daughters and both son-in-laws serve as board members. All help run the restaurants and manage 80 employees, including French-trained chefs and bakers. Today the Puffy Muffin is a full-service restaurant and bakery, which hosts receptions, wedding rehearsals, showers, parties and numerous other events.

Reminiscing about the early days

When Stone and her daughters, Ali C. Burns and Kristi Stone Elzinga, both vice presidents and co-directors of marketing, gathered around a table this week to reflect on the 25th milestone, the conversation flowed effortlessly about their philosophy of family, work and of course good food.

Lynda said, “When we have family dinners, all you hear around the table is “Mmm, yum, mmm,” she laughed.

“I learned everything I know here. It’s a great family atmosphere and everyone cares about each other.” ELIZABETH STARPOLI Sugar artist and cake design manager

The ladies also reminisced about times growing up which influenced their dedication to only the freshest, quality food.

Lynda Stone grew up in a family of excellent cooks. Her mother, grandmother and aunts set the stage for her future work in the food business.

“I grew up knowing what good food was. I grew up in Washington D.C. in a neighborhood where there was a butcher, specialty bakeries and shops before there were large grocery stores. We were able to get the best of everything.

“I know what real quality is, and I learned that from all of the women in my family who are great cooks. We always had family time around the table, and there were no fast food restaurants.”

Some customers have frequented the Puffy Muffin since Stone rented space from the late Glenn Huff and had with only five tables.

When her girls were young, Stone had a garden where she grew fresh vegetables which she picked and prepared for family dinners. The girls remember vividly the fresh meals and the impact that those meals had on their philosophy of cooking.

“I used to love coming home to the smell of baked bread, which I would eat for a snack,” Kristi said. “Then, I would make deliveries to our customers. I didn’t even know that fast food existed.”

Ali especially enjoyed her mother’s pickled okra as well as her macaroni and cheese made with the freshest butter, cream and cheese.

Commitment to Excellence

All three ladies were instilled with the confidence to dream big, to reach their dreams and to always try. Both girls have a passion for the family business and love coming up with new ideas.

Ali said, “We were raised that if you don’t do it, it won’t get done. Just try it.”

Kristi added that “can’t isn’t a word that we use. We do whatever it takes to get the job done. Another motto is to be free to fail. If something doesn’t work, try another way.”

Their mom completed the train of thought. “What would it even look like not to try? It wouldn’t be very pretty,” said Lynda.

All three ladies cringed as if the thought was incomprehensible.

When asked what made her business so successful, Stone said, “When beginning a business, you have to have non-negotiables.

“We don’t work on Sunday, so people can go to church and spend time with their families. Keep everything as honest as possible, and foster a work environment where employees can learn and grow.”

It’s obvious that the Puffy Muffin is a place of encouragement where creative ideas can be nurtured and where employees are given the freedom to find their niche.

Every year, from the start, the Puffy Muffin has taken all of its employees on a team-building retreat.

Ali, who started the cake design department at the Puffy Muffin and attended the French Pastry School in Chicago, found her niche in cake design.

“I am thankful that there are almost 80 people who have jobs and whose lives we can invest in. We have a real sense of family here and like to watch our employees grow. Sometimes, it’s the first time anyone has ever believed in them and brought out their talents and abilities.”

In recent years, the Puffy Muffin has opened its doors on occasional Sundays to help families working toward international adoptions hold fundraisers. Here Lynda Stone plays a supporting role to the cause.

Elizabeth Starpoli, sugar artist and cake design manager, and Ali partnered to decorate the 25th Anniversary cake. It took them about 25-30 hours. Starpoli, 35, who has worked at Puffy Muffin for 15 years said, “I learned everything I know here. It’s a great family atmosphere and everyone cares about each other.”

More than a restaurant

“It’s not just a restaurant, it’s so much more than that. We are not just sharing a workplace, we are sharing life with each other,” Stone said. Because of the Puffy Muffin’s emphasis on family, growth and excellence in the workplace, many loyal employees have been working at the restaurant for at least 10 or 15 years. Even multiple generations of families have returned to work at the Puffy Muffin.

Three generations of general manager Jennifer Anneken’s family have worked at the restaurant, including her mother, sisters and son. Anneken, who began as a server, worked her way up to management over the past 15 years. She said she has learned a lot from Stone’s example and leadership.

“Lynda has a very clear vision. We have staff retreats every year, and she trains the staff based on inspiring books that she’s read, leadership and team building,” Anneken shared.

“One of the most valuable lessons that she taught me was to always come to her with a solution to a problem instead of just talking about the problem. Once she brought that to my attention, it reframed my whole way of thinking.”

Where does Stone get the energy?

Never stagnant, Stone dedicates herself fully to every activity she tries. When her grandson began taking Karate, she attended a match and became interested in the sport. By 2009, she had earned a black belt in Wado Karate-Do.

Even after suffering a broken wrist during training, she persevered until she had reached the end of the program.

Today Stone is working on her MA in conflict management at Lipscomb University; she will graduate in May.

Stone has published two cookbooks with her daughters. The first was Memories in the Making. The second, Taste Imagination, comes out in December.

She now serves on the board of directors of the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber and is secretary of its executive committee. Puffy Muffin has received several notable awards during its history, including the 2003 Williamson County Small Business Award and the 2007 Williamson County Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award for “Market Place Ethics.”

When asked where she gets so much energy, Stone said, “I think it’s because I love life, and I want to do everything. I love learning and like to have something else on my plate to work towards.”

No matter how many endeavors Stone finds to fill her plate, Brentwood residents and visitors are thankful that she can still find time to continue filling theirs with something delicious for years to come.