Our Culinary Story

The only wedding venue in Gold Country committed to 100% seed-oil-free cooking. Real ingredients, locally sourced, crafted by world-class chefs for private events.

Philosophy

Food Worth Remembering

Most venue catering is an afterthought — bulk-prepped, reheated, and served from a steam tray. Stone House takes the opposite approach. Every dish that leaves our kitchen is built from scratch with ingredients that belong in a kitchen, not a chemistry lab.

Our culinary team treats every private event like a standalone restaurant opening. Seasonal menus, hand-selected produce from Nevada County farms, proteins from ranchers we know by name. The result is food your guests will remember — not food they politely endure.

Why Seed-Oil-Free Matters

Industrial seed oils — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, and rice bran — are a modern invention. They require chemical extraction, high heat, and deodorization to become edible. They're cheap, shelf-stable, and ubiquitous in commercial kitchens. They're also something we refuse to use.

Our kitchen cooks exclusively with traditional fats: butter, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and tallow. These are the fats humans cooked with for thousands of years before industrial processing. The difference isn't just philosophical — you can taste it. Pastry crusts are flakier. Seared proteins develop better crust. Vegetables roast with a richness that seed oils simply can't deliver.

We're not a health food venue. We're a venue that believes better ingredients make better food — and that every guest at your celebration deserves real food, prepared properly.

What We Cook With

  • Grass-fed butter
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Grass-fed tallow
  • Duck fat
  • Ghee

What We Never Use

  • Canola oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Corn oil
  • Cottonseed oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Safflower oil
  • Grapeseed oil
Sourcing

From This Land

Nevada County is rich agricultural country — small farms, artisan producers, and ranches that prioritize quality over scale. Our culinary team builds relationships directly with these producers, sourcing ingredients at peak season and building menus around what's genuinely best right now.

This isn't a marketing story about "farm to table." It's practical. When your salad greens were harvested that morning from a farm twelve miles away, they taste different. When your steak comes from a rancher who raises grass-fed cattle in the Sierra Foothills, it has character that commodity beef never will. Your guests may not know where every ingredient came from — but they'll know the food is extraordinary.

Local Produce

Seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs from Nevada County farms. Menus shift with the harvest — peak-season strawberries in June, heirloom tomatoes in August, root vegetables through winter.

Heritage Proteins

Grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, and wild-caught fish. Our proteins come from producers who prioritize animal welfare and sustainable practices.

Artisan Dairy & Grains

Local creameries, small-batch bread bakers, and specialty flour mills. The butter on your table, the rolls at your place setting — every element sourced with the same intention.

"We don't serve catering. We serve dinner — the kind of dinner you'd be proud to host in your own home, just at a larger scale."
— Stone House Culinary Team
Menus

Reception Packages

Three curated tiers — each fully seed-oil-free, each customizable to your preferences and dietary needs. Every package includes salad, fresh-baked rolls and butter, and a chef's vegetarian or vegan entrée alongside your selected proteins.

Custom menus: Our chef builds custom farm-to-fork menus for couples who want something entirely their own. From a family recipe you'd like scaled to 200 servings to a five-course plated dinner with wine pairings — if you can dream it, we can execute it.

Every package accommodates dietary needs — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and specific allergies. Let us know during the planning process and our culinary team will ensure every guest eats beautifully.

View full reception package menus →

Dietary Flexibility

Every Guest Eats Well

Seed-oil-free doesn't mean limited. Our kitchen handles the full spectrum of dietary needs — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, and specific allergies. Every package automatically includes a chef's vegetarian or vegan entrée, and our team works with couples before the event to ensure every guest is accounted for.

We've served multi-course vegan dinners alongside prime rib receptions, built entirely gluten-free menus for celiac-conscious couples, and created custom dishes for guests with complex food allergies. The seed-oil-free commitment doesn't limit options — it elevates them.

Bar Program

Two Full-Service Bars

Stone House operates two on-site bars — one in The Great Hall and one accessible from The Courtyard. Both are fully stocked with premium spirits, local wines, craft cocktails, and a curated beer selection. Non-alcoholic cocktails are always available and treated with the same care as the rest of the bar program.

Hosted Bar

Open bar for your guests, billed by consumption or as a flat rate per person. The most popular choice for wedding receptions — your guests never reach for their wallets.

Cash Bar

Guests purchase their own drinks at reasonable prices. A practical option for corporate events, casual celebrations, or budget-conscious couples.

Signature Cocktails

Work with our bar team to create one or two custom cocktails that reflect your personality. Named after the couple, themed to the season, or inspired by your love story.

Wine country advantage: Nevada County's wine trail is booming. We work with local wineries to feature regional wines at your event — many of your guests will have visited the same tasting rooms during their stay.

Taste for Yourself

Schedule a tasting during your venue tour. Walk all six spaces, meet the team, and experience our culinary program firsthand.

Check Your Date →

107 Sacramento Street, Nevada City, CA 95959 · bookings@stonehouse.io · (530) 265-5050