The Brewster Inn

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Gilded-Age Mansion with a Remarkable Past

The Brewster Inn owes its name and its bones to Benjamin Brewster — American industrialist, Standard Oil trustee, and fourth great-grandson of Mayflower pilgrim William Brewster. In 1890, Brewster built his summer estate on the southern shore of Cazenovia Lake and named it "Scrooby," after the English manor house his ancestor left behind before sailing to the New World. The mansion was used just two months each year, yet it remains one of the largest homes Cazenovia has ever seen. Today it houses four dining rooms, a full kitchen, and nine guest rooms, its original character preserved in exquisite solid mahogany and antique quartered oak woodwork throughout.

Fine Dining on the Lake

The restaurant's American and French fine dining has earned consistent recognition across decades. Wine Spectator has honored the inn's cellar continuously — first with its Award of Excellence from 1992 through 2008, then elevated to the Best of Award of Excellence from 2009 onward, a distinction the inn holds to this day. The climate-controlled wine cellar is very much a destination in itself, and wine pairing is woven naturally into the dining experience. The DiRoNA Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award of Excellence, held since 2003, further confirms the kitchen's standing among the top fine dining tables in New York State.

Co-owner and chef Jason Wright has headlined the inn's popular Chef's Table series — intimate, interactive evenings where a four- to five-course tasting menu is prepared directly in front of guests, with the chef narrating ingredients and technique course by course. Past menus have featured dishes such as Roasted Duck with dried cherry mostarda and Rainbow Trout Gravlox with pickled cucumber. Chef David France has led his own Chef's Table evenings as well, bringing the same hands-on format to themes ranging from Irish classics to the regional cuisines of Italy.

More Than a Restaurant

The inn's 17 guest rooms each carry their own character — antiques and collectibles alongside modern conveniences, with select rooms offering jacuzzis, gas fireplaces, private decks, and views over Cazenovia Lake. Sunday mornings bring lakeside yoga on the docks, followed by a Bloody Mary or mimosa at the gazebo bar. Brunch, the "Bloody's & Benny's" outdoor sessions, seasonal events, and a Sunday dinner service round out a calendar that keeps the property alive year-round.

Named one of Central New York's most romantic spots to wine and dine, and cited by Alec Baldwin in Departures Magazine alongside the Ritz Carlton Central Park and the Paris Plaza Athénée, The Brewster Inn carries its history lightly — and its American and French fine dining with quiet confidence.