🎥 Chefs of the Poconos: Chef Lyman Winner and The Frogtown Chophouse

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🎙️ “Early on I tried to be like really creative, which set the tone for myself as a chef…”

I got away from some of that to look at the efficiency of the menu—what works in the setting. We've really evolved the Frogtown Chophouse into an experience-based restaurant. The menu is not fancy. It's short, sweet, to the point. This is a pretty straightforward American meat and potatoes chophouse.

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🍽️ Roots in the Kitchen

As a child, I was definitely interested in food. Both my grandmothers cooked. My mom's a great cook, so when we first started the Frogtown Chophouse day one, I was in the kitchen with my mom—known as Granny now—and she sat and wrote down every menu item, every recipe. I’d add another pinch of this, another scoop of that.

We worked out that I wanted a signature dessert. It was going to be our cinnamon caramel brioche bread pudding. So: brioche bread, eggs, heavy cream, a lot of sugar—then slow and low bake it in the oven. Hits all the notes. And we make a caramel sauce that goes on top of it.

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🎓 A Different Path Before the Plates

I went to Shippensburg University and got a degree in Earth space science with a secondary education degree, and thought I was going to be a teacher… and realized that I was not going to be suited to be responsible for like 100 kids a day. I could really barely take care of myself at 21 years old.

My mom came home from work one day and said, “Hey, I have a friend that went on a cruise up in Maine…” and she heard the crew talking about how they look for people every season. That’s what started my culinary career.

Everything was from scratch. I got up every morning at 4:30 a.m. on the boat. It was a 120-foot schooner. Probably the most inspirational—and adventurous—summer for me.

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🔪 From Schooner to School

I decided I wanted to pursue an actual career as a chef, so I tried culinary school in Baltimore. I learned a bunch. I ended up becoming a chef instructor.

There was an older gentleman in class named Steve. He was talking with another chef instructor and I sort of butted into the conversation… and the conversation ended up being about, “Why are you here, Steve?”

“Well,” Mr. Steve said, “I’m here because I want to go and open a bed and breakfast and restaurant in the Poconos.”

I said, “Wow, that sounds awesome. Sounds like you’ll need a chef.”

He said, “Yeah.”

So I went and lived in a room while we located—finally—the Frogtown Inn and Six Acres Restaurant over in Canadensis. That was my first kitchen. I got to rearrange it how I wanted and really started to establish myself in the Poconos.

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💍 Love, Fried Tomatoes, and Inspiration

I got married September 27, 2008 to my beautiful bride, Anne. We went months later on our honeymoon down to Long Beach Island and went to a restaurant called Tucker’s. They had a fried tomato stack—two half tomatoes, breaded and fried, dressed with red sauce and basil sauce.

I loved it.

I wanted to take that tomato and turn it into what I thought would be a healthier version. So I seasoned two tomato halves, covered them in crumbled blue cheese and baked them. Then they got stacked. Fresh basil oil—just a ton of fresh basil and olive oil, turned into a puree—and again a balsamic glaze drizzle.

The colors were neat. Red, green, white against the dark black of the balsamic. Really beautiful presentation.

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🥂 A Toast to Friendship & Frogtown

So I was a young chef at the Frogtown Inn and my wife was the bartender. We were the front-of-house/back-of-house team. One day she said:

"Hey, this guy Eric came in. We used to go to Kinder House together. Next time he's in, you gotta say hi."

Eric was this Manhattan hotshot—running restaurants, thick head of hair and all.

Later we sat at his bar. Probably had too much to drink, both of us. One of those “I love you, man... We should open a restaurant together!” moments.

Next morning? “What did we talk about?”

Well… here we are 13 years later, running restaurants together.

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🥔 The Evolution of the Menu

I’ve come a long way from fried jicama chips and roasted beets. Now I get other people involved in menu development. Your team buys in when they have input.

One thing I don’t like to do? 86 any item. So we always cook extra baked potatoes.

One of my team members created a mashup: French onion + potato skins. Caramelized onions cooked for hours, poured into fried potato halves, Swiss cheese, baked, and balsamic drizzle.

It was a hit.

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🧀 Local Flavor with Heart

The goat cheese bread bowl is a recent menu addition, and that goat cheese comes from Cranberry Creek Farm—a buddy of mine, Jeff.

He said, “Hey man, the goats are making this really great goat cheese. Check it out.”

Boom! I cut a tribal roll in half, hollowed it, stuffed it, toasted it. The other half became crostini with arugula and balsamic drizzle.

The team went wild.

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🥩 Meat and Friendship

We get several cuts from Corona Butcher on 611—Jimmy the Butcher. Been partnered up 13+ years.

Jimmy cuts our bone-in ribeye, fresh grinds our burgers, cuts our strip steaks, and does our thick-cut bacon.

That bone-in ribeye is a 24 oz. beauty. Finished on our ancient, flame-charred grill—or in the oven—depending on temp. Grill must be a thousand years old.

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🤝 More Than Business

What started Eric and I on our path to success was conversation with the guests. Sitting down with them. Getting to know them.

Guests write in reviews, “I felt like I was family.”

Eric’s attention to detail? Top shelf. He manages the front via Kara. I manage the back. Kara is now part of our ownership team—well deserved.

Eric’s also now in the political realm through the PRLA (Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association). Sits on a lot of boards. Keeps our processes sharp.

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🛫 Doing Life Together

Eric and I complement each other’s work style. 13 years in, we still get along. Our kids are best friends. We travel together. Vacation together.

We do life together.

It’s been pretty remarkable.

And again, it’s one of those scenarios where I feel really blessed—that we met each other and get to do this together.

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🧑‍🍳 Chef Lyman Winner
The Frogtown Chophouse
Swiftwater, PA