Stono Market & Tomato Shed Cafe is owned by the Ambrose Family. As a team, we work to exceed your expectations with exceptional customer service, quality prepared and unprepared foods, locally made crafts, sauces, grits, honey, jellies, jams, gifts and more. We are located on an oak-tree canopied road that runs from U.S. 17 all the way to the beaches at Kiawah and Seabrook Island. We draw a large following of locals and visitors, especially in the Spring and Summer months.
Farmer Pete Ambrose started shrimping in '67, and expanded into farming on Wadmalaw in '76. Farmer Pete and Babs have always lived with the land, worked the soil and waterways, bringing the Lowcountry's bounty to residents and visitors alike. They are farmers, shrimpers, restaurateurs, and owners of Ambrose Family Farm on Wadmalaw Island, along with Stono Market and the Tomato Shed Café on Johns Island where they've offered farm-to-table cuisine since 1987.
Stono Market started as an open-air market and packing shed in 1987 offering the produce grown at the family farm on nearby Wadmalaw Island to bridge the "farm to table" gap. The Tomato Shed Cafe evolved in '92 from Babs' love for cooking. In 2013, Barbara Ambrose became the 2nd generation co-owner of Stono Market & Tomato Shed Cafe.
The Tomato Shed Cafe offers chef-inspired menus featuring locally grown foods and ingredients from around the Carolinas. Here at the Tomato Shed Café, we keep it simple. No fancy plates or glasses. No gimmicks. Just great food that speaks directly to your palate. The menu is classic, Southern country cooking with meat choices like roast pork, beef, or barbecue and side dishes like tomato pie, squash casserole, collards, and butter beans. Whatever you are in the mood for, there is a selection to meet your appetite. And if you’re looking for some shrimp, we usually have a supply of the day’s freshest catch for sale.
Tomato Shed Café isn’t a place to just come to eat. It is a place to meet, read up on local news, catch up with your neighbors and remember why we love family and good Southern cooking. This may be a little out of the way for some, but we promise you will make an effort to keep coming back.
