DoughboyzROC to take over kitchen at Sager-Stoneyard Pub

After leaving The Richmond by Mortalis, former pizza-forward pop-up will take up residence at Rochester brewery

Whenever someone texts me and promises big news, I get scared. My first thought: “Oh, shit, I really hope this place isn’t closing.” But that’s the current state of the craft beer world.

So when Paul Guarracini, co-founder of Rochester’s Sager Beer Works, texted me Monday morning and hinted at big news, I was a bit apprehensive. Then he shared the news and I was instantly relieved and then I was filled with a mix of intrigue and excitement.

Guarracini told me his nearly six-year-old brewery is gonna partner with DoughboyzROC. Chef Jim Zobel and sous chef Niko Viron are bringing the fun and inventive stylings of the Doughboyz—with a focus on naturally leavened sourdough pizzas—to the Sager-Stoneyard Pub kitchen, 46 Sager Dr. Suite E, 14607.

Starting in September, Doughboyz will take over the kitchen. This comes after it wrapped up its partnership with Mortalis Brewing at The Richmond last month. It’ll host a series of pop-ups this month before taking residence in the Neighborhood of the Arts.

“We were looking at ways we could improve the business, grow the business, given the challenging times we have” Gurracini said. “We decided maybe we should have a food revision, an update. We hadn’t done much there (to change) in six years. As luck would have it, we learned that Jim and Niko were going to be leaving Mortalis. We started conversations there and it just fell into place. Maybe this is the answer for us.”

Talking to Zobel Monday, you could sense the excitement in his voice.

“We’re just pumped for a new change,” he offered. “We did The Richmond for the last three years and we loved it. But a new change, a new scene, will be good for us.”

In an increasingly tenuous and contentious time for craft beer, Guarracini and Sager co-founder Don Tuminelli have shown a willingness to think outside the box. They pursued a path-less-taken approach last year when they welcomed Brockport’s Stoneyard Brewing into their taproom and rebranded as the Sager-Stoneyard Pub.

“Hooking up with Oz (Stoneyard owner/brewer Jeff Osborne) has definitely helped us,” Guarracini said.

And now Tuminelli, a kitchen veteran with decades of back-of-house experience, is stepping away from the restaurant side of the business in an effort to reach a new audience. He’ll transition to a role focused on customer experience.

“This is for the survival of the company,” Tuminelli offered plaintively. “We gave it our best shot. I thought our food was good, but I think he (Zobel) is better. That’s the bottom line, not gonna lie. I am excited. I think we’re gonna crush the first few months.”

He’s worked in kitchens for nearly 40 years now and feels the time is right to step away. Tuminelli said Sager’s popular multi-course beer pairing dinners will continue with Doughboyz.

“This is a chance to be innovative,” Tuminelli said.

Doughboyz brings a devoted (and hungry) following to the new venture. (It boasts over 12,000 followers across its social media accounts.)

Zobel started making pizzas in his Chili driveway during the pandemic and then held pop-ups during Mortalis beer releases in Avon before putting down roots at The Richmond.

The menu will be a blend of Sager’s pub favorites and Doughboyz imaginative takes on pizzas, hot dogs, wings, desserts, barbecue, and whatever other paths they feel compelled to explore. Sager’s famous pretzel (at least to those of us who enjoy big-ass pretzels) will remain on the menu. Zobel said they’re also going to refresh Sager’s nachos with pulled pork and a few other flourishes.

Doughboyz has recently experimented with “brined, smoked, and lightly fried” wings that Zobel labeled as “killer.” Patrons will be able to enjoy those wings tossed in Cajun hot honey or Carolina gold barbecue (similar to the famous Richmond sauce).

The full Doughboyz menu will be available Wednesday through Saturday. Sager will stay open later to accommodate Doughboyz’s late-night following. (Kitchen hours will be 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday.) And then on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, there will be pre-packaged grab-and-go offerings from Doughboyz.

Wednesdays will see the return of Doughboyz’s decadent and delicious garbage plate. Zobel is also excited about the start of online ordering and the availability of more parking.

Zobel, who is sponsored by Gozney, an oven manufacturer, is elated to incorporate two of those ovens in the refurbished kitchen. Firstly, they’ll take up less space than the oven he used at The Richmond. Secondly, they were much more affordable. He’s excited to showcase those ovens and transition a few more pieces of his equipment into the Sager-Stoneyard kitchen.

“This time around, I wanted to make sure we could show off the Gozney ovens,” Zobel said. “They released these new domes that are natural gas (powered). Those can be put into an actual restaurant and ventilated properly. They do one pizza at a time, but we’re gonna be rolling with two of them.”

(Luis Perez from the Peels on Wheels Pizza Garage also has a sponsorship deal with Gozney and often features them in his tantalizing social media posts.)

Expect a soft opening after Labor Day and a grand opening party on Sept. 11.

“I think it’s gonna be perfect,” Guarracini said. “The reason I say that is it’s hard to be good at everything. Doughboyz has a really solid reputation, a bigger reputation than ours, especially from a food point of view. And I think our beers are really gonna complement their food. Added together, it should be a really great thing.

“This is gonna be the coolest thing. His food is great.”

A final note: It’s pretty wild to think I’ve been working on this independent publication for over two years now. In that time, I’ve published 200 newsletters, highlighted some of my favorite people in the industry, curated two beers festivals (that featured 150 participants and 4,600 attendees), and continued to break all the biggest news in the region (closures, consolidations, openings, etc.).

The Cleveland Prost remains the preeminent source for regional beer news. If you own a brewery, bar, or beer-adjacent business, this is the best place to reach the nerds you wanna be in front of. So I remain open to sponsorships, advertisements, and sponsored content. Feel free to reach out to me at clevelandprost@gmail.com for more. And more than anything, thanks for all the support. None of this would be possible without the devoted (and thirsty) audience.