Preserving Maryland Flavor With Daniel Von Sas of Stoney Creek Inn

Tucked beside the Stoney Creek bridge in Pasadena sits a restaurant that has quietly become a staple of the local dining scene.

The Stoney Creek Inn isn’t a flashy waterfront destination or a corporate chain restaurant. Instead, it’s the kind of neighborhood spot where regulars gather, staff members know the customers, and the menu reflects decades of Maryland seafood tradition.

Today, owner Daniel Von Sas is responsible for carrying that tradition forward.

From the Dish Pit to Restaurant Owner

Like many people in the restaurant industry, Daniel didn’t set out with a clear plan to own a restaurant.

Growing up in Maryland, he always leaned toward creative pursuits. He played music, explored different academic interests in college, and experimented with several possible career paths before realizing the restaurant world might be where he belonged.

In the beginning, restaurant work was simply a way to pay the bills. But the deeper he got into the industry, the more he discovered something special about it.

Daniel started where many young workers do — washing dishes. From there he moved up to bussing tables, then serving, bartending and eventually management. While he probably didn’t know it at the time, each of these roles were quietly crafting the foundation for what would become his journey into entrepreneurship.

“I worked my way up from the bottom,” he says. “I know every position and what everyone goes through.”

Finding a Home at Stoney Creek Inn

Before owning Stoney Creek Inn, Daniel spent several years working in corporate restaurant environments. Those restaurants taught him valuable lessons about organization, systems, and operational structure. But something was missing.

Corporate restaurants often lacked the personal connection that makes local establishments special. That changed when the original owners of Stoney Creek Inn — Bill and Mary Green — invited Daniel to come work with them.

At first, he only planned to pick up an occasional shift. But the laid-back, community-focused environment immediately felt different.

Instead of corporate rulebooks and strict hierarchies, Stoney Creek Inn was a small neighborhood restaurant where customers knew the staff by name and regulars felt like family. Daniel quickly saw potential and began working there full time. 

“I loved the sense of community there,” he says. “People knew each other, the staff knew the customers — it felt like a cornerstone of the area.”

Eventually, he began helping his new bosses apply some of the systems and processes he learned during his previous employment.

That effort led to a management role — and eventually a much bigger opportunity.

Taking The Leap Into Entrepreneurship

After working closely with the owners for several years, Daniel was given the chance to purchase the restaurant.

In 2014, he took the leap. But, this wasn’t a small decision.  In fact, purchasing a restaurant is a huge risk.

At the time, Daniel had plenty of front-of-house experience but very little culinary training. The restaurant’s reputation had been built on its food, and he knew he had to learn everything possible about the kitchen before taking ownership.

So he started from scratch. He worked side-by-side with the kitchen staff, learning knife skills, prep work, recipes, and the full rhythm of the kitchen.

One of the restaurant’s chefs became a mentor, helping Daniel understand the craft behind the food.

“I put myself in the kitchen full time to learn everything from the ground up,” he says. “I wanted to know every recipe and every process.”

He also began taking business classes to prepare for the responsibilities of ownership.

With borrowed money and a lot of determination, Daniel officially became the owner of Stoney Creek Inn.

A Restaurant Built on Maryland Tradition

Stoney Creek Inn first opened in 2001, but its recipes go back even further. Many of the dishes trace their roots to Baltimore’s historic Cross Street Market, where the previous owner’s family ran seafood stalls.

Those recipes — including crab cakes, shrimp salad, and classic Maryland sides — became the heart of the menu. Daniel made a deliberate decision to protect that tradition.

Rather than reinvent the restaurant, he focused on refining what already worked.

“It’s an honor to carry on those recipes,” he says. “That’s the heart of the menu and I want to stay true to it.”

Most of the menu is still prepared in-house by the kitchen staff, using traditional preparation methods that prioritize flavor and freshness. That commitment to scratch cooking requires a lot of planning, time and labor, but Daniel believes it’s essential to maintaining the restaurant’s reputation.

The Secret to a Great Maryland Crab Cake

In Maryland, few dishes are judged more seriously than the crab cake. Ask Daniel what separates a great crab cake from an average one and his answer is simple.

Start with high-quality crab meat — and keep the filler to a minimum. But the real secret lies in the seasoning.

“It’s really the sauce that brings everything together,” he explains. “It should mostly be crab meat, with just enough to hold it together.”

For many customers, Stoney Creek Inn’s crab cakes have become a local benchmark. Visitors often bring out-of-town guests specifically to experience authentic Maryland seafood.

Being Part Of The Local History

Part of what makes Stoney Creek Inn unique isn’t just the food — it’s the building itself.

The structure dates back to the 1930s and originally served as a residence for the bridge tender who operated the nearby drawbridge at Stoney Creek. Over the decades, it passed through several restaurant concepts before becoming Stoney Creek Inn.

That long history is still visible today. The building retains its old Baltimore formstone exterior and much of its original character.

“You can feel the history when you’re inside,” Daniel says. “Places like that have a different kind of energy.”

Building a Culture Around the Staff

Even with all that said, after talking to Daniel, I’d be willing to bet that if you ask regular customers what makes Stoney Creek Inn special, the’ll give the same answer.

The staff.

Daniel believes a restaurant’s culture starts with how employees are treated. Having worked for places where staff morale was low, he made it a priority to create a supportive work environment.

His goal was simple.

Make it a place where people actually want to come to work.

“I’ve always wanted my staff to feel comfortable coming in,” he says. “You take care of them and they take care of the customers.”

That philosophy has helped build a tight-knit team — some of whom are local students and others, longtime employees.

The Reality of Running a Restaurant

From the outside, restaurants can look fun and even glamorous.

Behind the scenes, the reality can be very different.

When Daniel first took ownership, his schedule often meant 12- to 15-hour days, nearly every day of the week.

The building itself also presented unexpected challenges. Because it had been renovated so many times over the decades, repairs often revealed layers of previous construction.

“Restaurants are living, breathing things,” Daniel says. “You have to constantly maintain them or they won’t survive.”

After more than a decade of ownership, the systems are finally in place to give him a little breathing room — though the work never truly stops.

Looking Toward the Future

In an effort to stay true to his passion, Daniel isn’t interested in expanding into a chain or opening multiple locations. Instead, his focus remains on continuous improvement.

He’s working on enhancing the atmosphere with live music, artwork, fresh flowers on the tables, and seasonal touches around the property — including lush gardens that bloom around the outdoor deck each year.

For him, the goal is simple.

Maintain what makes the restaurant special.

“I just want to continue its authenticity and genuine nature,” he says.

In Conclusion

In an industry known for high turnover and constant change, Stoney Creek Inn represents something increasingly rare: a restaurant deeply rooted in its community.

Daniel Von Sas didn’t build the restaurant from scratch — but he has spent more than a decade protecting its traditions, strengthening its operations, and ensuring that its Maryland heritage continues.

From the dish pit to ownership, his story reflects the kind of hard-earned experience that defines many great local businesses.

And for the people of Pasadena, Stoney Creek Inn remains exactly what it has always been:

A neighborhood restaurant built on great food, loyal customers, and genuine Maryland hospitality.

Check them out for yourselves!

Stoney Creek Inn
410-439-3123
8238 Fort Smallwood Rd, Pasadena, MD 21226
www.stoneycreekinnrestaurant.com