GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP – The kitchen at what is now the Ram’s Head Inn has come a long way since the days when it turned out Pennsylvania Dutch food that was served family style to patrons of the Dutch Barn.

Now the restaurant has so many awards that they take up an entire wall.

Fred and Ethel Noyes sold the Historic Town of Smithville to the American Broadcasting Company and purchased the Dutch Barn on the White Horse Pike here in 1976. 

The building was originally a roadhouse in the 1930s and 40s. After World War II it was called Phillip’s Inn and then it was the Black Steer Ranch before it became the Dutch Barn. Since Fred was an Aries, the couple named the restaurant the Ram’s Head Inn. Fred Noyes loved to paint, so an artist’s studio was created for him on the second floor of the restaurant.

Ethel passed away in 1978, and the restaurant was sold to Harry Knolls. 

Fred died in 1987, and his favorite table, number 53, was retired the day he died, according to general manager Dan Anderson, who was the à la carte manager at that time.

Anderson, formerly of Pittsburgh, was a special education teacher who worked his way through college in restaurants. A friend got a job in the area and suggested Anderson come east to work. Anderson got a job at the restaurant, met his wife, who was a server working her way through college, and they stayed. He was made general manager in 2006, and his wife is now the à la carte manager. 

Having executive chef Luigi Baretto at the helm makes the job easier, according to Anderson.  Baretto studied in Europe before immigrating to the United States. He has received numerous awards, such as the New Jersey Chef Association’s chef of the year, and has a chair on the Craft Advisory Board of the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College. During his service at the Ram’s Head, the restaurant and banquet facility has garnered a multitude of awards, including the AAA Four Diamond Award from 1991 to the present.

Anderson is most proud of the Best of Excellence Award in 2006 and the Distinguished Restaurant of North America DiRona Award that is presented to the top 1 percent of American restaurants.

In addition to its dinner service, the restaurant is known for weddings, private parties, business meetings and corporate luncheons. A jacket is a requirement for men in the elegant dining room, but ties are optional.  Dining is white tablecloth service with fine china from Austria, silver place settings and long-stemmed crystal goblets. While waiting to be seated, visitors can enjoy the art and antiques on display. 

The Ram’s Head also does home catering, or meals can be picked up to serve at home. 
 

Photos by T.S. EVANS