The new owner of Glen Rock Mill Inn started out as a dishwasher

At 15 years old, Brandon Hufnagel began his culinary career as a dishwasher at the Glen Rock Mill Inn. It wasn’t much, but over time he’d become a line cook there before going to culinary school.

Now 40, Hufnagel is coming home after purchasing the restaurant on Wednesday.

“We’re excited to be a part of that community,” Hufnagel said. “I’ve always wanted my own place, and this was a homecoming all the way around.”

Hufnagel and his business partner, Matt Wink, purchased the Mill Inn from Terry Steyer and Cindy Duzan, who will be retiring.

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“It’s a pretty physically demanding business,” Duzan said. “We’re both in our 60s, and it’s time to retire.”

Hufnagel most recently worked as a general manager at Rockfish Public House in York, but grew up on a farm about four miles from the Mill Inn in Codorus Township.

“It has always had that soft spot in my heart,” Hufnagel said of the Mill Inn. “I remember having such a great team of local people – a second family if you will – and I’m looking forward to doing the same.”

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Selling the restaurant, but not leaving the community

Steyer and Duzan first contemplated selling the restaurant over the summer and, with prior knowledge of Hufnagel from his work as a sales representative a few years ago, realized he would be the perfect fit.

“He’s a local guy who cares for the community and is committed to the high standards that people have come to expect from the Mill,” Duzan said. “I think he’ll grow the business, and I’ve invited the community to come in and welcome him to the Mill family.”

While Steyer and Duzan will be handing things over to Hufnagel and Wink, they’ll still own and operate Ruins Park, an adjacent music and arts venue that has grown into a community asset.

“Everybody that’s been down there has been awestruck by it,” Duzan said. “It’s a great place, and it really could be something special.”

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Running more events out of the ruins, Duzan said, would allow her to be more active, but without the physical strains of the restaurant business.

“The season for the ruins is limited, so it won’t be as labor intensive,” Duzan said. “It’s a way that we can stay involved in the community.”

The transition will be a gradual handoff, with Hufnagel becoming a growing presence at the restaurant. The full transition is expected to be completed in February. Leaving the restaurant, even in trusted hands, still isn’t easy for Duzan.

“It’s bittersweet for us,” she said. “We’re ready to move on, but we’ll certainly miss all the people we’ve met. We’re interested in spending time in there as patrons and not as staff.”

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‘An anchor of the community’

Steyer and Duzan purchased the Glen Rock Mill Inn in 2008, but the restaurant’s history goes far beyond that.

The mill was built in 1837 and became an integral part of the Glen Rock community. In its history, it’s been a flour mill, manufactured woolens, and finally, a seed mill.

In the 1960s, the mill closed and remained shuttered for nearly two decades. It was restored by Cecil and Mary Ann Artrip, who repurposed the building and made it an inn and restaurant in 1984.

While the Glen Rock Mill Inn has changed hands several times in its history as a restaurant, Hufnagel believes he can continue the success prior owners have fostered.

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“Our biggest goal… from being on our family’s farm is that we want to use the farm as part of the restaurant (and) use locally sourced items whenever and wherever we can,” Hufnagel said.

He’s also placing importance on the Mill’s impact outside of the restaurant.

“Community involvement is what makes the difference in York County,” Hufnagel said. “It’s one of the strong points of the Mill now and something we’re going to strive for as well.”

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.

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