This story previously appeared in the Post-Gazette Washington edition.

Since Jerry Polen bought Quail Acres in North Strabane 15 years ago, he's used the Washington County historic property's 1837 Greek Revival farmhouse in a variety of ways, most recently as an emporium for specialty boutiques.

Seven months ago, he felt the need for a core tenant and reverted to his original idea of having the building house a day spa or restaurant. After considering several proposals, Mr. Polen decided to go with "a couple of young, energetic restaurateurs'' with ideas and the type of menu he thought would work well, namely "food prepared to order using fresh, rather than frozen, ingredients."

On Nov. 30, Alfano's at the Quail began serving what chef Marc Alfano, 29, calls Pan-European cuisine with eclectic Spanish, Swiss, Italian and Pacific Rim influences, a fine dining experience based on concepts he picked up working at several restaurants in the Pittsburgh area.

Trained at the International Culinary Academy in Pittsburgh, Mr. Alfano spent his youth working at a number of jobs, including parking lot attendant, construction and selling security systems and Watkins spice and seasoning products with his wife, Christina. The latter endeavor earned the husband and wife team the distinction of becoming the No. 1 sales team in the nation for the spice company.

"For a while, I attended California University of Pennsylvania, but becoming a chef was always something I ultimately wanted to do," said Mr. Alfano, of Washington, Washington County.

In his first restaurant job at Claudio's in Pittsburgh's North Hills, he started off sweeping floors and washing dishes. Then, Claudio's chef, a native of Abruzzi, Italy, taught him the art of making breads and sauces. Over the years, he took cooking positions at Bocconcino's in Sharpsburg, and the Hartwood Restaurant and Calla Lily Cafe in Pittsburgh's North Hills.

"Wherever I worked, I tried to learn as much as I could from the experienced chefs.''

On Jan. 15, 2003, less than a year after graduating from the culinary academy, he and Christina bought a deli at Main and Chestnut in Washington and opened Alfano's Uptown, serving lunch fare and doing catering. During their first year in business, he said, they doubled the gross of the previous owner.

Later, when a friend, Kim McDemus, owner of Cattail Coffees at Quail Acres, invited them to look at Mr. Polen's completely restored 1837 farmhouse, the Alfanos thought it could be the right spot for a fine dining restaurant. The couple then staged an open house to test the waters to see if any one would be interested in buying shares in a limited liability corporation to be known as Alfano's Restaurant Group.

With some of the necessary capital in hand, the Alfanos signed a five-year lease that included the addition of a 14,000 -quare-foot kitchen to the back of the building.

"I actually encouraged the addition because, if we put the kitchen in the existing building, it would have adversely affected the aesthetic of the structure, which is registered with the Washington County History and Landmarks Association," Mr. Polen said.

The restaurant has five dining rooms on the first floor and three on the second. Final touches on a lounge area are under way, and the Alfanos hope to secure a liquor license in January. In the meantime, it's BYOB with a $10 corkage fee.

Alfano's at the Quail is at 1445 Washington Road in North Strabane. Call 724-229-2777.