Meet Christina & Dr. Bill!

Come have a seat at the table with the Founders and Owners of Modern Stone Age Kitchen.

Long before Modern Stone Age Kitchen welcomed their first customers in Chestertown, Maryland, its story was unfolding around the Schindler family’s own dining table. What began as a commitment to feeding their children well gradually grew into something bigger - a place where good food brings people together, connects a community to its farmers, and makes nourishment part of everyday life.

For Dr. Bill, an archaeologist whose work explores how people prepared, preserved, and shared food throughout history, the connection between ancient traditions and modern nourishment became personal. 

The family wanted to better their eating habits, so they started with homemade bread for their children’s school lunches. Over the years, they made an estimated 7,000 lunches - about 14,000 slices of homemade bread.

“It literally permeated into every aspect of our lives at home,” Christina says. 

As they made more nutritional changes, the couple began asking a bigger question - where could they go out to eat and find a meal with the same care they practiced at home? 

Five years ago, they opened Modern Stone Age Kitchen to create that place for their own family - and for everyone else, too. Whether you're vegetarian, carnivore, or simply trying to cut back on carbs, their goal is for everyone to find something delicious and nourishing at the table.

Here, EVERYTHING is made from scratch. No short cuts; a true from-scratch kitchen. Every grain, gluten-free or not, undergoes a 100% wild, long-fermented sourdough process, reaching a pH of 4.6 or below to meet their threshold for maximum nutritional benefits. Croissants, bagels, and soft pretzels take extra time to create like the way your great-grandmomma would have done.

That same care extends to the ingredients they bring through the door. Beef and pork come from Kent County, produce too. Nearly all of their food is sourced from local farmers. Gallons of milk arrive regularly from Nice Farms Creamery in Federalsburg, becoming house-made ricotta, mozzarella, cheddar, yogurt, cream cheese, and more.

“Food is the best storyteller in the world,” Dr. Bill says. The intentionality of working with local farmers means knowing the people behind the ingredients, and the Schindlers are proud to share the farmer's stories with their customers.

Christina and Dr. Bill carry that spirit into the Modern Stone Age Food Lab, a nonprofit where hands-on classes and online learning help people reconnect with traditional foodways. For Christina, seeing customers experience the benefits of thoughtfully prepared food makes the hard work worthwhile. “Those experiences are what's going to help cultivate a change,” she shares.

You can find the team on Thursdays at the Kent Island Farmer’s Market and Sundays at the Centreville Farmer's Market. Order ahead for market pick-up, or shop non-refrigerated items online for shipping or restaurant pick-up. 

And keep an eye on their website and social media -  they have exciting news coming very soon. Like, really soon!

Modern Stone Age Kitchen is open seven days a week in sweet, historic Chestertown. Venture over, pull up a chair, and enjoy some goodness. Grab a copy of Dr. Bill's book, Eat Like a Human, and soak up the atmosphere. Know that you'll be well taken care of, and your body will do a happy dance from such nutritious food. 

Added bonus - you're supporting local farmers too!