
How it all Began
In the mid-1990s, Mayor John Spencer made a phone call to Stew Leonard Jr. that would change everything: would Stew Leonard’s build a new store in Yonkers? It was a big step for the Leonard family to expand beyond Connecticut, but it turned out to be their best decision yet! When Governor Pataki’s shovel struck milk at the groundbreaking in 1998, we knew Stew Leonard’s had found a home on a hill high above the New York State Thruway.
Yonkers' Best Farm Fresh Food Store
“We love Yonkers!” - Stew Leonard. We are so proud of our 580 local team members and our community in Westchester County! Thank you for voting Stew Leonard's one of the 20 BEST Regional Supermarkets of All Time (Food & Wine Magazine), 2020 Best Produce (Westchester Magazine), 2020 America’s Best Supermarkets (TheDailyMeal.com), Best Family Business (Westfair) and so many others.
In the Community
The new food store opened in October of 1999 and Stew Leonard’s immediately got to know our new neighbors. Since that time, Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers has:
- Every Thanksgiving, Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers donates hundreds of turkeys to local churches, synagogues, community centers, and schools through the annual Turkey Brigade.
- Donated to 250 local charities through our Wishing Well
- Provided more than $150,000 high school and college aged students in scholarships
- Since 20015, donated almost $50,000 to Yonkers public schools through the high school fundraising program
- Since 2001, the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation has given more than $455,000 in grant money to the Yonkers Family YMCA to help provide more than 50,000 swimming lessons to children in the community.
The Stars Shine Bright in Yonkers
From Katie Couric and Kathie Lee to Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, celebs love to stop at Stew’s in Yonkers!

- “100 Best Companies to Work For” - Fortune Magazine
- “Best Potato Chip" - Saveur Magazine
- The Westchester County Sustainability Award - Westchester County Government
- The Greenie Award - Yonkers City Council
- Best Gourmet Supermarket - Yonkers Chamber of Commerce
- “Best of Yonkers” Survey
- Listed in Zagat’s New York City Marketplace edition
- Certificate of Excellence Award by TripAdvisor.com!
- We’re really proud of the awards the Stew’s in Yonkers has gotten from our local friends and shoppers!
- Best Mozzarella
- Best Heavy Cream
- Best Boiled Shrimp
- Best Priced Lobster
- Best Market
- Best Specialty Food Store
- Best Fish Market
- Two-time winner of Best Produce ...all voted on by the readers of Westchester Magazine
Meet The Team

Cristian Cruz
As Vice-President of Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers, Cristian Cruz helps to create more than 1 million happy customers every year! He’s been with the Yonkers store since 2006 and you’ll usually find him on the sales floor, lending a hand to his fellow Team Members while providing great customer service with his signature, ear-to-ear smile.

Ellen Story
Ellen Story is the person at Stew’s who is responsible for our 550 happy Team Members in Yonkers! She joined Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk in 1986 as a part-time cashier while still in high school. Today, she oversees the Yonkers store’s Human Resources Department and helps to develop and train leaders at all seven of Stew Leonard’s food stores.

Felix Rodriguez
Felix Rodriguez has been the store director for Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers since 2015, but he first started at Stew’s in Norwalk as a produce clerk in 1996, while still in high school. Over the past 24 years, Felix has baked bread, unloaded trucks, sold Christmas trees, and even made soup at Stew Leonard’s!

Because of YOU
Today, Stew Leonard’s location in Yonkers is our busiest store, welcoming more than 1 million shoppers every year from Westchester County, New York City, and beyond! There’s a reason that the Leonard family is “Bonkers for Yonkers” – and it’s because of YOU! Thank you to our shoppers and Team Members who have become more like friends and family over these past two decades in Yonkers.