Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen in Asbury Park to close doors on Feb. 28

After nearly six years in business at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Main Street in Asbury Park, Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen is closing.

The restaurant's last day will be Feb. 28.

Owners Aimée McElroy and Lauren Castellini, who opened Medusa in summer 2016, shared the news on social media.

"It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen will be closing," they wrote. "We plan to celebrate our closing every day until then by serving up dinner with lots of laughter and gratitude for everyone’s support through these six amazing years."

Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, McElroy said she and Castellini are grateful for what they built at Medusa, where the pair made crisp-crusted pizzas, bread, soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts — all without a gas range. They cooked with a wood-fired oven.

McElroy began baking more than a decade ago, leaving a career in New York City's art world to become an apprentice and assistant bread baker. She began her journey at Il Bucco Alimentari in NYC before moving to Asbury Park, where she worked at Porta and Talula's while taking classes at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan.

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It was at Porta where she met Castellini, who also attended the French Culinary Institute and worked at Next in Chicago, owned by the famed Grant Achatz, and at Mario Batali's Greenwich Village restaurant Babbo.

Medusa will be open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday.

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During that time, "we want to celebrate all of our accomplishments and all of our friendships and all of our customers and supporters," McElroy said.

At Medusa, "we never had to feel like we weren’t a part of something," she added. "We were here for everything, for everyone, and the friends that we've gained from it, it's invaluable."

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen in Asbury Park NJ to close