Saint Leo marks 10 years serving Oxford diners

Saint Leo marked 10 years in Oxford on June 30, a milestone for the restaurant at 1101 Jackson Ave. East just off the Square. In a college town where independent dining spots can rise and fade quickly, the decade-long run put the wood-fired Italian restaurant among the most established names in Lafayette County’s dining scene.

Emily Blount opened Saint Leo on June 30, 2016, after several years of planning. The concept launched as a walk-in-friendly, community-focused restaurant serving lunch, weekend brunch, dinner and takeout, with a menu centered on wood-fired pizza and Italian-inspired cooking. That format helped give the restaurant a clear identity from the start, and it has kept that identity through a stretch that has been hard on many small food businesses.

Blount’s background shaped the restaurant’s style. Born and raised in Northern California, she spent more than a decade in New York City before settling in Oxford. Saint Leo’s own materials describe the restaurant as built around sustainability, local purveyors and the kind of hospitality Blount wanted to bring to town. The same materials say Saint Leo was a 2017 James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant semifinalist, a sign that the Oxford dining room quickly drew attention well beyond Lafayette County.

The restaurant’s profile has also rested on its broader team. Early local coverage identified pastry chef Joie Blount as part of the founding group, while Visit Oxford has said Saint Leo is especially known for wood-fired pizzas, fresh salads and a vibrant brunch menu. The tourism listing also notes a 2019 James Beard-nominated bar program led by Joe Stinchcomb, adding another layer to a business that has built its reputation on more than one part of the menu.

For Oxford, the anniversary underscored how a chef-driven restaurant becomes part of the local routine. Saint Leo opened as a new concept on a busy corridor just off the Square, and 10 years later it is no longer a newcomer but a durable fixture. In a market shaped by rent, staffing pressure, seasonal swings and the demands of running an independent restaurant, that kind of staying power is its own kind of achievement.