ZAK PELACCIO IN HUDSON
SUBSTITUTION METHOD COOKING
MICHAEL POLLAN GETS COOKED
101 COOKBOOKS
2013 LOCAL HERO AWARD WINNERS
Six Food and Farming Leaders Recognized
Edible Hudson Valley is proud to present its 2013 Local Hero Awards. Selected last fall by Edible Hudson Valley readers in an online readers’ choice poll, the winners were chosen for their exemplary work and dedication in serving and sustaining the region’s local food and farming community.
The list of winners, along with their individual stories, appears in the Spring 2013 issue of Edible Hudson Valley magazine, available now.
Chef/Restaurant: Giuseppe Napoli, The Tavern at Diamond Mills
25 South Partition Street, Saugerties, 845.247.0700, diamondmillshotel.com
Beyond its setting overlooking the falls of Esopus Creek, this stately restaurant’s main attraction is the food. Culinary Institute-trained chef Giuseppe Napoli matches the refinement of the room with menu items like a petite veal osso bucco, but also contributes a bit of casual flair with a crowd-pleasing skillet burger and an assortment of housemade flatbreads, made with a rustic Mediterranean flair. The menu is rounded out with a generous selection of local cheeses, as well as local and seasonal items, and the bar is stocked with local beers and spirits.
Food Shop: Field Goods
Athens, 888.887.3848, field-goods.com
For those who don’t have the time, means, or energy to seek out locally grown produce, Field Goods links farmer to consumer with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)-type service that provides customizable weekly deliveries. Mushrooms, plums, tomatoes, green garlic, and purple Cherokee potatoes are just a few of the seasonal items that make up a weekly delivery, direct from local farms like Little Seed, Greig, and Fog & Thistle. Pick-up locations are conveniently available at businesses, office buildings, college campuses, and community centers from Albany down into the Hudson Valley.
Farm/Farmer: Rusty Plough Farm, Oleh & Nadia Maczaj
331 Dowe Road Ellenville, 845.647.6911, rustyploughfarm.com
Run by Oleh and Nadia Maczaj, this certified organic farm in Ulster County packs a lot into its modest 40-acres.Watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, squash, eggplant, beans, fresh eggs, honey and yes, even heirloom tomatoes. As they like to say, they grow “everything from A to Z, but we haven’t really come up with an “X” vegetable.” They offer CSA shares, wholesale, and always welcome visitors (call ahead) to their bucolic bit of rustic agrarian life.
Food Artisan: Café Le Perche
230 Warren Street, Hudson, 518.822.1850, cafeleperche.com
Taking its inspiration from the rich agricultural region of Le Perche, France, this Hudson eatery is typified by the three B’s (bistro, bar, and boulangerie). From the authentically French brioche to the elegant Baguette du Perche, this place does the impossible – provides a taste of French countryside to the hungry masses thanks to superb baking skills and a 17-ton wood-fired Munoz oven from its namesake town in France.
Beverage Artisan: Chatham Brewing
30 Main Street, Chatham, 518.392.1026, chathambrewing.com
Five years in the making, this small craft brewing outfit, run by Tom Crowell and Jake Cunningham, has been producing everything from their hugely popular India Pale Ale to a more robust Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale (with a fair amount of additional seasonal and perennial varieties). They sell their brew at their storefront, and also at a variety of farmers’ markets, local restaurants and bars, and it comes in keg form or the slightly more diminutive growler.
Non-Profit: Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation / Hudson Valley Bounty
507 Warren Street, Hudson, 518.432.5360, hvadc.org
Running a successful farm is a considerably difficult prospect; managing a successful restaurant that provides diners with the best of the local harvest is also a daunting prospect. Hudson Valley Bounty endeavors to bridge the gap between local farmers and local restaurants by promoting and supporting connections between producers and culinary businesses. In addition, the organization provides planning and development services to prospective and established farmers, while educating the larger community about the virtues of local food production in the Hudson Valley.
Edible Hudson Valley’s
Winter 2012-2013 issue has arrived!
