A new column celebrating the unique and incredibly talented butchers, bakers, and (candlestick) makers of the Hudson Valley.
Dave the Butcher
Dave and Melissa Mountain opened Dave the Butcher last summer, but the couple has quickly developed their recipe for success. “It’s the people,” Dave says. It may sound cliché, but Beacon is truly rooted in community. “We’re trying to attract really great people to be the ones that are always there, and the rest will take care of itself. I know it.” But with over 18 years of food experience (including Lilia, Misi, Ai Fiori, and Rolo’s), Dave Mountain is by no means a vibe-over-substance butcher. He and his wife operate with a strong commitment to their core values of food sustainability, which ultimately reinforces the quality of what they deliver. “When we buy a cow, that cow belongs to the town,” says Dave. “It’s my responsibility to break it down and make it into things that people are familiar with.”
“We use more than 100% of the animal.”
From the Main Street storefront previously occupied by Homespun Foods, Dave the Butcher delivers an impressive spectrum of edible experiences. Retail meat and poultry, talk-of-the-town housemade sausages, perfect lunches, dinners on Fridays and Saturdays with a late-night bar, and seating indoors and out. A satellite operation running food service at Dia:Beacon rounds out their quick hold on the local and tourist populations visiting and living in the city. It’s all part of the master plan that Dave and Melissa refer to as “dreamweaving.” Melissa’s Basque heritage makes “breaking bread” her de facto mode of operation, so it’s no wonder her former experience producing events for House of Yes has led her to run front of house for her own show. Talking to this dynamic duo quickly reveals the passion and pleasure they share in weaving their dreams into the fabric of a community, with delicious food, excellent service, and a place to gather the great people who they know will help make those dreams come true.
Dave the Butcher Beacon, New York @davethebutcherny
See & Be Kitchen
Chrissy and Ben Traore met at a mixer. A commercial stand mixer, that is, where they both worked at Saraghina in Brooklyn. He was the head baker, and she the head pizza chef. One evening, Chrissy had a dough dilemma. Ben helped. The rest is, as they say, history. They’ve been solving baking problems together ever since. The love shines through in their unique sourdough-based zero-preservative breads and pastries, available at over 70 locations throughout the Hudson Valley, including their flagship in Cairo. Must-try items include the secret recipe Arborio Bread and the oh-so-decadent Christmas Cruffin—a cruffin shell piped with hot cocoa buttercream, topped with a Swiss meringue marshmallow, and rolled in crushed Andes candies and peppermint sticks.
The evolution of See & Be Kitchen has been swift and calculated. The couple moved north from Brooklyn in 2018 and began selling breads and croissants from their front porch. The happy accident: It was a pandemic-proof model that allowed them to flourish during tough times. They grew their audience through the local farmers’ market circuit and eventually opened a storefront in 2022.
Now operating in both the consumer and wholesale realms, the next step for this bakery is a franchise model, which kicks off this winter with “First Rise Challenge.” It’s an eight-week competition that will award the winner $100k in support of the first of 18 new locations the Traores plan to open in the coming years.
“It’s an artisan product that really needs the human touch.”
But despite all their word-of-mouth success, the first thing Ben and Chrissy emphasize about their business plans is how the solution aligns with their values. “We don’t want to go to machines, we don’t want to become a factory… but we want to help [other bakers], so we hit on franchise as a way to stay true to our artisan-quality breads.”
See & Be Kitchen Cairo, New York @see_and_be_kitchen
Wndrmade
Sophisticated scents delivered via sleek, minimalist candles and incense have been Stephen Biebel and Alice Yeung’s staples for years, with their company Wndrmade, a regular presence at fairs like Field & Supply. But the larger goal for their brand has been clear from the start: “As I conceptualize fragrance, I think about it in terms of a perfume first,” says Biebel. For years, behind the scenes, Biebel has been transforming his aromatic designs into 100% natural eaux de parfum crafted solely from plants and suspended in organic cane alcohol. “Years” was simply the time it took to do it right.
Yeung, who oversees the visuals for Wndrmade, takes a similar perfectionist approach. Your gut just knows it’s going to smell incredible. She also serves as the inspiration for the company’s genesis. “We use all-naturals because I’m really sensitive to synthetics,” says Yeung, who has successfully recovered from thyroid cancer. “This was our way of offering to the community an alternative.” Biebel continues, “Alice’s recovery became a launching pad for discovery.”
“There is a change in how people want to express themselves through fragrance.”
That journey of discovery has led to a line of 11 all-natural scents that truly are a magical balance of known olfactory base notes mingled with nontraditional soulmates that eradicate the gender stereotypes of fragrance. It wasn’t a stated goal, but initial responses have defined the outcome. “We’ve developed a line of really beautiful and interesting natural fragrances that are completely unisex,” says Biebel. “My designs aren’t really mainstream,” he continues. “My jasmine isn’t overtly floral, and the ones that I had designed to be more musky or masculine are loved universally by women.” The move to perfume has been a long-awaited, instant success for these two impeccable makers, whose dedication to each other has inspired a true feast for the senses.
Wndrmade Kerhonkson, New York @wndrmade
