In the Hudson Valley you'll find many restaurants in building with rich history. If you're in New Paltz, one such place is the Village Tearoom where you can get dinner and dessert under one roof.
"The restaurant has been here 10 years but the building has been here since 1833. We converted an old, historic tradesman shop in the village of New Paltz to a restaurant, which was a challenge. We used a lot of the older materials and we recycled them into the building," said Agnes Devereux, the owner and head chef.
And a lot has changed in those 10 years.
"Ten years ago there was a lot of places catering to students and not so many catering to more grown up palettes. And also, 10 years ago, it was hard to find local ingredients because things have come a long way since then. We couldn't source local meat 10 years ago, now we have our pick of local meat producers. We were just thrilled to be surrounded by these wonderful farms," said Devereux.
The menu, like the restaurant, is a reflection on the owner, who also happens to be the head chef.
"The most important thing is it's a reflection of me personally any my tastes, my likes, my dislikes. And it is also in a very old building so it is almost like going to someone's home. And we want to reflect that in the food as well. The style of food we have here is like home cooking, but sort of elevated as if your mom was a really good cook or maybe had some professional training. The food is sort of deceptively simple. We also go for being seasonal in our bakery," said Devereux.
Whether visiting for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even just the bakery, the staff hopes you'll enjoy your visit and will want to return for more.
"I want them to feel like they've come somewhere where they are really welcomed. Where the food is comforting and delicious and is sourced responsibly. And that it's a really pleasurable experience from beginning to end," said Devereux.