If you are what you eat, you’re authentic, unspoiled and locally sourced—even if you’re not a native plant.
The farm-to-table movement has been a cornerstone of the Hudson Valley’s recent renaissance, affirmed by its inclusion on Fodor’s esteemed Go list for 2015. From sprawling farm estates to modest backyard produce gardens, an entire lifestyle has emerged united on the front of mindful agriculture and shortening the distance between farm to fork.
A rolling landscape blended with barns and antique abodes set the stage for this relaxed culture of down-to-earth dining, luring great chefs and casual gastronomes alike to pursue simpler living close to our roots. Name-brand chefs are heading upstate to be closer to the source, serving sustainable cuisine at innovative eateries reinventing the region as New York’s Napa. From Zak Pellacio’s Fish & Game to Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the options—and the menus—are changing every day.
The locavore lifestyle has also led to the advent of artisan agri-ventures at every turn, including craft breweries, distilleries, cheesemakers, coffee roasters, hop farmers, tea blenders, maple syrup makers—you get the idea. Here, even vintage streamline moderne diners sling patties of free range, grass-fed local cow.