Fresh

How ironic the one year where it actually feels like fall and not a blazing inferno the Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce can’t hold their annual Cornwall Fall Festival. Well that’s 2020 for ya’. There are so many good memories Fresh has from this insanely busy usually hot day, not to mention it brought us and a ton of small local businesses one of our biggest sales days of the year. In honor of this day, we ask our beloved supportive customer base to still show the lov...e today and patron your small businesses. When I explain to people why shopping local matters I tell them all the time how communities are built upon supportive interconnected relationships. You want good schools and reasonable property taxes? Expand your retail tax base. You want safe streets you and your kids can roam free? Don’t let your Main Street become abandoned and an eyesore. You want your kids to learn responsibility and the meaning of a dollar? Make sure there are places they can independently walk to and work or spend their earned money that is still under the watchful eye of neighbors you trust. Charming beautiful towns don’t just happen, residents contribute to make them that way, so we can not let 2020 destroy centuries of brave entrepreneurship that America was built upon. Now that we have a bit more free time these days there are some new businesses in Cornwall we visited and thoroughly enjoyed and we suggest you try and pay them a visit too: Twins Eating House Breakfasts are HUGE yourdancecloset.com A dance studio for adults that love to dance, but have no formal training Cornwall Coffee Co. & Mercantile Talk about friendly, knowledgable business owners, you will feel like you’ve known each other forever after ordering one cup of coffee! thefarmhousemarketny These adorable young family business owners open up on Main Street on October 3rd and if you loved the food at Fresh I have a feeling you will love the Farmhouse Market too! Cielito lindo Mexican Restaurant Not exactly brand new, but our successors call 255 Main Street their home too. Lauro and Beto are brothers cooking everything homemade like we did and running the show with their entire family, so this was not a traditional tenant takeover situation and we are quite fond of the Olivero family and their delicious food! Take a minute and like their facebook pages and pay them a visit to say hi! And don’t forget the many other longstanding Cornwall businesses that are the foundation of what makes this bucolic darling small town such a draw for people to come live here and make new memories with their families. Places like The Shops at Jones Farm Leo's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria Fiddlestix Cafe 2 Alices Coffee Lounge Chez Ana Painter's Tavern. Any chef knows chefs cook for everyone but themselves, so we would’ve starved without our fellow comrades in this business! Happy first day of fall y’all and don’t forget to $hop small!!!!

Our family is no longer a front and center part of Cornwall’s Main Street and our involvement in the local economy is more behind the scenes with the real estate we own in this community and Josh’s new role as a Councilman on Cornwall’s town board. With that said, I still like to touch base on this page from time to time and connect with our patrons that were such a defining part of our life for five years. I am probably the more private part of our duo and usually keep to ...Continue reading

Any small business employee will tell you on a regular day they are doing the jobs of three people. Any small business owner will tell you something as simple as a rainstorm or a head cold can interfere with revenue for days. So let’s keep this in mind and be kind to our small businesses who under any circumstances always give it all they got to make sure your home towns and Main Streets don’t become abandoned boarded up eyesores. Love local, tip big and be grateful if waiting is your only inconvenience out of this whole mess.

During the years we owned Fresh, anytime anything out of the ordinary happened like a blizzard or making do with a small staff when common illnesses went around it affected our cash flow for days sometimes weeks. Paychecks would get delayed, tough choices of which vendors to pay would have to be made and always as the owners we were the last to get paid if at all. These are the tough realities of your local business owners during small interruptions to their norm and with t...he current health crisis ensuing unfortunately it is only a matter of time the doors will shut to many of your local eateries and shops. I wanted to share some things as a consumer you can do that I know greatly helped us out during some tough times: Take advantage of your local eateries curbside pickups and online shops. Consider paying it forward and arranging a food delivery to your local hospital working OT or a family in need of food while they are home. Buy a gift card for future eating and shopping Put a deposit down for a future gathering Buy an annual membership or make a donation to any nonprofit that fuels seasonal tourism and helps sustains your fave local spots. Post a positive online review, so when tourism resumes newcomers will read about your favorite places and come for a visit. Don’t underestimate the power of a thank you and smile. During many busy shifts when we were in the weeds as we say in food biz and I am sure hospitals are experiencing right now, having someone be patient, smile and say thank you gave us the fuel to do the job we love. The only thing we know and can rely on for sure during this time of uncertainty is our ability to be compassionate. Whether you choose to patron a small business that can’t pay for sick time or lost wages, or helping a neighbor that can’t miss work with free childcare, or simply checking in on someone who already suffers from social isolation, we all have a social responsibility to love local for the global good of us all.

Cornwall has long pleaded for a bakery in town and yes, we have a few in a pinch places, but if you need gourmet foodie approved and sweet tooth aficionado level baked goods please check out our extremely talented hometown boy Mike Kelly’s bakery Newburgh Flour Shop. How darling is this cake I requested for my lil’ sis’s baby shower? Lead pastry chef Kristina (who starts her work day at 2:30 AM and has a 16 month old daughter ) welcomed me with open arms to be part of h...er fascinating creative process. Not only did this cake scream autumn baby like I wanted, but the inside was just as perfect with pillowy bites of devil foods cake, layered with firm rich chocolate ganache and runny salted caramel. Man oh man, I could probably eat a slice for breakfast, lunch and dinner! The food biz ain’t easy folks, but how lucky are we such phenomenal passionate talent is a stone’s throw away?!? #eatlocal #shoplocal #votelocal #localmatters See more

Cornwall’s Fall Festival brings back some of our favorite Fresh memories. Instead of selling ten gallons of butternut squash soup and three hundred turkey sandwiches today we will be there for the first time in six years as patrons. Feeling nostalgic for sure, but we are very excited to support our old and many new small business friends. If you see Chef Josh be sure to ask him about his new venture. It has nothing to do with food, but still very centered around helping Cornwall be the best place to call home.