It may come as a surprise to some Anglo folks who are used to thinking of Latin American food as “too spicy” that this slow-simmering style is the essence of Dominican cuisine. And you can get the real thing in New Paltz these days: at New Nelly’s II, which last year took over the little shop at 235 Main Street that formerly housed Amazin’ Melts, directly across from Ulster Savings Bank.
Hudson Valley Eats has brought together five of the Hudson Valley’s top chefs for a fundraising cooking event beginning January 12 called “Cooking For A Cause” to benefit local non-profits who specialize in getting food directly to locals in need.
The restaurant business is famously tough even in good times. But throw in a once-in-a-100-year pandemic carrying unpredictable restrictions on dining, and it’s no exaggeration to say 2020 was probably the most difficult year to open a restaurant in recent memory. We caught up with five Kingston restaurants — Masa Midtown, Lunch Nightly, Casa Vallarta, Grainne, and Tilda’s Kitchen and Market — to find out how they made it work.
Leonie McCloskey has opened a sweet shop next to her husband Garvan’s restaurant in New Paltz. The shop features handmade baked treats as well as “Irish fancy goods.”
Learn how to make a great chili from the comfort of your own kitchen on November 19 at 6 p.m. The class is part of a series of free healthy cooking classes offered as a collaboration between Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and Ellenville Regional Hospital.
Before assuming the crown of Queen Bee of the Phoenicia Honey Co. six years ago, Rebecca Shim was racking up quite the reputation as a professional chef.
It just isn’t autumn without the hundreds of freshly baked apple pies and steaming-hot fritters dipped in powdered sugar at the New Paltz Reformed Church. The church’s annual apple festival this past Saturday was still a success, despite having to limit the size and scope due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
Outdoor seating has been a lifeline for area restaurateurs during this pandemic, but it’s now October and the good weather for the year is mostly in the past. As the weather gets colder, restaurants are hoping that heaters and tents will help get them through the winter.
Perhaps the most enticing change has occurred in the building’s long-neglected back yard, which faces a parking lot, the base of Joppenbergh Mountain, the filled-in remains of the D&H Canal and a spur to the Wallkill Valley rail-trail that should eventually lure in hikers and cyclists.
“I’ve been here for eight years, and in business for almost 30 years,” says owner Roni Shapiro, who did her apprenticeship in some of the best vegan kitchens in New York City. “Then Covid came, and it was needed. It’s just the perfect model.”