Over the weekend honoring America’s birthday, Catskill Eats also celebrated a milestone, marking its first anniversary of covering food, drink, farms, restaurants and artisan edibles across five counties.
It’s been 12 months of amazing expansion for the region’s food and craft beverage scene, peppered with new restaurant openings, lots of big-media coverage and scoops about several large projects headed our way.
In case you are just tuning in, here’s a recap of the website’s most-read stories so far. Please stay tuned; the next 12 months promise to be even more interesting.
- Manhattan’s 212 Brewing Co. Building Its Headquarters in the Catskills (Jan. 5, 2016): A fledgling NYC brewery has big plans at a Delaware County horse farm and former water-bottling plant. The project is proceeding, owner Don Trooien said recently.
- Phoenicia Pancake House Sweet Sue’s to Reopen in 2016 (Dec. 9, 2015): And it did, in May, much to the delight of its fans.
- Renowned Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini Plans Chocolate & Coffee Factory (Aug. 19, 2015): This project is still under development; Iuzzini was evaluating locations when we checked in with him this spring.
- Chef Cesare Casella Launching Catskills Salami Factory & Butcher Shop (April 29, 2016): The celebrity Italian chef is set to open in Hurleyville by the end of the year, one of two big projects on the tiny Sullivan County hamlet’s Main Street backed by a large nonprofit (see No. 9 below).
- New Brewery Planned in Shokan’s Scandinavian Grace Building (Nov. 30, 2015): This project fell through after a major player pulled out of the real estate deal, as we reported in an April 2016 update. However, it may soon be revived at a different location; stay tuned for updates. Meanwhile, the Catskills’ craft beverage industry is booming in lots of other locations.
- Classic Catskills Inns Reboot with New Proprietors and Patrons (Dec. 3, 2015): Youngsville’s Clair Inn & Cafe and Mt. Tremper’s Foxfire Mountain House joined a growing trend that also includes Greene County’s Hammo’s Brewpub & Lodge and Captain’s Inn Point Lookout, along with Sullivan County’s The Arnold House and The North Branch Inn.
- Northern Farmhouse Pasta and Catskill Food Co. Star in New Food Network Show (Aug. 4, 2015): The Roscoe pasta company and the Delhi sausage-maker were featured on “Great American Food Finds,” just one example of major national press spotlighting the Catskills.
- Coming Soon in Woodstock: New Mexican Restaurant at the Hotel Dylan (Sept. 9, 2015): A trio of partners launched a third Santa Fe restaurant last fall, adjacent to the popular new hotel on Route 28 just outside Woodstock proper. In town, several more new businesses have since followed, including the brand-new Station Bar & Curio.
- Nonprofit’s Work to Revive a Struggling Hamlet Brings New Restaurant to Hurleyville (July 30, 2015): Investments by the Center for Discovery, a Sullivan County nonprofit organization, helped enable this cozy gastropub, the first of several projects launching in the last year. A large performing arts center and a makers’ lab also opened their doors over the winter.
- Real Simple Magazine Features Catskills Farmers and Restaurateurs (Sept. 17, 2015): A national magazine turned six local women into fashion models, featuring them in rustic farm settings and introducing a whole new audience to the Catskills’ charm.
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