During Monday’s daily COVID-19 briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new fund, the First Responders Fund, to assist COVID-19 health care workers and first responders with expenses and costs, including child care. The fund is open to all to contribute to, and is accepting donations.
The first donation announced was a $10 million contribution from Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms who seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for their investors, the companies in which they invest, and the communities in which they live and work, according to their website. They serve institutional investors around the world, including retirement systems that represent tens of millions of teachers, firefighters and other pensioners.
A second donation has been made to help with food security. According to Blackstone’s news release: “Additionally, the firm is donating $5 million to organizations providing food security and resources for New Yorkers in need. City Harvest, World Central Kitchen, Great Performances and Slice Out Hunger are all working to provide meals for healthcare workers, first responders and other vulnerable populations. Contributions to our nonprofit partners such as Coalition for the Homeless, Union Settlement and Covenant House New York, among others, have helped provide critical support to at-risk communities affected by COVID-19. You can read the full announcement here.”
To donate, Gov. Cuomo directs you to donate directly through Health Research Incorporated, which you can access here, or by check mailed to "Health Research, Inc., 150 Broadway, Suite 560, Menands, NY 12204." Donors should specify the donation is for "COVID-19 NYS Emergency Response."
According to its website: “Health Research, Inc. (HRI) contributes to the health and well-being of the people of New York State by complementing and enabling the strategic goals of the New York State Department of Health and its partners. Donations to Health Research, Inc. are put to immediate use to further public health and research programs.”
It's a busy Friday. It's a Friday where some banks opened to take applications from businesses applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), but there's a flood of applications and some banks are delaying in order to prevent fraud. The new owners of Homespun Foods have been on it like bonnets from the beginning, trying to save their restaurant, and applied today, and have a hopeful response. We'll send you their story soon.
In the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) department, masks are being talked about in a big way for a variety of reasons. There's the shortage of hospital-grade ones. Beacon Makers, organized by the Mutual Aid Beacon and Beacon Moms Group (and possibly others) have also been on it like bonnets and have been making CDC-approved emergency masks for weeks to try to help the front lines at the hyperlocal level in Beacon and beyond. The making continues, as a lot more masks and gowns are needed.
All of these articles are going to come to you, but after our regularly scheduled Retail Therapy Guide. Get this guide, know how to get your wine delivered, treat yourself to a new shirt or pair of glasses, and then continue on with the harder stuff.
BUT FIRST, A THANKS TO OUR ADVERTISERS
As best we can, people are trying to pay in place - keep the system moving as if money is still flowing. A Little Beacon Blog has some advertisers who have stayed on, and we appreciate them so much. Their support helps us report on the virus, and business developments in town. To those businesses who needed to pull out, we get it! And we support you too, and know that we are cheering for you to make it to the other side of the apex.
Advertisers trying to continue to support us (give them extra love!):
Antalek & Moore Insurance Agents.
As you juggle which bills to pay, pay your insurance bill if it's through an agent. If people skip their insurance premiums, the good people at Antalek & Moore don't get their commissions. Antalek & Moore employs several people, and they work hard doing homework to make your home and business insurance life easier. If you aren't in their good hands yet, call them today to transfer your insurance to them. Honestly. They do the work for you. They find the right fit with an insurance carrier, and they do the rest. Need a new Workers Comp policy? They are on it. Change of address? Done.
Binnacle Books.
Huge supporters of many movements. Order your books through their easy web page. The fact that an independent bookstore even opened in the past few years is amazing, and now they're riding out a pandemic.
Eat Church.
Bless them. Their food truck is powered down for now and they are still supporting ALBB. They are also involved with Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), so any extra love we can throw ARF's way to encourage you to donate to help the dogs and cats, we will. Donate here. Or adopt!
Luxe Optique.
Another huge supporter of local, and thinking outside the box to make things work, and make you happy with your vision and your style. We miss their faces and energy so much!
PTACEK Home.
Newbies to Beacon from Garrison, and they dove right in months before the pandemic shut them down. They have the custom-made furniture shop off the beaten path, but really they make homes and custom-designed furniture. See below for ideas.
LLTO (Live Light Travel Often).
Partners with PTACEK Home in the shop only, Tamara Reynolds is the founder of LLTO and its curated stock of beautiful products from her travels to Japan and knowledge of artisan-made goods.
Virtual Benefit Concert - Howland Chamber Music Circle Presents
Day: Saturday, April 4, 2020 Time: 8 pm ET, 7 pm CT, 5 pm PT PURCHASE TICKETS > OurConcerts.live, a new venture dedicated to supporting and promoting classical music, will bring together some of classical music’s biggest stars in a virtual benefit concert. Proceeds will go to the Artist Relief Tree, a new fund created to financially support artists who are affected by cancellations due to COVID-19.
OurConcerts.live is pleased to present an evening of extraordinary music. Streaming live from their homes, pianists Emanuel Ax and Jon Kimura Parker, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, violinist Rachel Barton Pine, clarinetist Anthony McGill, harpist Bridget Kibbey and others will give an intimate view into some of their favorite pieces. The artists are graciously donating their time to benefit their colleagues. Information >
Malfatti Glass: Free Giveaway
Day: Saturday, April 4, 2020 Time: 12 to 2 pm Digital Location: 10 Willow St., Beacon
Malfatti Glass is a local glass-blowing shop right here in Beacon, who is loved nationwide. Also, one of the glass-blowers, Jill, is your local representative on the Zoning Board. She and her husband Joe are giving away 50 pairs of Prosecco "Seconds" (glasses that for one reason or another would be included in their annual seconds sale) to show their support for the community during this time of anxiety and uncertainty. You can pick up, BUT you have to maintain social distance. Grab and go, don't linger, and wait for the person in front of you, six feet away, to leave first. The glasses have been sanitized, wrapped in clean tissue, packed in cardboard tubes, and the tubes wrapped in more tissue by a glove-wearing packer following best practices. Glasses will be available for pick-up from a box at the end of the driveway. Malfatti Glass: Raise A Glass for a Toast (digitally) Time: 8 pm Location: Instagram @malfattiglass or Facebook
Streaming
Day: All Day, Every Day Location: Your House
Local Beaconite Gwynne Watkins is an entertainment and culture journalist for Yahoo Entertainment, Vulture, Elle Magazine, and GQ. She gave A Little Beacon Blog recommendations for family-friendly TV watching. Get Details > SXSW Film Selections Will Stream On Amazon Prime For Free For 10 Days Get Details > HBO To Stream 500 Hours Of Free Programming, Including Full Seasons Of ‘Veep,’ ‘The Wire,’ ‘Silicon Valley’ Get Details >
A Little Beacon Blog updates our Restaurant Guide constantly. When we see changes on social media, or get a tip from a reader, we dive in and update. To cut to the chase of who is delivering and needs your biz: 2 Way Brewing (select days), Baja 328, Bank Square Coffee, The Beacon Daily, The Pandorica (good menu! great desserts), Big Mouth Coffee Roasters, BJ’s Soul Food, Melzingah Tap House, Miz Hattie’s BBQ, MoMo Valley (Himalayan), Max’s On Main, Quinn’s, Enoteca AMA, Roma Nova, Trax Coffee, Végétalien (check IG for dates).
Fundraisers have also been posted to the Guide, like for The Yankee Clipper's GoFundMe and Chill Wine Bar Gift Cert. Rumors of a few new openings may be around the corner, so keep refreshing that Restaurant Guide!
VÉGÉTALIEN
This weekend, Végétalien is doing a test run with DoorDash/Curbside Pick-Up/Takeout starting Friday, April 3, through Sunday, April 5, from 10 am to 3 pm. You can call to order at (845) 765-1943, send a message on their Instagram, order through DoorDash, or email at vegetalienbeacon@gmail.com. They will only be accepting cards or exact cash. If this weekend goes well, their takeout hours will be extended. Follow their Instagram for updates. Information > ARTISAN WINE SHOP
Wine and spirits delivery. Need we say more? Order online. In advance. Delivery or in-store pickup available. Start Browsing >
EAT CHURCH (Closed For Now)
Eat Church shared a super easy recipe for making bread at home. Here's what owner Mark says: "This is the most stripped-down bread recipe I've got, as it makes a great standard white loaf but requires so few ingredients and so little effort. Great one to make with kids as most folks have the ingredients in the pantry." Get the ingredients here > Eat Church is a Sponsor - thank you!
MIZ HATTIE'S - CURBSIDE DELIVERY
(inside Hudson Valley Food Hall)
We ordered it last week. There was so much food, we had lunch well into the next day, and snacks into the night. Bottles of wine are also available. A Little Beacon Blog has written about Miz Hattie's before. Order from Miz Hattie any day of the week.
BEACON FARMERS MARKET OPEN
The Beacon Farmers Market opens for pre-online ordering (Friday afternoon order deadline) and Sunday pickup. Normally, pre-ordering ends on Fridays for Sunday pickup, but you could maybe still try! Now also offering delivery. Details Here >
LUXE OPTIQUE
We know you are in Luxe Optique withdrawal. We are, too. We miss their energy. More importantly, you miss your next pair of frames. Here's what you need now: an easy pair of glasses that don't need the expert touch of Laurie or Ryan for adjusting. You need a pair of La Fonts, which may sit just right from the beginning. This Luxe Optique customer loves jogging in her leopard La Fonts. They never need fixing. Shop Now, Call Later! > Luxe Optique is a Sponsor - thank you!
THE CHOCOLATE STUDIO
Did you know that The Chocolate Studio also offers vegan and gluten-free brownies, vegan/GF cheesecake, cookies, vegan donuts, vegan mini-lemon bundt cakes, and vegan/GF raspberry bars? Order and pay online now! Delivery is FREE! Available on their website!
BINNACLE BOOKS
Binnacle Books is keeping their Instagram updated with books you can purchase online. They'll be delivering stock from the store directly to local customers or special-ordering new books from their distributors, which are shipped directly to your mailbox, whether you’re local or not. Order anything through https://www.binnaclebooks.com/order-books, and reach out via their Instagram DM with any questions! Get Details > Binnacle Books is a Sponsor - thank you!
PTACEK Home
See all of the looks created at PTACEK Home, and start dreaming. These looks can be in your home, too. Either from the showroom store in Beacon (when it re-opens), or custom-built or designed just for your space. Start Dreaming > PTACEK Home is a Sponsor - thank you!
LLTO (LIVE LIGHT TRAVEL OFTEN)
With all that is happening in the world, LLTO is grateful to practice and promote minimal living, rich with connection and quality. They can help you create your home sanctuary, with items that have meaning and purpose, and take advantage of their FREE SHIPPING*. These are naturally scented bath flakes from Tosaryu. Aromatic hinoki (Japanese cypress) chips. Sustainably made from recovered byproducts of the hinoki wood manufacturing process. Includes two pouches. $10. Made in Japan. Buy Online! > LLTO is a Sponsor - thank you!
ZAKKA JOY Shop online, with free shipping on all orders over $50 with coupon code EWGERMS, and free Beacon no-contact doorstep delivery with coupon code SHOPLOCAL.
SALON DAE with DANIELLE
Got transitioning hair? Are you a new curly girl? Not sure how to shampoo and condition? Danielle's got you, over at virtual Salon Dae. In this video, she treated one side of her hair with conditioner and she shares tips for the other side. Watch the video.
People have been craving schedule and routine in their lives. Fitness centers have been providing that. Here are a few:
BEBHAKTI YOGA
Tune into kids yoga on Tuesdays at 3:15 via zoom with BeBhakti Yoga! A great way in which our children can interact in a safe and fun manner, while being physically active and stimulated! And bonus, this can count as P.E. for home schooling! Parents, feel free to join in on sleepy pose at the end of class. Information >
FIREFLY YOGA
Digital yoga classes are also available through Firefly Yoga in Fishkill. Our Managing Editor, Marilyn Perez, teaches Slow Flow (Gentle) class Fridays at 11:30 am via Zoom. Open to all levels! Drop-in rate is $10. Sign up through the MINDBODY app at least an hour beforehand so you can receive the meeting room link.
ANTALEK & MOORE
Antalek & Moore has been hard at work (remotely) researching opportunities for small businesses and sharing them on their Facebook page - such as a recent SBA Webinar on YouTube about Economic Injury Disaster Loan Basics. Be sure to follow them also on Instagram! Antalek & Moore is a Sponsor - thank you!
We got a suggestion in from a reader, who wanted to know how to send financial support to A Little Beacon Blog to help us continue to produce. Even just $5. First of all: THANK YOU to that reader for wanting to do this!
If you are feeling like you want to contribute to ALBB as a reader, then visit thenew link in the ABOUT tab, called: “I Want To Support ALBB!” Different amounts are available, starting at $5. Clickhere or on the graphic above to learn more about how you can help! Support Here >
People Who Have Given Reading your comments about what ALBB means to your life has been humbling and keeps us going. Thank you. See Who Supported >
The vendors have come up with a pre-order pickup system. Order from your favorite vendor (like Eggbert’s Eggs) by Friday afternoon and then pick up on Sunday.
But don’t wait until Friday. Do it on earlier days during the week. Here’s what an order can look like. You can see all of the options carried by that vendor. This is really neat, because in the Time After The Coronavirus, this may be a great way of pre-ordering your grocery list if you are not able to get to market early enough in the morning.
Key might be remembering what you bought from which vendor by the time Sunday rolls around! Print it out or make a pretty cheat-sheet at home and bring it with you to pickup.
Free groceries have been made available for anyone who needs them. This is available to all people, not just people registered in the City of Beacon School District, confirms Helanna Bratman. "Yes! For all people! No age or location restrictions," she said. This is a collaborative effort between Cornell Cooperative Extension, Fareground, Mutual Aid Beacon, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, Beacon City School District, and Common Ground.
DETAILS:
WHEN: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 LOCATION #1: Beacon High School 10 to 10:30 am LOCATION #2: South Avenue from 10:30 to 11:30 am Please only use one location.
Groceries will be pre-bagged and ready for pick up together with BCSD meals. However, for these groceries, you do not need to be registered with the school district.
DELIVERY OPTIONS
Need the groceries delivered? This can be coordinated with you.
Photo Credit: Top Left and Bottom Right Photos are from Sargent Elementary PTO.
PUBLISHED: 3/23/2020 UPDATED: 4/27/2020
School children registered in the City of Beacon School District are eligible to pick up food packages from two locations: The Beacon High School and South Avenue Elementary. All are welcome to come pick up this food. Social distancing is being practiced. Safe systems are in place to get the food to your hands. Drive your car or walk to pickup. Delivery options are also available and being further developed.
All Kids and Families Are Encouraged To Use The Food - Even You (Yes, You!)
All are encouraged to use the food. Even you if you have a stocked pantry. The food has been rationed for you, and there is plenty of it. In fact, not everyone has been using it. Possibly with the mentality of: “I don’t want to take from someone else - let someone else in need have it.” If that is your mentality, that is a beautiful thought, but go forward with participating in the plan.
If it means you have a little extra, then you’re able to give that to someone in need that you come across directly in your hyper-hyper local neighborhood. Your kids also may be excited to see their old snacks. Even the “alternate lunch” bread of the PB+J. Seems to be that the brown bread of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a particular favorite with my little ones. As are the sugar cereal boxes and apple bags. They are next looking for the pizza. Not sure if that will happen, but so far, the cafeteria staff and the superintendent have been pretty surprising about what food options they are slinging out of there. My cat even likes the turkey and cheese cubes.
New Times and Food Package Pickup
The cafeteria staff is modifying this food distribution plan based on usage and feedback. As of today, it is moving to a two-day pickup schedule. The idea is that you pick up enough meal slots to last between the pickup times. Delivery options exist, and those details are blow.
Pickup Times
MONDAY: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches
WEDNESDAY: 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches
Pickup Locations
10-10:45 am: Beacon High School or South Avenue Elementary
Please pick up from one location only.
Drive or Walk: Says Superintendent Matt Landahl: “A convenient drive-up option is available at both locations, and walk-ups are welcome too. The meals will require some heating up as some items are frozen.”
Frozen meals! Maybe the pizza is coming!
Delivery Options and Sign Up
If you need meal delivery to start on Wednesday (or any day after reading this), you can email the superintendent himself: landahl.m@beaconk12.org or text at 845-372-2286. Please give your address and kids' names. But keep it to this delivery request only. Please do not call. Use his email for other types of correspondence as you normally would.
Says Matt (because honestly, he insists you call him Matt… he has kids in the district too): “You don't need to give a reason, just ask and we will do our best to help. We will confirm before delivery. We are working to increase our delivery and neighborhood drop-offs as well and will notify everyone as we expand.”
Take out before a hike outside. Photo Credit: Lisa Marie Martinez
We love our small businesses here in Beacon. LOVE THEM. We love free enterprise, and the ability for businesses to make decisions without regulation strangling them. But we are in a pandemic here, and the numbers all around Beacon keep. going. up. All of us have had to work very hard to keep our blood pressure down, and make calm, smart choices.
Please remember that as you read this article. It is asking you to do take out. Have a picnic in your car of the lovely open faced croissant sandwich that Beacon Pantry made for you. Get that burger and fries from Barb’s and take a hike (in town, I don’t mean leave - just walk down the old train tracks or the Fishkill Creek or something and eat the burger there).
Beacon Businesses Are Doing Takeout
If you are from NYC and you have come to Beacon to get away from the pandemic that is filling ICU hospital beds needed for ventilators (Governor Cuomo’s words), please stay home. We do need your business, eventually. But all of us, probably in the whole country at this point, need to stay home and focus on our own health, eating well, taking breaks from coronavirus updates, and not standing near each other. In a bar. In a coffee shop. In a restaurant.
When A Little Beacon Blog asked Mayor Kyriacou about social distancing and the community, he sad:
“All the experts say that the most important thing that we can do is slow the transmission of COVID-19 ("flatten the curve"), so that our emergency services are not inundated. What that means in practice is canceling large crowd events, and practicing "social distancing." It does not mean shutting everything down.
”For example, the City of Beacon is shifting our board meetings to the much larger public space at the Tompkins Hose Firehouse across Route 9D from City Hall, spacing out our seating, monitoring for size of crowd, creating the option of teleconferencing, and giving board members the option of making individual personal decisions as to whether to attend in person or by teleconference.”
Beacon business in retail have been contemplating closing all weekend. Here are examples:
Temporary Beacon Business Closures:
In light of both the 50 percent occupancy reduction mandate by Governor Cuomo, many restaurants have taken measures to reduce tables. Fitness studios have limited number of guests. Whether this is being enforced is another question. Locally, on St. Patrick’s Day, bars were packed as Spain and France completely shut down their countries, and mandated that bars close, and that restaurants could do take-out. Grocery stores and petrol stations and other essential stores could stay open.
The Bagel Shoppe in Fishkill. Patrons can eat inside, but curbside service is now a thing for them. Photo Credit: Brianne McDowell
Echo Beacon will close to follow the school schedule and idea of social distancing. Business was busy this weekend as people got wind of the last chance to stock up. Maybe she will do pickup, however, and do something creative to shop for people while from inside.
Hudson Beach Glass was going to have their Second Saturday gallery opening, but postponed at the last minute, and temporarily closed its doors for two weeks to the public.
Binnacle Books: Has temporarily closed their Main Street doors to the public, but are still taking special orders (we order all of our books through them, no matter who the author). Their online order form is so. easy. You can also get a yearly membership for 10 percent off every purchase.
King + Curated, the custom jewelry shop that allows customers in to handle and buy jewelry, closed for two weeks and is taking custom orders via FaceTime for client meetings. Online ordering remains possible, and they plan to run sales!
Beetle and Fred canceled most of their classes, and may make other adjustments. Curbside delivery is now available for people to pick up their fabric if they want to - if they don’t want to come in.
Beacon Pantry: Same thing. To-go items are being prepped, and the pantry side of the store may start making deliveries. The eatery remains open. They do have a back parking lot to make quick, easy pickup of to-go orders.
Yankee Clipper Diner is making curbside pickup available, in addition to being open.
Beacon Bread and Tito Santana Taqueria have limited their total number of people to 20 at once, and have outside tables.
River Therapeutic Massage closed for now and canceled all massage appointments.
Barb’s Butchery is open for walk-in meat orders, but is doing take-out only for the meals. You can always call ahead.
Some restaurants are wishing that Hudson Valley Restaurant Week had been postponed, since participating in the event is a financial investment that they made.
The galleries were the first to close, with almost all of them postponing shows. The Howland Cultural Center has had almost every event cancel.
A Little Beacon Blog is going to be doing a big edit to our Shopping and Restaurant Guides to make it easy for you to see how to alternatively shop and eat.
Please. New Yorkers: Stay in NYC. Just stay inside of your apartments. Open the windows. Get fresh air.
Beaconites: Order takeout. Buy gift cards. Ask a store owner to bring you that package of pens that you need (I need some new pens from Zakka Joy! She is open). Beacon Barkery will deliver cat food to your porch. He did it to mine today.
The food pantry at the Beacon Recreation Center will remain open during the coronavirus voluntary self-quarantine mode, and is serving people one-by-one on Saturday mornings. The food pantry is run by the New Vision Church of Deliverance and is located at 23 West Center Street, around the corner from South Avenue Elementary and near-ish to the Beacon Housing Authority.
“Precautions are being taken. We will give out numbers and have people come in one at a time. [There will be] hand-washing, then obtaining food,” said Kenya Gadsden, who represents the church’s food pantry.
Donating Food To This Food Pantry
Usually, Trader Joe’s and ShopRite have donated the food to the New Vision Church of Deliverance’s food pantry at the Beacon Recreation Center. According to Kenya, that has become more difficult during the past few weeks.
Anyone wanting to donate can drop off a bag(s) at 9:30 am on Saturdays to 23 West Center Street. Or, you can drop it off at the church, New Vision Church of Deliverance, 831 Route 52, Fishkill, NY.
Also located on the property of the Recreation Center is the Tiny Food Pantry, which is a grab-and-go style food pantry that people can place food into whenever they want, and people can take whenever they want. Expired food is not accepted, and ALBB recommends that you place in it whatever you would buy for yourself or your family. If you like it, someone else who can’t buy it probably does too! Toiletries and hygiene products like are pads also accepted.
Superintendent Matthew Landahl announced that the Beacon City School District will be offering one meal each morning at two different locations for all kids in the City of Beacon starting Monday, March 16, 2020, the same day that the two-week school closure starts, in the name of reducing density and spread of coronavirus/COVID-19. Schools in Ohio are also extending to their school children the free breakfast and lunch programs, as they too find themselves in sudden protection mode.
LOCATIONS:
10 to 10:30 am: Beacon High School 10:30 to 11 am: South Avenue Elementary
Superintendent Landahl stated: “This will be ‘grab and go’ and is available for all children in Beacon, please spread the word!” Children will be given two meals at the grab-and-go location so that kids can take home a meal to eat the next day at breakfast. The Beacon City School District Food Services Director put together this program in a matter of days.
Superintendent Landahl told A Little Beacon Blog: “Food services staff will work on putting the grab and go bags together. They will include both breakfast items and lunch items so kids can eat lunch and then eat the breakfast the next day. Karen Pagano, our food services director, put this together in about three days. Kids just will have to sign their names, but it is open to all children in Beacon, not just our students.”
South Avenue Elementary has the highest amount of low-income families in its district, and is in close proximity to housing developments for a lot of families in need. The Beacon Recreation Center, located a few blocks away, was the former location for the summer lunch program (that was discontinued last year due to eligibility shifts within the district for that program).
There is a food pantry located at the Recreation Center that is open on Saturday mornings. This food pantry is organized by the New Vision Church of Deliverance. This is in addition to the Tiny Food Pantry mini-house that is located on the grounds of the Recreation Center that anyone can leave food in at any time.
Phil Ciganer, proprietor of the Towne Crier Cafe on Main Street in Beacon, and his wife Mary Ciganer, who is a pastry chef for the restaurant, have lost their son, Greyson, to opioid addiction. He was 26 years old. Some of you may know Greyson, having met him as your server at some point at Towne Crier. One night as our server, Greyson told us of his own birth story, which was very beautiful. It was while we were trying to decide on what to order for dessert (there were 13 options) and he was delighting in his mother’s cooking. A private gathering was held today (Sunday, February 23) to emotionally support Phil and Mary by those who know them.
“Greyson was involved with the Towne Crier for just about his entire life,” Phil told A Little Beacon Blog. “From a young age, he was interacting with and charming customers, and helping out any way he could - first as a busboy, then as a waiter.” Does Mary still make the desserts for the Towne Crier? We weren’t sure if she was still the one after all of these years. Phil confirmed: “Mary will continue to make her legendary desserts for the Towne Crier.”
Phil and Mary want to turn their grief into awareness, and have announced a benefit concert to combat opioid addiction, to be held at the Towne Crier on March 1, 2020. They want to “transform their tragedy into a call for action,” according to their press release sent out on Sunday evening. There is no cost for entry, but donation is suggested.
Phil also answered some delicate questions for this article, in order to help others:
ALBB: Do you have thoughts/advice for those of us who have kids, on how to spot any signs that the children are addicted? ”There are behavioral clues - such as obvious manipulations (‘I need money for gas,’ etc.) - that can alert parents/caregivers to a potential problem. I would recommend checking out some of the valuable resources put out by various organizations - including Drug Crisis in Our Backyard and other nonprofits that will be represented at the event on Sunday.”
ALBB: Do you have any words of advice or reflection for those of us with children or grandchildren or nieces and nephews? ”I think we - as communities, and as a country - should concentrate more on the opioid epidemic that is devastating thousands of people every day - those who are addicted, as well as the people who love them. It's a problem that has been escalating, and changes (for the better) are being made too slowly. Progress needs to be brought to the forefront. Our mission is to raise awareness of this scourge, and to support the groups that are providing critical resources for dealing with it. That’s why we’re hosting this concert.”
The press release is below:
###
“Following the recent loss of their 26-year-old son, Greyson, to opioid addiction, Phil and wife Mary are reaching out to the community with the "Concert for Recovery," featuring local and regional talent on Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 4 pm. Donations are suggested, with proceeds benefiting Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families in the Hudson Valley who are struggling with addiction.
The lineup for "Concert for Recovery" includes:
The Slambovian Underground
Kathleen Pemble
The Costellos
Jerry Lee, Boom Kat
Carla Springer & Russ St. George
Chihoe Hahn, and others
“Come hear some of the finest talent in the area while contributing to a worthy cause, and learn about the opioid abuse epidemic that is devastating individuals and families on the local and national level.
”If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction and needs help, visit www.drugcrisisinourbackyard.org or reach out to the HopeLine at 877-846-7369.”
About Drug Crisis in Our Backyard
Susan and Steve Salomone and Carol Christiansen are the Executive Board of Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering education and action-oriented opportunities for families and individuals struggling with addiction. The organization was originally started in 2012 by Susan and Steve Salomone, and Carol and Lou Christiansen after the loss of their sons to a battle against heroin.
After news of their loss reached the community, they realized that they were not alone, that millions of others struggle in silence without any idea of the treatment options or support that is available. Seeking to reduce the stigma associated with addiction, and to help families that are still struggling, they created Drug Crisis in Our Backyard in order to promote awareness about drug use, assist addicted and at-risk individuals and their families, and implement measures, including legislation, that hold accountable organizations and medical institutions that perpetuate drug use through overprescription of opiates and other drugs.
UPDATE 2/22/2020: This article has been edited from its original version to reflect the fact that Ella’s Bellas as a brand remains with founder Carley Franklin Hughes. She sold the Beacon location of the eatery to new owners. The brand Ella’s Bellas, however, lives on.
With the first pictures of food just being posted to Kitchen & Coffee’s new Instagram account, the Internet is pretty excited about what is being tested for their new menu. Like this Shakshuka Tahini Hummus bowl. The restaurant will remain 100 percent gluten-free and is vegetarian.
Beef jerky at the Eggbert Free Range Farm table at the Beacon Farmers Market! Flavors include Sweet and Mild. Eggberts sold out of them last summer quite quickly, so these may go too! The scoop is that there are more on order from the Amish person in Pennsylvania who makes them.
The hens at Eggberts (not to be confused with the Christmas destination of egg-head Eggbert), eat only the finest food: pumpkin seeds, grass, oyster shells, flowers, and other foods that produce the special K in eggs that make the yolk orange, and has been measured to be lower in cholesterol than the eggs of other feed-fed hens. How do we know this random information? Because we took a Deep Dive into what makes a “farm fresh egg” and where to find them in Beacon. That article is somewhere in our Drafts and hopefully it will make it out of there. But right now, after our research, that best farm fresh egg is right here in the Veterans Building at the Beacon Farmers Market. When we publish the article, we’ll tell you where to get the next-best egg if you can’t get to market or a small producer.
PS: Barb’s Butchery also has had farm fresh eggs, as does All You Knead Artisan Bakers in Beacon, sometimes. Both stores work with farms and bring the eggs back to their shops.
PPS: Where else can you get beef jerky in Beacon? At the beef jerky specialists, of course! Village Jerk next to The Chocolate Studio in Beacon near the mountain side of Main Street. See A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide for the address and details!
Pho King ingredients, from Eat Church. Photo Credit: Eat Church
I’m not gonna lie (and why would I in the presence of a church?!): For the longest time I did not know what Pho King was (some ingredients are pictured at right), but a lot of you do, and it seems to have a lot of big-time loyal fans. I’m happy to report: I have finally tried Pho King, it’s good, and I want it again.
Meet Eat Church, the little food truck on the campus of Industrial Arts Brewing that packs a powerful punch to your palate. Eat Church is quite possibly the eatery furthest from the center of Beacon, in true fringe style on the far end of the Route 52 strip, up a hill, and to the left of the new Industrial Arts taproom with the pinball game room.
This little truck serves roasted chicken, roasted pig, pad thai, pork belly, crunchy noodles, Korean fried chicken, red curry with coconut rice, and many more creations.
The Industrial Arts Brewery sign on Route 52 near John Deere. The Eat Church food truck is on the brewery’s campus.
If you’ve driven down Route 52 a zillion times and never seen Industrial Arts or Eat Church, well, that’s understandable. The sign for Industrial Arts isn’t quite as lit up as the neighboring John Deere sign. All you need to do is turn at the Industrial Arts sign, drive up the winding driveway, and beer and food await you.
The food truck is outside, and plenty of seating is inside Industrial Arts, either at the bar, or at long tables in the common area, or or within heated tents.
The mountain view is spectacular - unobstructed by anything. It’s just you and the mountain and the Pho King and the Torque Wrench, which The Valley Table has recently dubbed very hard to find. There is a case of it up on this hill. (You can also find it on Main Street at Beacon Craft Beer Shoppe next to Key Food.)
The view from the Eat Church food truck at Industrial Arts Brewery. Photo Credit: @jwhittz
While we have not yet been to Eat Church during the day, we did visit at night. Here is what you can expect to see in the dark at Eat Church. Just so ya know, Eat Church is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog’s Restaurant Guide. The winter months are the hardest for our restaurant friends, so we are giving them an extra boost with this much needed field-trip style profile. Plus, Eat Church just started delivering via Seamless!
Enjoy this series of mini videos that give you a feeling of Eat Church and Industrial Arts Brewing - at night!
I am sitting in my house in Beacon at 9 am with no phone calls from work, no shifts to cover, no orders to put in and no fires to put out and I am loving it!
What are your days looking like?
I've been walking everyday and brushing up on my Spanish using our library's online language classes - check them out!
Also, Chris and I are going traveling soon and we are busy packing up our house and dealing with all the stuff we have accumulated. (Really, how many cookbooks do you need???)
What do you eat if you’re not at Homespun? Do you cook Homespun at home?
Okay, first, when you own a restaurant, you end up eating restaurant food all the time! Because there’s a lot of leftovers or a lot of takeout, you get tired of being around food. It's a pleasure to cook at home although the cleaning up part is a drag. We eat simply which was the basis for Homespun from the beginning.
The first week I was retired, I baked bread and made a great chocolate halvah babka ... but it’s not as much fun if you aren't getting positive customer feedback!!
My favorite lunch now is rice cakes with tahini, sharp cheddar, tomato and sprouts ... it is a crumbly, delicious mess.
I don’t miss the work, but I do miss my staff and being such a part of the neighborhood - but it was a good run. I did what I set out to do which was to make community.
Homespun Foods is a staple in Beacon. It always has one of the longest lunch lines, is one of the most trusted menus for ready-to-go dishes or desserts to quickly pick up and bring to a party, and is one of those eateries in Beacon that is built into the experience of living here. A few years ago, they opened a café down at Dia:Beacon, and do Dia’s catering for in-house events. At the original Main Street location, you step in through the well-worn heavy door, onto the warm, hardwood floor that has absorbed the aromas of the soup-making and pastry-baking over the years, and you feel at home.
When the building that houses Homespun was up for sale, the natural question became: “Will Homespun stay?” And it did, confirmed founder and former owner Jessica Reisman in an article we ran about it. But then something else happened: Jessica sold Homespun to a new owner. The food seemed to stay the same, the website got updated, a kid drawing showed up in the Instagram feed, so we wondered… Who is this new owner? What will Homespun become now? Will we still have access to the baked french toast, the Mediterranean plate, and the carrot cake log?! Turns out, the answers are yes to all…
About The New Owner
Meet Joe Robitaille, the new owner who moved his family (including his wife and three young children) from Brooklyn to Beacon - but that path is not as straightforward as it seems. It never is when telling the business story of businesses in Beacon. Joe grew up in Hamburg, NY, just outside of Buffalo. He fled south to attend and graduate from the College of Charleston (me too!) where there is lots of good food (especially Mediterranean), and then moved to Brooklyn to earn a MFA in Poetry at Brooklyn College.
To support himself through school, he worked at a wine store in Brooklyn Heights. “That led to me becoming a sommelier in the city,” Joe explains, “working at il Buco for six years as head sommelier, and two years as chef-sommelier for Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud.” And so began Joe’s career in wine, which he is bringing to Beacon.
Working At A Wine Store Means More Love For Wine … And Food
Joe with Homespun’s sommelier-in-training. The staff will learn more about wines from Joe and importers he works with.
Being a sommelier means that you are an expert in pairing food with wine. People who love food often love good wine. Just ask Tim and Mei, founders of Artisan Wine Shop just down the road, who built a kitchen in the back of their wine shop just to host wine tastings with unusual food they like to cook (catch this food pairing almost every Second Saturday).
Being in New York, Joe tells me, has its advantages. “We are pretty spoiled in New York because a lot of the great wine arrives here first and sits in warehouses until it gets funneled through different shipping channels,” he explains. “I got to source wine through purveyors in South Carolina at Butcher & Bee, which gave me a glimpse at how wine travels through national channels, and got to pair wine with their menu which was really, really fun because their food is this brackish zone between Israeli mezze and Lowcountry.”
Joe with one of his wine importers for German white wine. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Being a sommelier also means you are working directly with people. Some of those people are wine importers. You need a wine importer to bring the wine to your restaurant. Because some of the greatest wine arrives in New York first, extra fees on shipping it across state lines can be avoided. Joe aims to use that, and his current relationships with wine importers (one of whom is a German wine importer who stopped into Homespun to convey season’s greetings the day of our interview, pictured here) to keep the tightly curated selection on his wine list more affordable to patrons.
Wine will be available shortly, just as soon as the license gets approved.
Was Homespun Looking To Sell? How Did That Happen?
As we were researching this story, a reader asked this question, so we asked Joe: “How did you find out about Homespun?” While we love Beacon’s existing businesses and buildings, sometimes their owners are ready for something new, and they put an ad out to sell the business. And that’s how Joe and Jessica’s relationship began. Jessica put an ad out, and Joe found it. “Jessica and I both really like and respect each other a lot, and we stuck to the plan through all the bumps. I count Jessica among the mentors I have had in my career. She did an amazing job for the community, and set me up for success.”
Is the staff staying? “Yes, all of them really!” says Joe. “ It has been a remarkable transition. I learn so much from our staff everyday.” The menu is also remaining the same, with breakfast available every day, and new specials appearing in the menu. Dinner is coming, but Joe is waiting for his new chef to start, who can incorporate a special menu just for dinner.
The New Business Journey - Finding Homespun
For those who like a good business startup story, here is Joe’s in his own words. With a young family of three boys, working in the restaurant industry can be tough with its long hours. Now, at Homespun, he is minutes away from school (just wait until he experiences the tug of snow delays!), and can break up his day between work life and personal life.
“I had been wanting to open my own restaurant for a long time. I had done trips up here and started to really home in on the Hudson Valley/Catskills as the place to do it. Brooklyn wasn't going to be possible, and definitely wouldn’t be possible without a multitude of investors, so I was looking up here.
“Initially we were looking at the area around Phoenicia, but decided we ultimately wanted to be closer to the train. I liked Beacon a lot from visiting with my wife, Kate, a few years earlier, just knowing Dia was here, and I remembered a nice record store on Main Street. The town seemed pretty lively on the weekend we were there, so there was energy.
“After a long weekend stint of working as sommelier in the city, just laying around the house, I started reading an article about Bottega il Buco, which is the restaurant my old boss Donna Lennard opened in Ibiza. I was looking at photos of the place, and seeing the place very much having a sibling resemblance to her two spots in the city. It was its own unique space for sure, you could tell that, with these beautiful whites and blues and open air and light, but you could also tell Donna had done this, even though it looked so new.
“In that moment, I felt this urge of ‘I want to open a restaurant so bad!' I literally Google searched ‘turn-key restaurants hudson valley.’ That's how I met Jessica Reisman. Her ad came up of selling this sweet restaurant in Beacon, right on the Main Street. It had been open since 2006. It had this beautiful backyard, the exposed brick inside, a nice size for a cozy restaurant. And then as I read I saw that she also ran the cafe at Dia:Beacon. I sent the link to my wife, who had historically been pretty skeptical about me finding a space etc, and Kate said, ‘You have to write this lady.’ So I did.”
Watch For More From Homespun
There is even more to this story, for the foodies in the audience who want to know more about Joe’s experience with food and chefs who open restaurants. This, I will bet, will be a feature you’ll read about in edible Hudson Valley, so we’ll leave it to them for the interview. But also know this: Joe has been following the threat of the 100 percent tariffs expected to come on European wines, a result of the current U.S. administration’s tariff war, says Joe. Already, a 25 percent tariff is in play, “but most importers are eating it,” he says. “If the tariff happens, a $12 bottle of French wine could be $40.” People are encouraged to call their congressional representatives.
Meanwhile … lunch at Homespun continues!
PS: We interviewed Jessica Reisman too, to find out where she is now. Read her answers here!
Sundays usually offer regularity at the Beacon Farmers Market, but sometimes different vendors show up offering something new. Will they be back the next week? One never knows. We’ll highlight some of the details found recently within the vegetable baskets and on the tables of the Farmers Market, which is inside of the VFW Hall/Memorial Building during winter.
This bouquet of what looks like a school of stingrays swimming through the ocean is really a mushroom colony grown from a bag from Sugar Shack Farm, who specializes in growing oyster, shiitake, reishi, lions mane, pioppino, chestnut, maitake and other mushrooms. The bag requires almost no care - or light. Just stab a hole into the plastic bag, and the mushroom growth starts. You can eat these gourmet mushrooms.
The other bouquet is the traditional wildflower bouquet from Diana Mae Flowers.
Barb’s Butchery has been finding ways to go more whole-body of the animal, and has been using the beef tallow (rendered fat) to make scented candles and balms, with lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, mint and cedar fragrances to start. Similar to using butter fat, this other fat has its benefits. Barb is particularly lit up about the surprise wicks she has hidden in the mini-cast iron candle holders for extra hours of burning. Ask her about it when you go into her shop on Spring Street (the other side of Fishkill Creek near the mountain). Don’t forget to pick up some soup when you’re visiting the table at the market.
And of course, you can’t go to market without picking up a blueberry and banana muffin (or whatever flavor of the day), the famous chocolate croissant, and cherry turnover from All You Knead’s table. Stock up on these bakery items, including the chicken pot pie, because the storefront is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Sunday at 2 pm is your last chance for the week! Well, for two whole days, at least, until Wednesday.
Support for this publication comes in part from these businesses. We have highlighted what makes them special on their own dedicated pages. Want your business listed here? See the "Sponsor Spotlight" or "Event Promotion" option in our Advertising Page.
A podcast from A Little Beacon Blog. Your hosts: Katie Hellmuth martin & Brandon Lillard.
The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.
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