MILLERTON — After a vacancy of over eight years, the former McDonald’s building on Route 44 may soon have a new occupant in Tallow, a nutrient-conscious eatery that hopes to be in construction by the spring.
As for its former occupant, McDonald’s is not expected to return to the area. The closest McDonald’s is located in Canaan, Connecticut, about 14 miles away. The next closest McDonald’s is in Dover Plains.
Millerton is expected to be Tallow’s first location. On its website, it bills itself as “fast food that is actually good for you.
“The problem that we’re trying to solve is to regenerate health in people,” said co-founder Austin Cornell. “How we’re doing it is very simply to just source real ingredients from local regenerative farms to get the most nutrient-dense food as possible into those who really need it most.”
As fast-food pricing continues to rise, customers are now paying more money for lesser ingredients. According to Tallow’s website, its smashburger will be priced at $18. Though a notch above fast food prices, the ingredients are of a higher standard than many fast-food restaurants, and it is priced lower than many farm-to-table eateries in the region. “We’re serving burgers and grilled cheese and chicken sandwiches and a few other things,” Cornell said. “A very simple menu with the most nutrient-dense, pesticide-free, highest-quality ingredients we can find locally.”
According to Tallow’s website, highly processed vegetable oils which come from plant seeds — corn, sunflower, canola, etc. — make up 30% of American calories. Around 1990, many fast food chains switched from frying food in tallow — animal fat — to seed oils in order to save money. Tallow plans to utilize local ingredients, regeneratively sourced meats, chemical-free produce and will fry its food in 100 percent grass-fed beef tallow.
Nate Long, co-founder and head chef, previously worked at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, a Michelin three-star restaurant, under Chef Patrick O’Connell. Long has butchered for the Organic Butcher of McLean, Va,. which was listed as the top butcher shop in America in USA Today. As an independent chef, Long creates elaborate six-course menus for private dinner clients. “I’ve recruited a co-founder who has 10 years experience in the food industry. He’s a chef trained down in Virginia,” said Cornell. “And is coming on board to run, to really run the menu, and to lead the team in the kitchen.”
Cornell struggled with obesity and chronic fatigue as a teenager, and was working to improve his health while growing up. After trying “every fad diet,” he decided to cut out processed foods and worked with a personal trainer, losing 60 pounds as a result. “This experience taught me two vital lessons: anything is possible, and a real food diet is essential to health,” as Cornell explained on Tallow’s website. “In recent years, I’ve learned about the toxicity of our food system, the misleading advice from so-called health ‘experts,’ and what’s truly necessary for health.”
To help build customer loyalty, Tallow is creating a paid membership program for in-store discounts, community events and bi-weekly Sunday six-course dinners. Cornell hopes to bring the site proposal to the Planning Board by mid-February with an aim for construction to begin in March. “We have such great farms around us,” Cornell said. ”Some of the best regenerative farms that I’ve visited are within a 15-20 minute radius…If anyone locally would be interested in supporting the mission, that is my main goal right now.”
Madeline Hartwell, left, visits Tom Hall’s vendor tent along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail during The Voice of Art’s Fine Art Festival in Millerton.Photo by Nathan Miller
