PINE PLAINS — For many local residents as well as visitors to Pine Plains, the thought of driving into town one day and seeing the Pine Plains Platter permanently closed seems unimaginable, given how the cafe has flourished these last few years as a hub for the community, not to mention a place to get some great home cooking. Yet to the disappointment of practically everyone — The Platter’s owners/landlords, its manager and staff and its clientele, that thought will soon become a reality as the business is going to shutdown for good come Sunday, Sept. 26.
Established at 2987 Church St. (Route 199), next to Peck’s Market, The Platter is housed on the street level of a building owned by Jack and Irene Banning, who purchased it in 2012. While the pair owns The Platter, it’s been run for the past few years by the very competent Christina Smith-Hedges, who had hopes of taking over the business.
“Our aim always was to provide a platform for some entrepreneur who would come in and manage the restaurant for us and become in a position to purchase the business then take over the lease and that’s what we hoped would happen,” Jack Banning said.
Over time, The Platter gained a following from the local and weekend communities. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Smith-Hedges said she and her staff did everything they possibly could to adapt, following all the safety rules and even picking up catering orders.
However, after spending the last several months trying to figure out how to keep operations moving forward, Banning realized they reached a point where it wasn’t going to work out anymore and they had to pull the plug.
“This was obviously a tough decision all around: terribly disappointing for Cris, terribly disappointing for us and terribly disappointing for all of our customers,” Banning said. “The story from our perspective is that this is something we felt we had to do at this time.”
The business decision was especially difficult for Smith-Hedges, who had planned to purchase the building from the Bannings this fall. She said she’d gone into a meeting with Jack thinking it would be to talk about her purchasing the building. Instead, she said he rescinded the offer, saying The Platter was barely sustaining itself through the pandemic and that he didn’t see things getting any better.
Banning explained he and Irene had conversations with Smith-Hedges and thought they might be able to structure an arrangement to save the cafe.
Attributing their decision to a combination of factors, he said they looked at the finances, what options were available to Smith-Hedges and what her skill sets were and determined there was no viable way to make the business succeed. Though the Bannings suggested The Platter close the week of Friday, Oct. 1, Smith-Hedges decided the Platter would close on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Notifying The Platter’s employees of the closure, Banning said they provided everyone with five weeks’ notice with the expectation that they’d provide generous compensation.
Smith-Hedges said it’s now a guessing game, knowing how short-staffed she currently is. So far, The Platter’s hours of operation have been reduced and the menu is limited.
Catching on to the news of The Platter’s imminent closing, customers have said they are heartbroken at the thought of their favorite local cafe shutting down. Many have posted on social media their disappointment, others have contacted this newspaper.
“This is heartbreaking for the employees, a tremendous loss for the town and a special blow to weekenders who have only this one place to eat on Sundays,” said Pine Plains resident Matt Finley.
“In this ever-changing world with much pain and uncertainty… we want to thank you, Cris, and your incredible team for creating this magical place in our community and in my life,” said Santina Tirone, another loyal customer. “Your open arms, warmth and not to mention the incredible fresh local menu with be tragically missed.”
Come Sunday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m., Smith-Hedges said The Platter will hold a Peace Out Platter Party. As a token of her seven years at The Platter, she said she bought a book to compile all of the pictures under the table and the sticky notes customers have left there.
“Basically, the love I put into this place, I’m taking with me when I leave,” Smith-Hedges said, “so the last day is going to be a hard day… honestly, I’m still upset … but I’ve made peace with the decision.”
Yet this might not be the end for the cafe as Banning said he and Irene want something to continue in that space that’s “viable and provides the kind of environment that we think is right for this space. The Platter will survive in some incarnation. We’re hopeful. We’re sad obviously, but we’re hopeful.”
Debra A. Aleksinas
Blake Myers, left, director of food programs at the Tri Corner F.E.E.D. Market in Millerton and Linda Quella, founder, take a break on a recent busy Friday.
SHARON, Conn. — In a region often associated with affluence, hunger relief organizations say pockets of poverty are deepening, with as many as four in 10 households struggling to cover basic needs, according to regional estimates.
A weeklong fundraising campaign beginning May 11 will ask diners at local restaurants to help address that gap by funding the purchase of fresh food from local farms for distribution to area pantries.
Supported by more than a dozen restaurants and cafes across the tri-corner region, the Nourish Neighbors campaign raises funds to support that effort — connecting restaurants, farms and hunger relief efforts.
“We expect to have about 15 restaurants participate, from Champêtre in Pine Plains all the way to the Falls Village Inn,” said Chris Armero, an organizer of the campaign. “Not many people know that four out of 10 of our neighbors have trouble paying their bills.”
The effort is led by Tri Corner F.E.E.D. (Food Equity, Education and Distribution), the Sharon-based nonprofit behind Nourish Neighbors, founded in 2023 by former Q Farms owners Linda and James Quella. The organization is advancing a model to expand access to fresh, locally grown food while supporting farmers and small businesses — a concept organizers say is increasingly needed in the tri-corner region, where many households are struggling to meet basic needs.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. operates a local storefront at 56 South Center St. in Millerton, where food is priced based on income. The organization also purchases produce from local farms, including Adamah Farm in Falls Village, for area food pantries.
Local food pantries — including The Corner Pantry in Lakeville, North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton and St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia — have reported sustained increases in demand since the pandemic, even as emergency supports have receded and funding sources have tightened.
That pressure has exposed a broader challenge across the region: not only how to meet immediate need, but how to provide consistent access to nutritious food in a way that is sustainable for both households and the local agricultural economy.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s approach centers on strengthening those connections, said Linda Quella, who previously farmed land in Sharon and sold her produce primarily via farm stands and farmers markets.
She said the experience underscored how difficult it is for farmers to earn a living through local sales alone.
“We were going to farmers markets three times a week,” Quella said. “People don’t realize how much you have to sell to earn a living as a farmer.”
She added, “Everybody that was buying our food was very well off.”
That realization led to conversations with hunger relief organizations, including the NECC in Millerton and its food programs director, Jordan Schmidt.
With food pantries held twice a month, Quella saw an opportunity to host a pop-up market with the organization.
“We could tell it was a need,” Quella said. “It became clear this would be welcome in this community.”
These efforts — including research into ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) data from United Way, which identifies households that struggle to cover basic costs — along with sliding scale pilot programs and a grant to assess regional need, helped shape Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s current model.
“Through that study, we found that farmers can’t afford to discount products. They need full price for their product,” Quella said. “And that consumers needed nutrient-rich food but didn’t have access to it.”
Quella describes Millerton as a food desert, noting the closure of the town’s only food market there several years ago.
To address that challenge, Tri Corner F.E.E.D. purchases produce and other goods through its Food Sovereignty Fund, which was established to buy directly from farmers and distribute those goods to local food pantries — ensuring access to fresh food while providing farmers with a stable, guaranteed market.
Farmers are paid in advance for their harvests, offering financial stability and encouraging participation in food distribution programs. The fund also connects farms with community-based hunger relief partners — including food pantries, schools and community centers — to deliver fresh produce to underserved populations.
Participating farms include, in addition to Adamah Farm, Rock Steady Farm, Sky High Farm and the Ten Mile Farm Foundation, among others across Connecticut and New York.
At Adamah, a nonprofit CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program), connected to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, the model allows members to buy a share of a farm’s harvest upfront in exchange for regular distributions of fresh produce throughout the growing season — helping redirect surplus crops into the community.
“In 2025, we sold a few items a week through Tri Corner, including cherry tomatoes, zucchini and herbs,” said Janna Siller, farm director and advocacy coordinator at Adamah. “It was a great way for us to bring items we had extra of to the community.”
Siller said the region produces abundant food, yet many residents rely on distant grocery stores due to cost barriers or limited access.
“Tri Corner is helping bridge that gap,” she said.
Adamah also raises funds to donate produce to local pantries, sometimes delivering close to 1,000 pounds of food in a single day.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. also provides logistical support to farmers and hunger relief organizations, helping coordinate distribution and maintain a consistent supply. Its broader goal, organizers said, is to build a more equitable and resilient regional food system serving communities affected by food insecurity.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. Market’s Millerton grocery store offers farm-fresh meats, seasonal vegetables, prepared foods, coffee and baked goods.
“We really want to reduce barriers for people to be able to afford nutritious, local food,” said Blake Myers, director of food programs at the Tri Corner F.E.E.D. Market. “Anybody can come in and shop.”
Customers select from three pricing tiers: green for full price, orange at 30 percent off and yellow at 60 percent off — a system designed to make shopping accessible while preserving dignity, she said.
About 75 people shop there weekly, with roughly 50 relying on it as a primary grocery source.
“The interaction makes it a true community asset,” Myers said. “Here, people can feel comfortable about the burden that they carry.”
Many customers are on fixed incomes, she added, making them especially vulnerable to rising costs.
That same model extends to the upcoming Nourish Neighbors campaign.
“We work with area restaurants. Diners donate to help support the Food Sovereignty Fund,” Myers said. “When you visit a participating restaurant or business, you have the opportunity to pay it forward by donating while dining out.”
Donations go directly toward Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s Food Sovereignty Fund. Supported local pantries include The Corner Pantry in Lakeville, North East Community Center in Millerton and St. Thomas in Amenia.
“This is especially urgent as demand for their services has risen just as federal and state support has come under pressure,” Armero said.
Even as the program expands, Quella said, the scale of need continues to outpace available resources. Rising living costs strain both households and farms, leaving programs like Tri Corner F.E.E.D. to shoulder a growing share of the region’s food access needs.
Robin Roraback
Jessica Lee, owner of Rosemary Rose Finery, at the opening of its new location on Main Street in Millerton on Saturday evening, May 2.
MILLERTON — Rosemary Rose Finery, a jewelry and artisan goods shop, has officially moved to 50 Main St. in Millerton after two years on Main Street in Salisbury.
The new location is shared with Common Place Craft Workshop, which had operated craft workshops out of the space that was formerly occupied by BES — a gift and home decor shop that ceased operations at 50 Main St. earlier this year. Owner Meg Musgrove had been seeking a partner to continue and expand the workshop and retail concept.
On May 2, a “Grand Re-opening” of the combined space attracted crowds of people browsing, buying, laughing and talking among glittering showcases filled with jewelry and other items.
The walls of the shop displayed screen-printed wall hangings, vintage objects, pottery, greeting cards and botanical displays. In the back, the workshop space was set with refreshments from neighboring restaurant Willa.
It was serendipitous when Jessica
DeCarlo Lee, owner of Rosemary Rose Finery, found out that Musgrove, screen printer and proprietor of Common Place Craft Workshop, was looking for a new partner to share the space at 50 Main St.
Lee had been outgrowing her shop in Salisbury, longing for more space in which to hold her herbal workshops. She met with Musgrove, and everything aligned for the two to join forces in Millerton.
Musgrove is a designer who produces a line of colorful hand-made, screen-printed cotton products in Millerton. They include original patterns in bright panels and sets of fabric items for the home that feature pillows and dishtowels. Her business, Meg Musgrove Printshop, sells retail and wholesale.
She had been giving workshops for about a year in the shop and didn’t want to give it up.“People were coming back time and time again,” Musgrove said, adding the workshops became “more about a gathering space for people to come together.I am very glad for it to continue.”
For her part, Lee, a jewelry designer and herbalist, is excited to begin a five-week Community Supported Agriculture workshop in which participants will build their own “apothecary package,” explained Lee.“They will make their own and a few extra to sell,” Lee said. The proceeds will be donated locally.
The packages will contain eight different kinds of seasonal herbal medicines such as foraged wild tea, seasonal bug spray, healing balms and lotions, bitters to aid digestion, herbal sea salts, tonics, syrups, and tinctures. Lee hopes to have sixty apothecary packages to sell. She and her students will work out pricing and who will receive the proceeds.
Both artists also have their work for sale in the shop.Musgrove’s colorful screen-printed wall hangings and home décor share the space with Lee’s jewelry designs, vintage jewelry, herbal tinctures, lotions, and apothecary items.
Her original jewelry design remains a centerpiece of her business.“The last two years, sales in custom jewelry got going,” Lee said. “I’ve been doing more custom designs and engagement rings.”She also does jewelry repair.
Some upcoming workshops are “Dorodango, A Meditative Craft,” “Essential Oil Distilling and Herbal Scent Making,” “Herbal CSA Series” and “Make a Block-Printed Checkerboard.”
Workshops are taught by Lee, Musgrove and other area artists such as Katharyn Crippen Shapiro, Erica Recto and Kate Selengia.
Lee and Musgrove ask that anyone interested in participating register in advance.
To find out more about the workshops and register, visit commonplacecraft.square.site
For more about Rosemary Rose Finery, visitwww.rosemaryrosefinery.com
For more about Meg Musgrove and her designs, visit
megmusgrove.com
Nathan Miller
The Millerton village offices on Route 22.
MILLERTON — Village trustees are expected to begin talks with Town of North East officials about sharing highway department and public works services.
Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek reported to trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 28, that she had discussed the idea earlier that day with town officials and Dutchess County Commissioner of Public Works Bob Balkind. The conversation centered around the town’s impending search for a new Highway Superintendent after the sudden passing of Bob Stevens in March after 28 years in the role.
Najdek said part of that conversation had to do with the potential to share some highway services between the town and the village, saying both municipalities are in a place to think about doing things differently while key roles remain officially vacant.
“This is really the first step in figuring out how we move forward,” Najdek said. “I think both the village and the town are in a position right now to do something maybe a little different.”
Village trustees appointed Police Chief Joe Olenik to head up the village’s Department of Public Works in September 2025 on an interim basis after Peter Dellaghelfa resigned from the role. Olenik has been leading both the public works department and the police department since.
Najdek said officials are not considering a complete merger of the departments, but merely seeking to explore how some services can be shared to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Balkind has offered to assist the town and the village in these discussions, Najdek said.
A date has not yet been set for the joint workshop meeting of the village and town boards, but officials expect the talks to begin in the coming weeks.
Trustees finished the April 28 meeting by voting to hire James Horton as a laborer for the village Department of Public Works.
Earlier in the meeting, trustees approved a temporary suspension of Millerton’s alcohol open container ban within Eddie Collins Memorial Park during the planned 175th anniversary celebration.
Additionally, trustees unanimously approved a resolution that would allow sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages during village-sponsored events within Eddie Collins Memorial Park from July 9 to July 19. Najdek explained the resolution would allow vendors to more easily obtain one-day alcohol sales permits from the state for the event.
Officials said alcohol sales and consumption will be limited to a cordoned area of the park and outside beverages will be prohibited. Hard liquor will not be sold, Najdek said. Vendors, including Roe-Jan Brewing and Willa, will be selling canned beer, ciders and seltzers at the park during the planned celebration.
Following that approval, trustees approved the use of a $4,000 anonymous donation to help fund the 175th anniversary celebration.
The Village of Millerton’s 175th anniversary party will be a 10-day celebration of the anniversary of the arrival of the New York & Harlem Railroad in 1851.
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Debra A. Aleksinas
Poverty in the Northwest Corner doesn’t define an entire town. Instead, it exists in quieter pockets — apartments above storefronts, income-restricted housing and older homes where seniors and working residents struggle to keep pace with rising costs. This series examines where financial hardship exists in Region One towns, what is driving it and how communities are responding.
SHARON, Conn. — In a region often associated with affluence, hunger relief organizations say pockets of poverty are deepening, with as many as four in 10 households struggling to cover basic needs, according to regional estimates.
A weeklong fundraising campaign beginning May 11 will ask diners at local restaurants to help address that gap by funding the purchase of fresh food from local farms for distribution to area pantries.
Supported by more than a dozen restaurants and cafes across the tri-corner region, the Nourish Neighbors campaign raises funds to support that effort — connecting restaurants, farms and hunger relief efforts.
“We expect to have about 15 restaurants participate, from Champêtre in Pine Plains all the way to the Falls Village Inn,” said Chris Armero, an organizer of the campaign. “Not many people know that four out of 10 of our neighbors have trouble paying their bills.”
The effort is led by Tri Corner F.E.E.D. (Food Equity, Education and Distribution), the Sharon-based nonprofit behind Nourish Neighbors, founded in 2023 by former Q Farms owners Linda and James Quella. The organization is advancing a model to expand access to fresh, locally grown food while supporting farmers and small businesses — a concept organizers say is increasingly needed in the tri-corner region, where many households are struggling to meet basic needs.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. operates a local storefront at 56 South Center St. in Millerton, where food is priced on a sliding scale. It offers farm-fresh meats, seasonal vegetables, prepared foods, coffee and baked goods.
“We really want to reduce barriers for people to be able to afford nutritious, local food,” said Blake Myers, director of food programs at the Tri Corner F.E.E.D. Market.
About 75 people shop there weekly, she said, with roughly 50 relying on it as a primary grocery source.
Demand rising at local food pantries
Local food pantries — including The Corner Pantry in Lakeville, North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton and St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia — have reported sustained increases in demand since the pandemic, even as emergency supports have receded and funding sources have tightened.
That pressure has exposed a broader challenge across the region: not only how to meet immediate need, but how to provide consistent access to nutritious food in a way that is sustainable for both households and the local agricultural economy.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s approach centers on strengthening those connections, said Linda Quella, who previously farmed land in Sharon and sold her produce primarily via farm stands and farmers markets.
She said the experience underscored how difficult it is for farmers to earn a living through local sales alone.
“We were going to farmers markets three times a week,” Quella said. “People don’t realize how much you have to sell to earn a living as a farmer.”
She added, “Everybody that was buying our food was very well off.”
That realization led to conversations with hunger relief organizations, including the NECC in Millerton and its food programs director, Jordan Schmidt.
With food pantries held twice a month, Quella saw an opportunity to host a pop-up market with the organization.
“We could tell it was a need,” Quella said. “It became clear this would be welcome in this community.”
Quella also researched a study from United Way that collected data from households that struggle to cover basic costs. Her efforts helped inform Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s sliding scale model.
“Through that study, we found that farmers can’t afford to discount products. They need full price for their product,” Quella said. “And that consumers needed nutrient-rich food but didn’t have access to it.”
Quella describes Millerton as a food desert, noting the closure of the town’s only food market there several years ago.
Program pays
farmers upfront
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. also purchases produce and other goods through its Food Sovereignty Fund, which was established to buy directly from farmers and distribute those goods to local food pantries — ensuring access to fresh food while providing farmers with a stable, guaranteed market.
Farmers are paid in advance for their harvests, offering financial stability and encouraging participation in food distribution programs. The fund also connects farms with local food pantries, schools and community centers — to deliver fresh produce to underserved populations.
Participating farms include, in addition to Adamah Farm, Rock Steady Farm, Sky High Farm and the Ten Mile Farm Foundation, among others across Connecticut and New York.
Surplus crops
benefit communities
At Adamah, a nonprofit CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program), connected to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, the model allows members to buy a share of a farm’s harvest upfront in exchange for regular distributions of fresh produce throughout the growing season — helping redirect surplus crops into the community.
“In 2025, we sold a few items a week through Tri Corner, including cherry tomatoes, zucchini and herbs,” said Janna Siller, farm director and advocacy coordinator at Adamah.
Siller said the region produces abundant food, yet many residents rely on distant grocery stores due to cost barriers or limited access.
“Tri Corner is helping bridge that gap,” she said.
Adamah also raises funds to donate produce to local pantries, sometimes delivering close to 1,000 pounds of food in a single day.
Restaurant patrons
pay it forward
That same model extends to the upcoming Nourish Neighbors campaign.
“When you visit a participating restaurant or business, you have the opportunity to pay it forward,” Myers said, adding that proceeds go to Tri Corner’s Food Sovereignty Fund.
Supported local pantries include The Corner Pantry in Lakeville, North East Community Center in Millerton and St. Thomas in Amenia.
“This is especially urgent as demand for their services has risen just as federal and state support has come under pressure,” Armero said.
Even as the program expands, Quella said, the scale of need continues to outpace available resources. Rising living costs strain both households and farms, leaving programs like Tri Corner F.E.E.D. to shoulder a growing share of the region’s food access needs.
Graham Corrigan
Webutuck students serve themselves cornbread, churros, coleslaw, chicken and sliders at a buffet celebrating their post-grad plans on Friday, May 1.
AMENIA — With graduation weeks away, Webutuck High School seniors celebrated their next steps at an outdoor barbecue Friday. More than 50 soon-to-be graduates were feted by the school’s staff with a buffet of BBQ chicken, pork sliders, hot dogs, macaroni salad, coleslaw and churros.
Most of the seniors have their post-grad plans mapped out, whether they plan to attend college, enter the workforce or join the military. The list of schools they’ll attend include University of Albany, Siena, and Dutchess Community College. They plan on studying a range of subjects, including accounting, science, nursing, and business administration. There are also students joining the armed forces, and others who have opted to join the workforce right out of high school.
When asked to reflect on their time at school, the seniors gave Webutuck high marks. “For me, it’s the teachers,” said senior Angel Camargo Vazquez. “They care about you, they get to know you one-on-one.”
Some students spoke about the community they have with other classmates.
“I think because the school is so small, we’re all comfortable with each other,” said senior Kylie McWhirt. “It makes it enjoyable to come to school.”
They credited a long history with one another — many of the students have attended Webutuck since kindergarten — for contributing to that sense of community.
“Most of our grade has been together since Pre-K,” added senior Abby McEnroe. “So we all know everything about each other. It just feels like family here.”
The teachers and administrators were on hand for the moment, too. Staff and students laughed and exchanged memories as the midday meal finished with s’mores roasted over the smoldering barbecue grill.
“This is a celebration of all the great work that they’ve done,” said Superintendent Ray Castellani. “This is almost my twelfth year at the school, so this class was in kindergarten when I started. They know we care about them.”
From Broadway shows to the COVID-19 pandemic, the class of 2026 has been through a lot together. One consistency, PTA President Anna Kall said, is their commitment to volunteerism.
“I really admire and respect that,” said Kall. “It’s not a requirement any more, but they are still always asking me, ‘What can we help with?’
“Regardless of what direction they’re going, they’re all going to succeed. I cannot wait to see what the future brings them.”
As plates were cleared, students and staff helped to put away the tables and chairs set up for the occasion. They gathered for a class picture, posing for the cameras one last time before returning — for just a few weeks more — to the hallways they’ve walked for 12 years. Webutuck’s graduation will take place on June 20.
Millerton News
GREAT BARRINGTON — Richard J. Campeglio Jr., 60, of Great Barrington, died suddenly on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. He was born in Great Barrington on Jan. 9, 1965, son of the late Richard Campeglio Sr. and Mary (Curtis) Logerwell.
Richard worked for many years as a laborer for the Sheffield Highway Department and as a caretaker. He loved hunting, golfing, fishing, and spending time with his daughter Cassie.
Richard is survived by his daughter, Cassie Campeglio of Sheffield; his mother Mary Logerwell of Fort Walton Beach, Florida; his sister Lynda Turow and her husband Bob Turow of Clearwater, Florida; his nephew Cory List of Clearwater, and his niece Kelsey List and her son Jameson Green of Gainesville, Florida.
Richard was predeceased by his father Richard Campeglio Sr. and his brother William Breen.
A service will be held at Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, on May 16 at 11 a.m., followed by a celebration of life at the American Legion Hall in Sheffield from 12 to 2 p.m.
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