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Amenia native Holly Hammond shows off a few heirloom tomatoes in her new farm store, The General’s Gathering, in Mabbetsville.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
But this is not your average farm market with upscale prices and curated ambiance. While the shop is charming, its mission is designed with farmers and producers at the center. The General’s Gathering was created as a farmer-first marketplace — an approach that supports the people who grow and make the products.
The store is the brainchild of Holly Hammond, an Amenia native and multi-generational farmer who grew up on Bangall Amenia Road. Spending her formative years learning the ins and outs of farming, Hammond credits her father — the late David Hammond, a dairy farmer and veterinarian — with inspiring her to “preserve the rich agricultural heritage of Dutchess County.”
Hammond said her goal is to keep the rural spirit alive. After years on the farmers’ market circuit from Dutchess County to New York City, she wanted to capture the best parts of those markets while eliminating their biggest challenge — the seasonal shutdowns. The General’s Gathering will offer a year-round marketplace for local goods, providing vendors and farmers a longer “shelf life” to sell their products.
“From my years of selling milk and trying to make value out of products, to attending farmer’s markets and sometimes enduring the pouring rain or the freezing cold, I wanted to make a farmer’s market — or a farm store — that is available to people in every season,” Hammond said.
While the storefront itself is new, its namesake farm has roots dating back to the Revolutionary War. As the story goes, Holly’s father David grew up on the historic General Cochran’s Farm in St. Johnsville, New York. The land once belonged to General John Cochran, a General of the Continental Army under George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Holly said there was a commemorative plaque on the wall that actually logged where George Washington slept in that home during the war.
After studying agriculture at Cornell and later earning his veterinary degree there, David Hammond moved to Amenia, where he bought his own farm and carried on the name from his childhood farm. He built a life as both a dairy farmer and veterinarian, cultivating the world in which his daughter Holly grew up. Today, some of Holly’s customers still remember him fondly.
“Your father used to work on my cows,” one customer said after buying peaches and farm-fresh eggs.
Claudio Gonzalez of Gonzalez Farm in Orange County brought fresh fruits and veggies to sell under a pop-up canopy in the General’s Gathering parking lot.Photo By Aly Morrissey
Customers can expect to find farmers and vendors outside the store each week, many of whom Holly has partnered with for nearly a decade. Last weekend, Claudio Gonzalez of Gonzalez Farm in Orange County brought a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to his stand.
Gonzalez’s 20-acre farm specializes in tomatoes, corn, hot peppers, beans and much more. He credits his produce’s flavor to natural practices — no fertilizer, just careful crop rotation and an evolving mix of plants.
Adding to the mix, Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and baker Sterling Smith of Sterling Bake Shop offered sweet and savory treats, from rustic pizzas and sourdough bread to cookies and Dutch brownies. While he draws from his professional training, Sterling said he’s always looking for the next innovative creation and enjoys improvising. His homemade soups are also available inside the market, complementing the store’s pantry staples and offering something for everyone.
With its farmer-first focus, The General’s Gathering blends history, community and good food, ensuring the rural spirit of Dutchess County continues to thrive twelve months a year.
American fare with a fine dining flair define Isabela’s menu.
Photo Provided
For example, new to the menu and popular is a monkfish skewer that includes squid, turmeric, tomatoes and crushed potatoes. He became animated as he described the cooking process, a clear hint the dish should be ordered and savored.
“We’re trying to be as seasonal as possible,” Ramirez Ruiz said.
Popular also is the Clams and Tomatoes appetizer with parsley, onions and cucumber, a perfect way to start a memorable meal.
It has been a lifetime of cooking for Ramirez Ruiz — who had a restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, immediately before coming to open in Amenia. Past experience has included high-end restaurant kitchens in Europe and even an Irish pub in Massachusetts.
Head chef and owner of Isabela José Ramirez Ruiz said the menu has changed at his restaurant several times since it opened six months ago. “We’re trying to be as seasonal as possible,” Ramirez Ruiz said. Photo Provided
Incidentally, Isabela is named not for a person but for the town in Puerto Rico where Ramirez Ruiz grew up.
“The support from the local community has been humbling,” Ramirez Ruiz said with certainty. “Truly, people are telling us they want to see us succeed.”
The first month after opening on March 26 was busy because everyone was visiting out of natural curiosity, but now the business has settled into a good steady population of regulars and area residents attracted by hearing good reports.
For those who track the price of oysters offered locally, Isabela features oysters at $2 each during Happy Hour, and the bar burger is noteworthy because each ingredient is created in the kitchen. That is, the beef is ground, the cheese mixture is in-house, and the other flavor enhancers are made by hand, not to mention that the bun is made there, not bought. All of that effort is well worth the $21 burger price tag.
“The sourdough bread is amazing,” Ramirez Ruiz said, noting that it is made with local grains. Customers are buying loaves to take home, he added.
In fact, local sourcing is key to Isabela’s entire restaurant philosophy. Wines are from local small-volume producers, beers and ciders are local. 41 different local and area farms and producers supply the restaurant, Ramirez Ruiz said. Half, from surrounding states, supply meats, fish, vegetables and more for the menu and the other half, from New York State supply the bar.
“For me, my commitment to local is unchanged,” Ramirez Ruiz emphasized. “Isabela reflects that commitment.”
As for staffing, Adam and Liz have been capably serving customers in the bar since the opening.
“I have trouble finding staff,” Ramirez Ruiz acknowledged, noting that it is a widespread problem.
“I have the best staff I could ever wish for,” Ramirez Ruiz said, however, in genuine reflection about those who work for the success of Isabela. The front of house team has varied experience, but their commitment is unparalleled, he added.
“We’ve been complimented on our service,” he said. “Service is a significant aspect.”
Ramirez Ruiz noted that he spends 20 to 30 minutes each day in staff training.
The dishwashers were described as “the best,” and hard-working. Beyond that, though, Ramirez Ruiz said that everyone wants to learn, and he believes in providing training.
Isabela is located at 3330 Route 343 in Amenia. For information on restaurant hours, go to www.isabela-amenia.com or phone 845-789-1007.
