A New Market in an Iconic Setting Finds Its Way Home
By Cynthia Hochswender
Photos by Ryan Lavine
For decades it was known as Baird’s, a market and sandwich shop at the intersection of Routes 4 and 7 in Cornwall. When the Baird family moved on to other projects, the new owners named their store the Cornwall Country Market—but many locals referred to it as “New Baird’s,” while the store of their memories was known as “Old Baird’s.”
Will Schenk is the newest owner of the iconic space, which he purchased in late 2022, renovated extensively, and opened as the Cornwall Market in January 2024.
Schenk is a “tech” guy (his current project involves electric vehicles), but his partner in the market is chef Tyler Forvé, a friend from many years ago. A few years ago they started a cocoa bean company in Colombia, and began making artisan chocolates. Their goal was to have consumers begin to understand the distinctions between cocoa beans, in the same way that many Americans now seek specific coffee beans, or specific wine grapes.
It is the chocolate business that is at the heart of the new market, with a curated selection of bon-bons made on the premises, in flavors such as passionfruit-caramel-whiskey and mandarin-lime-wild mint. Eventually Schenk and Forvé plan to sell the chocolates to a wider audience.
In addition to the one kitchen dedicated to chocolates there is also a special pastry kitchen that produces cookies, doughnuts, flaky croissants, chocolate-pistachio babkas, cardamom buns, and more.
The main kitchen produces sandwiches, salads, and daily soup specials. Particularly popular has been the falafel sandwich, which is made with fresh green chickpeas, not the canned or dried beans that are commonly used. Also in demand: The pulled pork sandwich, with meat cooked over firewood on a grill in the yard behind the market (which will soon have seats for outdoor dining).
Some “to-go” items are found in the refrigerated cases, which also act as storage space for the chefs. Shoppers can pick up rare edibles such as purple broccolini, French breakfast radishes, royal truffle mushrooms, and fresh lemongrass, which also appear as ingredients in that day’s meals. There are containers of “Ron’s Kimchi” and “Mild Beatnik Purple Rain Vegan Curry.” In the freezer case are store made ice creams in exotic flavors such as matcha-mozzarella-guava, candy cap (like the mushroom), and mango creamsicle.
On the unrefrigerated open shelves are baskets of fresh garlic, dried chili peppers, and fresh spices. There is also a room dedicated to local products such as honey and maple syrup—and household essentials, such as children’s Tylenol.
With that range of products, he hopes the market will become a destination for locals, and a stop for visitors here on vacation or driving along Route 7.
“I’m trying to have something for all our constituents,” he says. For now that includes Korean rice balls, gorgeous soups, small meals, housemade nut mixes, flours and grains from Wild Hive in Clinton Corners, a sophisticated spread called “Untella,” housemade granolas, and trail mixes. Everything is made from scratch.
It is truly a moveable feast.
Go to Cornwallmarket.com for store hours.
