My wife loves to cook almost as much as she loves to shop for ingredients. Drawing up lists and planning recipes is one of her great pleasures. She also loves to discover special stores where she can find the freshest tomatoes, the best bread, the tastiest meats, the ripest cheese—all those little extras that make a meal memorable. It is one of the things that we love the most about living in Litchfield County. It is one of the reasons why The Smithy Market in New Preston is one of her favorite places.
Like so many people who call the northwest corner of Connecticut home, my wife is particularly crazy about its farmers’ markets. The problem with farmers’ markets, though, is that they usually only pop up one day a week from late spring through the early fall. That’s the beauty of The Smithy. It is a one-stop farm market that is open all year-round, seven days of the week.
“Just look at this gorgeous lettuce,” my wife said to me the other day when we were shopping at The Smithy. She held up a rich, round, green leafy head of heirloom lettuce. Undeniably, it was far more appetizing-looking than the plastic-wrapped assortment of questionable Romaine leaves arranged artfully so that the brown bits are disguised by the packaging one is likely to find in the local grocery store. Mind you, this was in early January. This was not tasteless lettuce trucked in God knows when from some vast California field. This was grown locally at Earth’s Palate Farm in Warren. We ate it that night.
“Our mission is to create a dynamic community hub, promoting and celebrating the best of everything local. This includes offering visitors the freshest, most delicious local foods year-round,” says Carol Steer, the store manager at The Smithy. Pointing to a stylized wooden map above the counter, depicting the catchment area for the market, she says: “We’re committed to offering products sourced within a 70-mile radius of New Preston.” Steer, originally from London, has been at the shop for eight years, and was drawn to The Smithy because of its desire to engage and strengthen the local community by supporting its farms, food producers, artists, artisans, musicians, and writers.
“The Smithy resembles the neighborhood corner shop where everyone is welcome and people feel appreciated and at home, and also it enriches our lives with cultural events and opportunities to share ideas and connect,” she says.
Located in an authentic recreation of New Preston’s mid-19th century blacksmith shop, in the heart of New Preston, The Smithy offers its visitors a rich range of options, including staples such as bread, eggs, and dairy products. Its produce providers include many of the area’s most highly-respected farms: Wild Carrot in Bantam, growing certified organic vegetables and fruits such as Swiss chard, collard greens, bok choy, kale, and golden raspberries; Ox Hollow in Roxbury, supplying beef, pork, lamb and vegetables; Anderson Acres in Kent, providing fresh flowers and, during the holiday season, hand-made Christmas wreaths; Arethusa Gardens in Bantam, supplying an array of heirloom vegetables, year-round; Sloane Farm in Washington, a one-woman farm where Debra Sloane grows strawberries, peas, beans and herbs; and Sunny Meadow Farm in Bridgewater, known for its outstanding chicken, and seasonal greens, fruits, vegetables, and squashes whose owners, Steve and Rose Shabet, purchased The Smithy in October 2018.
“My wife and I bought our property in Bridgewater in 2012 for a summer house to get out and stretch our legs,” says Steve, who worked on Wall Street for years. ”The following year a neighboring farm went into probate and a developer was going to bulldoze it. So instead we bought it, adding its land to ours. That got us into farming. We grew fruit, raised poultry. That led to opening a farm stand. We were lucky when we purchased our property that there was a local farmer, Jon Lindblom, who had been working our land and running a CSA for about 12 yrs. He agreed to step-up and take over the management of the farm. He raises the best chickens in the county and makes delicious honey and maple syrup as well.”
The Shabets also converted one of the barns on their property into a party barn, where they host events for local charities and non-profits. “One year I ended up sitting next to a guy who owned The Smithy and we got to talking,” says Steve. “They were looking to sell and we were looking for a place to sell our stuff. I love The Smithy because it has become such an important hub for the local community and allows me to sell my product in another ZIP code that’s not Bridgewater or Danbury.”
In addition to the Shabet’s produce, The Smithy also offers a range of artisan foods from local providers. These include delicious fresh pizzas and focaccia from Carol Bonci in Sharon; fresh pies and quiches from High 5 Pies in Kent, and fresh soups from Farm Country Soup in the Berkshires. Among other of The Smithy’s exclusive food-to-go providers are Arcadia’s Kitchen in New Preston, offering a variety of gourmet prepared delicacies such as white bean chili, tapenade, marinated olives, hummus, and chocolate red wine cake (and try the Galician stew!); and Community Table restaurant in Washington, where owner Joann Makovitsky and chef Paul Pearson supply such favorites as salad dressing, seeded crackers, kombucha squash hummus, and its signature smoked trout and red beet & feta dips.
The second story of the building features the Loft Gallery where curated local artists’ works are displayed on a monthly rotation. All are welcome to gallery openings to view paintings, photography and other media, to meet the artists, and enjoy locally produced wines, foods from The Smithy, and live jazz music. They will also be offering more prepared foods. “There’s a nook in the back corner of the loft where I can put a coffee machine and sandwiches. It’s perfect for people who are looking to grab something quick before heading to the lake.”
Most of these items will be prepared at The Mindful Kitchen, adjacent to the store, which the Shabets also acquired. In addition to sandwiches, it will offer its baked goods (brownies, gingerbread, snickerdoodle cookies, date truffles, etc.) as well as French chef Kevin McPherson’s delicious croissants. “In our continuing quest to provide our community exactly what they are looking for, other offerings are in the works… stay tuned!” says Steve.
Is it any wonder my wife loves to shop at The Smithy?
The Smithy Market, 10 Main St, New Preston, CT
Written by Charles Dubow (Sponsored)
