Good Food for a Good Purpose in Falls Village
By Charles Dubow
Photos by Ryan Lavine

Most restaurants have a simple mission: Make good food that people want to eat. But Mountainside Café in Falls Village has a second, even more important mission: Make good food in an environment where people recovering from substance abuse can learn life skills that will help them succeed in the outside world. Mountainside Café gets it right on both scores.

Opened in 2014, the café is affiliated with Mountainside, a treatment facility that is headquartered nearby in North Canaan. “Our philosophy is to nurture and nourish our community by providing farm-to-table ingredients from local farmers, growers, and producers,” says Jason Chartier, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and Mountainside’s vice president of food services, who oversees the café. “We reinvest 100% of our proceeds back into the café and vocational programs for our clients. Equally important, the café also provides a safe, supportive space for individuals in recovery through our extended care program, to work part-time as they adjust to their new sober lifestyle.” 

Judging by the lively crowds that swell its charming, light-filled dining room, the café is doing a great job. On a recent weekday visit, every seat was filled and more people kept coming in. “You should see it on the weekends,” grins Dan Smith, Mountainside’s vice president of strategic operations. “You’ve got to get here early. We have people coming from all over the Northeast.”

The simple yet tasty (and reasonably priced) menu, overseen by executive chef John Horrigan and general manager Sarah Winkley, changes with the seasons; but certain favorites, such as the Country Burger made with beef from Hurlburt Farm in West Cornwall, and the Johnny Cash Skillet, made with eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and cheddar, can always be found. Other menu highlights include the pulled pork grilled cheese with barbecue sauce, bacon jam, and cheddar on sourdough; the avocado sandwich with provolone, tomato, red onion, chipotle aioli, and arugula on grilled wheatberry bread; the shaved steak sandwich with bell pepper, red onion, and provolone on sourdough with a beef au jus; and the streusel French toast with cinnamon apple compote. 

“We are really proud of the work that we do here,” says Smith. “Most of our clients come from the Northeast, but we have also had people from around the country and even overseas. In the 26 years since Mountainside opened, we have helped more than 25,000 individuals; and because of the café, many of them have been able to find careers in the food service industry, even in some of Litchfield County’s best restaurants.”

Both Chartier and Smith are more than employees of Mountainside. They are also alumni. “Mountainside literally saved my life,” says Smith, a brawny, bearded man who is the picture of health. “I graduated 13 years ago and have been working here since 2014. I’m originally from Westchester, but I love Litchfield County. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. The community has been so welcoming to us, and we want to do everything we can to give back.”

Mountainside Café, 251 Route 7 South, Falls Village. Open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday-Sunday; reservations not accepted.