NEWBERRY CAFE
GRAND OPENING
CANTON, NY – After testing the cafe with local culinary artists and patrons for six months, TAUNY’s Newberry Cafe celebrated its grand opening on Monday, October 14th, 2024.The organization was delighted to share this moment with Mary Ann Ashley, Superintendent of the Village of Canton, Katie Berry, Community Coordinator at the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, and several Board of Directors members including Jackie Sauter and Martha Foley Smith. The cafe runs every Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. serving paninis, crepes, & quiche, and new items including soups, salads and special desserts.
Mission: Newberry Cafe
With a focus on an eat-in environment and attentive customer service, the Newberry Cafe is a welcoming space that builds community connections within the ambiance of The TAUNY Center.
History of Newberry Cafe
The name “Newberry Cafe” is derived from the J.J Newberry Co. a variety store which occupied the building for nearly 60 years. Newberry’s, founded by John Josiah Newberry of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was a successful five-and-dime store chain throughout the U.S. and Canada through most of the 20th century. [read more=”Read more…” less=”Read less…”] It was a beloved store that served generations of Canton residents. The mission of The Newberry Cafe at the TAUNY Center is to feature local culinary artists who represent the wide variety of foodways and kitchen stories to bring together our community with local, sustainable foods that represent the best of traditional culture in the North Country. The two buildings that make up the current TAUNY space were built in 1872, after a major fire destroyed most of the commercial blocks on the north side of Main Street. In 1929, Newberry’s bought the west-facing Howe Hardware side of the building, and, six years later, purchased Mrs. Fraser’s stylish ladies dress and millinery (hat shop) next door to form the combined space you see here today at The TAUNY Center with two entrances on Main Street. The original store featured two floors of sales rooms, a lunch and ice cream counter, and even a pet department with goldfish, canaries and more.[/read]
CULINARY ARTISTS
The Newberry Cafe began as a pilot in February of 2024, when Culinary Artist Andre Comandon and Executive Director Joshua Vink met to discuss the need and prospects of a viable cafe in The TAUNY Center.
Andre’s background as a cook and facility with wonderful crepes, baked goods, and general dishes helped build the foundation for the cafe. Running on Wednesday and Saturday once a month, the model drew on an embedded fiber and visual arts groups that met at The Center regularly.
The next phase of the Cafe was with Catherine Brownell, whose mother Theresa Stone had had a longstanding connection with TAUNY and Kate grew up attending programs at The Center. Kate brought in some delicious drink and food options, in particular a blueberry lemonade and wonderful baked good, as well as continuing to cook the foods that Andre had begun for the cafe. [read more=”Read more…” less=”Read less…”] Kate says, “I became baking and cooking obsessed after discovering the food network around the age of 10. The next eight years of my life were spent experimenting and learning in my mother’s kitchen, and staying up too late reading cookbooks. In highschool I had a small cupcake enterprise, and sold individual cupcakes for a dollar in study hall. I even started a baking blog, and spent hours developing recipes and photographing what I made. North country summers were my favorite time of year to bake, as there were seemingly endless amounts of fresh ingredients to work with. I would pick herbs straight from my mother’s garden or seek out fresh produce from the local farms and produce stands in the area. Cooking has always been my favorite creative outlet and my connection to the North Country community.“ TAUNY is grateful to Andre Comandon & Catherine Brownell for their excellent work and generous service to the organization.
After Kate left to pursue her teaching career, TAUNY hired a local culinary artist Mr. Steve Maiocco and expanded to three days a week on October 14th, 2024. [/read]