Centre Street Cafe

Over the years, Centre Street Cafe has established relationships with many of the area farmers, They have provided us with great produce and a great education about local farming practices, agricultural history, and even the area micro-climates. (The farmers in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts like to joke that farms in the Boston suburbs are in the banana belt). What ds this mean for our customers? It means that during the growing season, you get the freshest, tastiest vegetables possible (usually picked that very morning). It means getting gorgeous organically grown vegetables from Ray Mong at Applefield Field in Stow. It means getting all-natural pasture-raised beef from Jon Konove out in Brimfield. It means getting beautiful fruits and vegetables and exquisite pork that has been humanely raised by Glenn and Genevieve Stillman out in New Braintree. It means getting the best heirloom apples and peaches. It means that the cider you get here is local and delicious (mainly from Box Hill Orchards). We have spent years scouring the New England countryside in our free time searching out small, local farmers that take pride and care in both what they do and how they do it. We have visited most of the many farms we do business with (we still have to visit some cheese makers) learning about the farmers and their growing practices, making sure they are ecologically responsible, and in the case of the animals, that they are humane. Why local? It is certainly fresher and tastier but we like the idea that is means less “truck miles” to bring our food to the restaurant, and hence less pollution. We are big fans of the fast-disappearing rural environment, and feel strongly that one way to protect that environment is to support our local farmers. These are the little guys who are too small to cash in on the huge government subsidies that are doled out to giant agri-business. These are the guys that get up at 3:30 am every morning, day in and day out, to do the milking. These are the guys that never stop working as long as there is light during the growing season, We applaud and admire them for all their hard work, and we urge you too, to search them out and support then as much as possible. Here is a partial list of the farmers we do business with:* The Mongs, Applefield Farm, Stow, MA: Vegetables* The Stillmans, Stillman Farm, New Braintree, MA (also the J.P. Farmers’ Market behind Fleet Bank): Fruit, vegetables, pork.* Jon Konove, River Rock Farms, Brimfield, MA: Naturally-Raised Beef* Chuck Lord and Tom Mansfield, Carver Hill Orchards, Stow, MA: Apples, cider, peaches and blueberries* Deb, Westfield Farms, Hubbardston, MA: Goat Cheeses* Julie, Honeypot Orchards, Stow, MA: Apples, pears, cider, peaches, blueberries Our hours are:Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 9am-3pm Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11:30am-3pm Dinner: Monday through Saturday, 5pm-10pm