Ahead of Earth Day, Hudson celebrates the beauty of the Valley with a special dinner that directly supports reforestation efforts in the region. At The Caboose, a new carbon-neutral event space on Hudson’s waterfront, four beloved Hudson establishments – Kitty’s, Café Mutton, Rivertown Lodge, and Mel the Bakery – will join together on April 11 to curate a memorable evening of culinary excellence in support of Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley and their ecological restoration efforts.
Three years in the making, The Caboose is the product of dining destination Kitty’s next-door expansion. The venue is a 6,500-square-foot and 100-percent carbon-neutral event space that is housed in a former coal barn built in 1870. Inside The Caboose, original flooring, beams, and rafters have been meticulously restored from the 19th-century structure, and the building is fully climatized and solar-powered to accommodate up to 300 guests. An eastern wall of sliding glass opens to a tree-filled space that is perfect for outdoor gatherings, and the venue also houses the soon-to-open location of Kitty’s natural wine and spirits shop, Grapefruit Wines.
The evening, dubbed Feast for Forest Health, intends to be a celebration of community and the environment, with a multi-course menu helmed by James Beard Award semifinalists Shaina Loew-Banayan of Café Mutton and Nora Allen of Mel the Bakery, along with Efren Hernandez of Rivertown Lodge and Kitty’s own Nicole LoBue. In addition to spectacular food, the feast will feature a roster of local New York State beverages, namely Wild Arc wine, Uncouth Vermouth, and Neversink Spirits cask bourbon.
Although the menu is still in the works, diners can expect an unforgettable night of cuisine from the local talent. The Caboose and Kitty’s whole team are looking forward to this opportunity to engage the Hudson community and celebrate Earth Month in a memorable way. After completing construction this past fall, Earth Month felt like the perfect moment to debut a meaningful event at the carbon-neutral venue. With an impressive selection of talented chefs that are local to the Hudson area, the decision for them to unite in support of the environment and local community was not a hard one.
Any money raised at the event will go to the Partners for Climate Action’s ecological restoration grant fund that is reserved for the Hudson River Estuary bioregion. The PCA will then initiate a request for proposal process where towns, community groups, nonprofits, schools, and more institutions can apply for funds to implement ecological restoration projects in their desired areas. The PCA’s current focus is on restoring native habitats and forest health while growing the urban canopy.
Those who are interested in dining at the Feast for Forest Health can pay $250 per person, or $2,000 for an eight-top table. Diners will enjoy a cocktail hour followed by a seated four-course dinner that showcases the New York State bounty. The unique evening kicks off at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., and The Caboose is located at 60 South Front Street in Hudson.
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