The story of New York City residents moving to the Hudson Valley and subsequently opening a business is not a new one. Yet for Claudia Sidoti and Christopher Weathered, the mother-and-son co-owners of Mill & Main in Kerhonkson, there’s so much more to the story than the ubiquitous NYC-to-HV transplant thread could possibly cover.
For the duo, who debuted Mill & Main in May 2023, opening a restaurant in the Hudson Valley was just as much of a fresh start as it was a chance for them to tap into their rather formidable culinary resumes. It was also an opportunity for them to give back on a hyperlocal level and connect with a community that they could call their own.
“Kerhonkson was our home away from home once Paul and I bought our weekend home a couple of years before we bought the [Mill & Main] building,” Sidoti explains of her and her husband’s ties to the town. “We didn’t necessarily plan on it becoming our permanent home. But as soon as COVID-19 happened, life changed so dramatically, and it was pretty clear to us that there was an active and awesome community where we felt very comfortable.”
So, when she saw the abandoned building on Main Street in Kerhonkson that’s now home to Mill & Main, she knew it was a sign. She and Weathered, who had often dreamt of starting a family business together, tapped into their respective culinary expertise to transform the vacant space into the open, welcoming restaurant and provisions store that exist today.
Time-Tested Skills
Prior to opening Mill & Main, Sidoti and Weathered spent years cutting their teeth in the world of food. For Sidoti, who got her start in her grandmother’s kitchen in Queens, food led her to pursue a career as a chef, catering company founder, and specialty food shop owner. From there, she pivoted into a consultant role for notable brands such as Panera Bread, as well as a food writer for publications like the New York Post and Tasting Table. She helped to launch Food Network Magazine and later served as the Culinary Director of HelloFresh’s Test Kitchen as well.
With such a powerhouse figure for a mother, it’s hardly a surprise that Weathered also felt the pull of the culinary industry. After getting his first break into the food service space at 13, he studied sustainable food systems in college, worked as a pizzaiolo, and pursued sustainable agriculture and soil study projects. Yet it was his apprenticeship – which turned into a full-time position – at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, as well as his on-the-job education at restaurants throughout New York City, that helped to shape him into the chef he is today. By the time he moved to the Catskills in 2023, he was ready to pair his experience with his mother’s expertise to craft a concept that was entirely their own.
What to Expect
The beauty of Mill & Main is that meets customers’ needs while simultaneously introducing them to something new. The restaurant resides in a central location in town, which means that it’s quite the attraction in the community. It serves the twofold function of eatery and provisions shop to ensure that people can savor top-notch food and shop for gourmet products they might not be able to find locally otherwise.
It was the provisions shop that opened first – it debuted in 2021 – and enabled Sidoti and Weathered to tap into and develop community relationships. Open throughout the week, Mill & Main Provisions is a local resource for visitors who want everything from specialty condiments to unique snacks and Instagrammable foodie finds.
“Our mission at Mill & Main has always been to serve the community in every way we can,” Sidoti and Weathered explain. “We always aim to bring people together and ensure everyone enjoys their experience here, whether coming in for a quick lunch, a special occasion, or stopping by on the way through the Hudson Valley. A big part of that is listening to what our customers enjoy and keeping that feedback in mind with our menu.”
Speaking of that menu, it’s a delightful affair filled with dishes that spotlight local purveyors. Dishes gravitate toward seasonal American fare, with Caribbean, Latin, and Italian influences interspersed throughout. The eatery does an admirable job of catering to a wide variety of diners and features clear markers for vegan and gluten-free dishes on its menus. While the restaurant originally launched with dinner service, it added brunch and lunch menus earlier this year, which means diners can savor what Sidoti and Weathered dream up throughout the day.
For a.m. visits, seasonal toasts on house-made focaccia start the day off right, while dishes like the daily frittata with mixed greens salad or brioche French toast with ginger maple butter and fresh berries leave diners ready to power through hikes in the region. The lunch menu has fun with world flavors, which are showcased in dishes such as the Caribbean chicken patty, pinsa romana, and crispy jerk tofu sando. The dinner menu is the largest of the three, with both small and large plates available – think everything from red snapper crudo to garganelli cacio pepe – not to mention sharable snacks like loaded yucca fries and mango barbecue wings.
And, as parents themselves, Sidoti and Weathered even put special touches on the kids’ menu. Little ones can dig into buttery broccoli “trees” or savor their very own cheese pinsa romana. There are small fries or yucca fries available in kid-friendly portions, too.
When it’s time for a sweet treat, look to whatever is in-season. The seasonal bread budding a la mode is a no-brainer, while the tropical sundae is a fun one to share with a special someone. Mill & Main often scoops up the Kingston-based Jane’s Ice Cream and features other local purveyors like Flowering Sun Mushrooms, Willow Pond for sheep’s milk yogurt, North Country Creamery for cow’s milk yogurt, Fletcher & Lu for bread and cured meats, and Catsmo for smoked fish, to name a few.
As for the drinks, expect a wide variety. Specialty cocktails run the gamut in terms of alcoholic bases, from Jamaican rum in the Kingston Negroni to sparkling wine in the Cranberry Spagliato. Mocktails feature bases like Seedlip gin or house-made sorrel syrup, while wines and beers spotlight a number of local names, including West Kill Brewing and Wild Arc Farms.
“We use fresh, seasonal ingredients that are locally sourced, so we’re really supporting and uplifting the community in as many ways as we can,” the co-owners share. “The experience here is intimate, and we try to get to know our customers and make them feel part of the Mill & Main family when they are here. We really strive to be as accessible and welcoming as possible with everything we do.”
Coming up at Mill & Main
Now that the brunch and lunch menus have been added to the mix, Sidoti and Weathered are excited for a fun summer in the Hudson Valley. They have a number of pop-ups and collab dinners with some of their favorite spirits companies and chefs on the horizon, so local and visiting foodies have more than a few reasons to consider a visit. They also plan to expand the private label of their in-house favorite provisions, such as mango barbecue, marinara, pesto, Scotch Bonnet mayo, and lentil mushroom pate. (Keep an eye out for them on the restaurant’s menu to taste them for yourself!)
Mill & Main
317-319 Main St, Kerhonkson
Website
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