Food and Lodging
B&Bs, Inns
Bakers (decorated cakes for special occasions)
Cakewalk. 56 Main St, Lee. 243-2806 (8/15)
Ray Simo of The Baker’s Wife (retired, but ...) at 528-5920 (8/15)
Andrea Wadsworth of AW Confections. 625 Marble St, Lee. 243-4828. www.awconfections.com/ (8/15)
Big Y. 528-1314. (frosting can be too sweet -- choose carefully) (8/15)
Patisserie Lenox. 413-591-8747. Highest praise. (8/15)
Verdigris. 135 Warren St, Hudson, NY. 518-828-3139. www.verdigristea.com/ (8/15)
Carla Blades (in GB) is a superfine baker. carlitablades@gmail.com 413-329-0952.
Caterer or Personal Chef
Rita Welch, 413-229-0464, rita.welch@ymail.com, www.ritawelchcatering.com. Catered for VIM's holiday party -- best catered food ever! (9/17, 11/18, 6/21)
Marketplace, http://marketplacekitchen.com/ Call Donna Navarino, catering office. (9/17)
Taft Farms, 528-1515. Used several times, great! (11/18)
Hanne Borge at Mezze Catering, 413-458-8745. www.mezzecatering.com. (1/19)
Sylvia Becker, 973-768-7313, sylviabeckerprivatechef@gmail.com. Instagram: SHE_COOKS_SHE_TRAVELS, has many photos of her food. Very energetic, with many creative food & party ideas. (Not used yet but looks great!) (2/20)
Laura Rodríguez, lollarossafoods@gmail.com. A fantastic local chef who caters intimate bespoke events in the Berkshires. She worked as a chef for the past 20 years in NYC, Mexico, and the NY Finger Lakes region, and is now the sous chef at Prairie Whale. Works with local farmers and artisans to find new ways to marry sustainable practices and delicious food. (5/21)
Megan Lawrence, meganlawrencecooks@gmail.com. Her cooking is delicious and she is very personable. (6/21)
Julie Gale, At the Kitchen Table, Hillsdale, atthekitchentable@fairpoint.net, 914-261-1316. Always excellent. (6/21)
Gina Trivelli, https://www.mannacateringco.com/about. She is AMAZING! Not only is she a lovely person, she creates fresh, beautifully prepared and delicious meals, small plates, apps, platters. I’ve been at several small events, dinners, and gatherings that she has catered. Everyone who has hired her says that she is great to work with and well-priced. She also does healthy/fresh meal prep or delivery. Food is absolutely scrumptious and beautifully presented. She's very involved in the entire process and on top of everything. (6/21, 8/22)
Mary Shook, maryelizabethshook@gmail.com, 413-281-0658. We love her for help with parties. (3/22)
Emily Paskus, 413-244-9057, emilypaskus@gmail.com, Egremonter. Local personal chef of 10 years available for parties, retreats, weekend family reunions, etc. Cooking inspired by season and local offerings. Also has a masters of functional clinical nutrition, understands food allergies and avoidances, and offers consulting, education, and workshops around food, cooking skills, meal planning, and nutrition. Created the perfect menu for a birthday celebration dinner for 12, including the most amazing carrot cake! Everything so fresh and absolutely delicious! (latest: 4/24)
Chef Joe and Heidi Augustino (Egremonters), of Table and Fare, 413-717-0443 (J), 413-478-5593 (H), joe.p.augustino@gmail.com. Super impressive! Prepared everything for a holiday weekend -- healthy, delicious food. Came to my home for a dinner party and were wonderful. Great menu, great food, great people, super to work with. Also: Heidi and Joe suggested the menu (for both carnivores and vegans), bought the food, cooked/prepared it, and delivered it in 2 phases for the party. Everything was delicious, and everyone raved about the quality of the food. We sent food home with everyone, and continued to eat it for days afterwards. They are friendly, accommodating and gracious. HIGH rec! A delightful and talented team. (latest: 6/24)
Kosher Meals
Best bet is to order catering from Chabad of the Berkshires: https://www.jewishberkshires.com/ (7/21)
Chefs (to cook in your home)
Liz Behne (528-3453) is a chef who lives in South Egremont. Very nice, has been catering for years, and has a wonderful reputation. Call her after 3 p.m. on weekdays or any time on the weekends. (1/15)
Ray Simo, 528-5920 (1/15).
Nick Joseph and wife Birdie Cushwa, 413-281-0657 Graduates of the Culinary Institute, run the Bistro Box in the summer (1/15)
Zee Vassos. 413-637-1402 He does wonderful private parties and has very kindly offered to cook for a charity dinner. (1/15)
Marianna Morrison is great. marianna.morrison@gmail.com. (1/15)
Robert Fire and wife Pat, in Monterey, 732-695-8900, ext 114. Not professional chefs, but have always enjoyed cooking for our friends on a regular basis. Member said, "The meal was amazing. We sat in their kitchen, watched the prep and ate one course at a time. It was divine! I would gladly go back tomorrow for the same!" (1/15)
Theresa Johnson, Monterey, 413-717-9209. Outstanding personal chef, skilled at cooking for many dietary needs and preferences - Ayurveda, vegetarian, and vegan meals, to Mediterranean and more traditional meals. Ingredients locally sourced, when possible. (12/17)
Emily Paskus, Egremonter, 413-244-9057, emilypaskus@gmail.com. Clinical nutritionist and therapeutic chef with emphasis on local food, a broad range of styles. Offers nutrition consultation and private cooking for people with special dietary needs as well as select special events and small party catering. Created the perfect menu for a birthday celebration dinner for 12, including the most amazing carrot cake! Everything so fresh and absolutely delicious! (10/18 to 10/23)
Simeon Bittman at Folklore http://folklorefoods.net/, 413-242-2136, folklorefoods@gmail.com. Sweet guy, CIA grad, creative and talented. Have been ordering from his new food delivery service and am a HUGE fan. (10/18)
C.C. Forrester, 413-717-7081. She cooks healthy and tasty meals for several clients and drops off the food once a week. She’s an excellent cook, and especially great with soups. (10/18)
Joseph and Heidi Augustino, of Table and Fare, 413-717-0443. Super impressive! Prepared everything for a holiday weekend -- healthy, delicious food. Came to my home for a dinner party and were wonderful. Great menu, great food, great people, super to work with. HIGH rec! (9/23, 10/23)
Property Management
Bryan Frank (Egremonter), Posto Property Management, Premier Property Management and Rental Management, www.postoproperty.com, hello@postoproperty.com, 413-206-6386. Concierge home care for full-time and part-time residents. Short-term (AirBNB) rental management, long-term rental management. Home improvement consulting. (1/22)