Main Street News

“In 2020, my friend and I were working on a plan to close down the street for a big hospitality event. We would have one giant table that would showcase chefs, sommeliers, and wine and hospitality professionals. Thus, the Ten Mile Table,” says Erika DaSilva of the name of her new wine shop on Main Street in Wassaic, NY. 

Some may remember Ten Mile Table Supply, which previously shared a space with Vitsky Bakery, located just a few steps down the street. About a year ago, Vitsky Bakery was in need of more space, so Ten Mile Table moved out of their shared building and down the street to reopen as a wine and spirits shop. 

“Since then, Ten Mile Table has changed to become a lot of different things, but it’s still a table. Whether it’s about wine, food, or independent publications, the table is still there, it’s wide, and it’s for everyone,” she says.

From around the globe to the shelves at Ten Mile Table 

DaSilva has worked in the wine, food, and hospitality business in both New York City and abroad for the past 20 years. A trained sommelier, DaSilva started working with wine in Italy, where she functioned with a list of more than one thousand wines. “The opening to wine for me was Italy. Everything about the process interests me, from the kinds of grapes used, to how they’re grown, and how winemaking differs across the globe,” she shares. 

For the past eight years, DaSilva has also served as the wine curator and head of the beverage program at The Lantern restaurant right next door, where her husband, Minh Le, is general manager. 

Passionate about sourcing products that are sustainable, DaSilva has ensured that each wine and spirit on the shelves of Ten Mile Table is free of pesticides and harvested in the most ecologically-sound manner. 

“I do my research about the winery or vineyard. I like to know how they work and what kind of care they’re taking when it comes to being environmentally sustainable. Those are some of the criteria that I have created for the wines and spirits on the shelves. And, of course, it has to be delicious, too,” she laughs. 

Many of the wines and spirits at Ten Mile Table are locally-sourced, but you can also find varieties from all across New York State, as well as California, Oregon, and Vermont. Globally, Ten Mile Table also stocks wines from Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, and more. 

Originally, DaSilva wanted to wholly focus on wine, but after discovering how many fantastic local distilleries there are, she pivoted to offer many New York State-made spirits, as well as niche options from around the globe as well. In the front of the shop near one of the bay windows, you’ll find a shelf stocked with a variety of spirits. “This shelf to me is kind of what you’d want your ideal bar to look like,” DaSilva explains. “Here we have one or two amazing options of each kind of spirit.” 

The back room of the shop is where you’ll find the bulk of the wine selection. Indeed, on each bottle, you’ll find a handwritten, personalized tag with details about the wine, such as where the grapes were grown, the blend of grapes, and the flavor profile. Many of these tags were handwritten by DaSilva, who has tasted each and every product on the shelves, but others were written by community members during the wine tastings that Ten Mile Table hosts on Thursday evenings.  

“Each Thursday, we do tastings from five to seven o’clock in the evening. At our most recent tasting, I had some of the community members who came in write some of the tags for the bottles that we tasted. It was truly a great experience because, while I’ve tasted every bottle, we all have different palettes and others might pick up on some notes and flavors that I may not.” 

In addition to the Thursday tastings, Ten Mile Table also hosts a different kind of class each month. In September, DaSilva hosted a vermouth class, in which she walked participants through the different types of vermouth, the history of the spirit, different producers, how to use the spirit, and what kinds of cocktails you can make. 

While DaSilva hosts most of the classes herself right now, she is hoping to bring in others to teach classes in the near future. Classes are typically capped at 10 or 12 participants, so keep your eyes peeled and register as soon as possible. Information about upcoming events can be found in Ten Mile Table’s newsletter, their website, and their Instagram. 

Showcasing independent publications 

Another pillar that has always been a part of each iteration of Ten Mile Table are the independent food and beverage publications that DaSilva showcases. Originally housed (and still located!) in the iconic newsstand next to The Lantern, DaSilva has brought some of her favorite publications inside of Ten Mile Table, too. 

“I’m a big journalism junkie and I know it takes a lot of effort to make a publication like this,” she shares. “There are so many of them that focus on different perspectives within the hospitality industry, from life as a server in a restaurant to recipes from childhood and so much more.”

The independent publications range from community cookbooks featuring artwork and recipes from locals, to more popular and well-known publications like Cherry Bombe, which centers around women working in the food and beverage industry. While independent publications are certainly easier to find in urban areas, such as Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City, DaSilva notes that even then, you have to know where to look. Showcasing them in Ten Mile Table is not only a way for DaSilva to indulge her own journalistic interests, but to also give customers a unique perspective into the hospitality industry. 

“I just think they’re awesome. They make for a great gift, and so many people will come in and pick them up because they recognize a restaurant that’s featured or know one of the chefs. It’s such a great way to bridge the gap into another part of hospitality. I think it’s rad.” 

A community-centered approach 

As this is DaSilva’s first retail adventure in regards to wine, something tricky she’s had to grapple with is watching customers purchase a bottle from the shop without tasting it beforehand. “Coming from the restaurant side of hospitality, I really miss that interaction. Luckily for me, though, many people have reached out and shared their thoughts on the bottle afterwards, which I really appreciate,” she shares.  

Indeed, interacting with the community and receiving feedback is one of the things that DaSilva deems most important about her business. “Coming from working in restaurants, anyone in the service industry will know that restaurant families are very tight because you go through so much together. We were afraid that we would never find that again, but alas, we have found it in spades,” she shares. “We’ve always felt so welcomed here in Wassaic, so this is my way of giving that love right back to the community that has done so much for us.” 

Visit Ten Mile Table at 14 Main Street, Wassaic, NY, from 1-7pm on Thursday through Saturday and 1-6pm on Sundays. Learn more about Ten Mile Table on their website tenmiletable.com and keep up with them on Instagram @tenmiletable.