Main Street News
Ten Mile Table and Vitsky Bakery Supply Artisanal Pantry Finds and Baked Goods
Ten Mile Table Supply is home to a variety of unique pantry finds, independent food publications, and the undeniable star of the show, the bakery counter that houses Vitsky Bakery.
“It’s been amazing to watch the business grow through word-of-mouth in the community,” owner Erika DaSilva says. “Ariel from Vitsky [Bakery] is amazing, and we’ve been looking for a way to get her baked goods to the community too.”
Ten Mile Table has only been open for a few months, but they already have a loyal following. So far, they’re only open Friday through Sunday, but Erika says that their days and hours of operation is something they’d like to expand in the upcoming months.
Much of the inspiration for the market goods stems from what Erika would want in her “dream kitchen.”
“We try to carry ingredients that are hard to find and that offer something for everybody. We’re taking unofficial requests so far of things that people want to see on our shelves,” she muses.
Erika says that Ten Mile Table sources their goods from a variety of different places, both local and not so much. Currently they carry maple syrup and maple-infused vinegar from Laurel & Ash Farm, based out of Holmes, NY, a variety of flours from Wild Hive Farm in Clinton Corners, NY, granola from Augie’s Treats in Pine Plains, NY, and coffee from Krafted Brew Lab in Bantam, CT.
Erika says that they do their research about the companies and farms that they choose to work with to ensure that they’re getting quality products that are made as sustainably as possible. “We make sure that the product is good and that they can articulate exactly where their ingredients are coming from and how their products are made,” Erika says.
Erika is no stranger to highlighting local businesses and farms. Her husband, Minh Le is the general manager of The Lantern Inn right across the street (Erika also serves as their beverage director). They frequently collaborate on many pop-ups events both at the Lantern and at the independent newsstand that sits adjacent to the restaurant.
Speaking of the newsstand, another unique product that Ten Mile Table carries is independently published food magazines. A passion for Erika, the magazines initially resided at the newsstand, before finding their forever home within Ten Mile Table.
“I’m a big journalism junkie,” Erika laughs. “Those tiny operations are really incredible. They’re telling stories of food that you don’t see in the major publications. It’s more of an in-depth look at our community.”
“It’s a lot of poetry and essays too,” she says. “It’s weird and nerdy and cool, and it’s so fun to see people standing here and flipping through them and giggling to themselves.”
Erika was also adamant to share that she has massive respect for those who run independent magazines. “It’s so hard. There’s no margin. I tried to do it, it was a real labor of love, and we got two issues out before we folded,” she says. “I have so much respect for tiny operations like that.”
One of the most prominent publications that you’ll find as you wander through Ten Mile Table is the “Community Cookbook,” which is a compilation of recipes from bakers, chefs, farms, and more in our region. Additionally, Erika worked with local artists to stock the cookbook with their original artwork as well, making it not only helpful when you’re searching for something to make for dinner, but also very pretty.
Most of all, however, Erika says that their connections with the community are paramount. “I hope the shelves speak to that,” she says.
Additionally, Erika says that they get to see a lot of people who come into Ten Mile Table are a mixture of locals and out-of-towners. For the latter, she enjoys being able to shine a light on other local businesses that are “doing incredible work,” and give recommendations when people are looking for something specific.
Erika says that while there are a variety of supply stores around the country, she hopes that the space they’ve cultivated at Ten Mile Table sets them apart. “We wanted a space where people feel welcome and if they don’t see something on the shelves, they feel comfortable enough to tell us that so we can work to get it for them.”
Aside from the incredible pantry shelves, the other undeniable star of the show over at Ten Mile Table is the one-woman-show known as Vitsky Bakery. Ariel Yotive is behind the bakery and on days that they’re open, you can find her in the kitchen bright and early at three in the morning, baking all of that day’s goods fresh.
“I’ve been wanting to have a bakery since I was five years old,” Ariel smiles. “And now here we are.”
While Ten Mile Table and Vitsky Bakery are open until 3 p.m., you’d better get there early to secure your baked goods, as Vitsky is typically sold out around noon on any given day.
Similar to Erika’s passion for working with local farms and organizations, Ariel also works closely with local farms to source as many of her ingredients as possible. A lot of her philosophy for baking is about working with what she has on hand.
“I try to make do with what farms provide so there’s as little waste as possible,” she says. Because she bakes everything fresh every morning, she typically has a little bit more flexibility to avoid waste. Most recently, a local farm dropped off a ton of zucchini that they weren’t able to use. Ariel, being adaptive as ever, was able to use it in a variety of goods, including the beloved zucchini bread.
“It’s important to me that as a food person, I use my resources to then in turn support small farms, which then supports our regional food system.”
Vitsky Bakery utilizes a lot of the same products that Ten Mile Table stocks on their shelves, including the local flour from Wild Hive Farm and sunflower oil that’s sourced out of Pleasant Valley, NY.
Ariel also says that another benefit of working with local farms is that she can avoid supply chain issues, as inflation has been “very difficult” to weather the past few weeks. Ariel also notes that inflation is difficult with baked goods, as there is very little margin for her to be able to raise the prices, despite the cost of ingredients increasing.
“It’s also important to me that there’s accessibility to our goods that’s approachable, while ensuring we’re also still able to pay our bills,” she says.
Depending on the season, you can find delicious goods such as elderberry vanilla scones, mini olive oil cakes, croissants, zucchini bread, and of course, the fan-favorite cardamom buns.
“If we didn’t make the cardamom buns, I think people would riot in the streets,” Ariel laughs.
She shares that because Wassaic is such a small, tight-knit community, she knows most of the people who are coming in to buy her baked goods, and that many first-time customers have become regulars in a very short period of time.
It’s at this point that Erika chimes in from behind the counter to share that customers occasionally fight over Ariel’s baked goods, especially if stock is getting low.
When I ask if Ariel feels loved and appreciated in a warped way that people argue over her products, she laughs. “Yeah, I guess I do. It’s nice to know that people love my stuff.”
Ariel and Erika share that because they’ve been working with such minimal help since they opened, they’ve only recently been able to start looking ahead.
“Right now, it’s about figuring out how we go beyond just being open and selling things,” Ariel says. “We want to encourage community engagement and find out what we can do to participate in a bigger way.”
Erika shares that an upcoming dinner series is in the works. There’ll be partnerships with guest chefs, local farms, beverage producers, and familiar faces from businesses like The Lantern. Erika tells me that there are more details to come, so find them on Instagram at @tenmiletable so you can keep up with all of the latest happenings and seasonal changes. Find Vitsky Bakery on Instagram at @vitskybakery to stay up-to-date on all the goodies available in the shop.
Visit Ten Mile Table on Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at: 3 Main St, Wassaic NY 12592