This Month’s Featured Articles…
Much ado about java: Checking out local caffeine culture & understanding what it takes to make a coffee shop a true favorite
Above: Espresso at Twisted Sisters Coffee House. Here at Main Street, we love our coffee. It keeps us going both in and out of the office, and a morning at work for us feels utterly incomplete without a little caffeinated kick, whether that be a classic iced caramel latte, a foamy vanilla cappuccino, or even a non-coffee refreshment like a toasty chai or sweet hot cocoa. On some mornings, especially the chillier ones, I’ll even opt for a decaffeinated Harney & Sons tea and rely [...]
Where goodness is in more than just the food: Taste Budd’s Café
Above: Every flavor of fudge is more delicious than the next at Taste Budd's. Taste Budd’s Café in Red Hook, NY, is celebrating a significant anniversary this year – 20 years since the café was purchased by Daniel and Julie Budd. For an eating establishment to survive more than ten years is an accomplishment, so this milestone is particularly impressive. Congratulations! Come in! I met with Dan to talk about the place, his passions, and his life on a morning in May that was actually [...]
Beyond the plate: Cello fosters connection and creativity in the Berkshires
“When Ryan and I first started dreaming about working together, we always said, ‘Maybe one day we’ll end up back in the Berkshires.’ It just felt like home – the pace, the culture, the people who care deeply about food, art, and nature. So when the opportunity to join Cello came up in Lenox, it felt like the stars aligned,” said Kim Boya, partner and general manager at Cello, located in Lenox, MA. Robert Fried and Karen Kowgios opened Cello in May of 2023, and [...]
Celebrating love and commemorating the historic Supreme Court decision that recognized same-sex marriage with LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality
Timed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s historic Obergefell v. Hodges decision (a case in which the Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage), authors Frankie Frankeny and John Casey released LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality on April 15, 2025. The book honors the courageous couples, activists, and allies who fought tirelessly for the freedom to marry. Documented over two decades by acclaimed photographer and director Frankie Frankeny, the book showcases more [...]
Sticks & Stones: Tattoo artist Nalla Smith shares all about his compelling creative journey and new Hillsdale, NY, shop with wife Christine Cherbonnier
“Like any kid who drew, I was lucky enough to have friends that were better than me at it,” quips tattoo artist Nalla Smith, owner of Sticks & Stones Tattoo in Hillsdale, NY. “So, that kind of showed me some tricks, but also gave me goals to get better at it.” With Nalla having drawn seriously since the age of eight, in tandem with healthy competition and “a social approach to artwork” with his friends, his talents went noticed by his mother, and Nalla was [...]
