Issue 01: The Pioneer Valley
- 164 pages
- 13 stories, 16 recipes
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- Printed in the USA
Our debut issue takes you to the historic Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts, a region steeped in agricultural and culinary traditions. Home to some of the most abundant soil in the US, farms of all shapes, sizes, and specialties pepper the landscape—along with apple orchards, maple sugar shacks, and oh-so-many farmers markets. From cozy kitchens tucked away in rural homes to bustling restaurants and event spaces, Homecooked, Issue 01 offers a unique look at the food that defines this charming area.
In The Pioneer Valley, you’ll meet local home cooks and food professionals as they share their most cherished recipes. Some dishes have been passed down through their families for generations, while others are new creations inspired by the abundance New England has to offer. This isn’t just a typical regional feature—it’s an intimate glimpse into the heart of the community, capturing the faces, places, and food that make it extraordinary.
So whether you’re winding through historic farmland, strolling the lively city streets, or tucking into a great meal at a neighborhood cafe, you’ll soon discover that every inch of the Pioneer Valley’s food culture is very much alive and well.
A SMALL TASTE OF WHAT'S INSIDE Issue 01
Nicole Blum and Jonathan Carr
Family meals are a collaborative effort for Nicole Blum and Jonathan Carr of Carr’s Ciderhouse and Preservation Orchard, a 40-acre apple orchard and cooperative farm in Hadley. Chickens their neighbors graze in the pasture take a turn on the grill and are seasoned with the couple’s cider-based barbecue sauce. Fresh-dug potatoes raised by their daughter and her partner become a salad using a cherished family recipe. And when zucchini threatens to overtake the garden, Nicole uses it instead of eggplant to make the family’s version of baba ganoush. The farm’s cooperative spirit comes to life in the kitchen, fostering connection through shared meals amid a thriving regional food culture.
Gloria Pacosa
Gloria Pacosa purchased her historic dream property in Ashfield in 2001 and quickly transformed it into a haven of culinary and botanical delights. But now, she prefers to connect to the kitchen through the hands-on work she does in the gardens. On an ideal day, Gloria will spend dawn to dusk in her greenhouse. Here, she tends to the herbs that serve as the standout ingredient in Beverly’s Crackers, the edible flowers that are incorporated into scrumptious salads and presented as an attractive garnish, and the fresh fruit used in desserts and simple syrups. “Pieces” from the kitchen (in the form of broken dishware) make it into the greenhouse as well—and can be seen in her artistic mosaic that is years in the making.
Holly Fitzpatrick
Holly Fitzpatrick takes comfort food to the next level. From her minestrone soup brimming with homegrown vegetables to her sourdough bread and bread and butter pickles, her food satisfies the heart as well as the taste buds. While she loves making her own pasta, Holly’s no food snob—she insists that pasta from the box works just as well. For her, home-cooked isn’t just a way of preparing a meal; it’s a state of mind.
Connie Adams
Connie Adams, co-owner (along with her husband, John Keilch) of Yellow Stonehouse Farm in Westfield provides her customers with plenty of recipes all summer long. Her recipes have proved popular over the years, not just because they help customers take advantage of every last ear of corn and the overabundance of ripe tomatoes, but also because the results are delicious.
Vegan Pizza Land
Will Meyer turned the pandemic boredom and restlessness we all experienced into a thriving vegan pizza business—cutting his teeth on Instagram orders, street fairs, and music festivals before settling into an airstream with a wood-fired oven at Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton. With a loyal following and a naturally curious nature, Will’s adventures with Vegan Pizza Land are just beginning.
Tinky Weisblat
Tinky Weisblat’s interests might be complex, but her recipes are simple and meant to be enjoyed by all. Her rhubarb crumble is a story of family, childhood, and making the best of what you’ve got. With just a few ingredients, she’s challenging preconceived notions about the vegetable and hopes to bring a few new faces over to #TeamRhubarb.
Andrew Garlo
Chef Andrew Garlo bought himself a job that requires tending a wood smoker at the crack of dawn in the bone-chilling cold of a western Massachusetts winter. But he’s not complaining—he’s thriving. The new owner of the venerable 45-year-old Bub’s BBQ in Sunderland loves the hands-on, all-consuming challenge of pit barbecuing, and he’s passionate about using local ingredients that highlight the flavors of the region. Find out what drives Andrew to smoke brisket in the snow—and his goal to put Bub’s, and New England-style barbecue, on the map.
Sonya Yelder
Sonya Yelder’s southern roots and love of fresh ingredients have made Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop in Springfield a favorite of locals and visitors alike since 2016. Her unintended journey into the culinary field was fueled by courage, endurance, and a love for home cooking. Her recipes for dishes like crab cakes, southern fried corn, and rice pudding allow anyone to have an elevated cooking experience from the comfort of their own home.
Laura Bowman
Though she was born and raised in western Massachusetts, Laura Bowman spent six years learning as much as she could about cooking (and wine) in New York, California, and France. But her time abroad was no substitute for her close family bonds, so she returned to Holyoke to start her own business and share her culinary knowledge with her local community. Anyone who has the opportunity to dine at her table gets a taste of her delicious influences with each and every bite—and sip!
Betty Rosbottom
Though she had little interest in food as a child, Betty Rosbottom discovered a love for cooking when she studied abroad in France during college. A couple years later, her husband gave her a copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I as a wedding gift, setting Betty on a path to turn her degree in French literature into a career inspired by French cuisine. Today, she lives and cooks in Amherst, where she’s found a food culture remarkably similar to what she experienced in France. It’s a place where ingredients are revered and cooking is synced to the seasons. Her elegant asparagus flans are a celebration of the local asparagus, while her lemon icebox pie honors her southern family’s love for simple food done well.
The Tunnel Bar
It might be literally underground, but The Tunnel Bar can’t be missed by passersby. It has ambience, a killer menu, and more than 100 years of local history in its walls. In the late 1800s, it was a pedestrian tunnel to the train station above, but since 1996, it’s been a chic cocktail bar that’s become a favorite for Northampton locals—including Jeremiah Micka, who started out as The Tunnel Bar’s dishwasher at age 13 and is now its owner.
Barstow’s Longview Farm
When plunging milk prices in the early 2000s forced the Barstow family to reconsider the future of their 200-year-old dairy farm, they met the challenge by working together to diversify. Part of that effort bore particularly sweet fruit: Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery, where Shannon Barstow carries her grandmother Marjorie’s culinary traditions forward by baking cakes, scones, cookies, and pies based on Marjorie’s recipes. Today, the bakery is a community gathering space and a story of how the seventh-generation Barstows are taking their family’s legacy into the future.
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