Page 29 - Dutchess Tourism 2023

David Cruz,
Reconnect Foods, Poughkeepsie
Born out of the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory from a local mobile eatery, Reconnect Foods now has a permanent location at Eastdale Village. Founder Chef David Cruz graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 2019 and sought to reconnect local food systems. His mission: demonstrate what is possible with local ingredients.
“We let the seasons design the menu. We build on our core dishes and make them fun. We’re always switching out the vegetables,” Cruz says. Even during cold winter months, Dutchess County farms—Obercreek Farm, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Greig Farm, Rose Hill, etc.—provide incredible raw materials and inspiration for the chef.
“In the winter, our bowl features a cabbage-apple slaw;
in the summer, that becomes a pico de gallo with tomato season. We switch over to greens and stonefruits... So the flavor profiles change, and we go from very savory with a winter spice to more bright flavors like spring garlic, onion and scapes to sweet and colorful with strawberries and peaches.”
Visit to try steamed bao buns, freshly made ramen, Tex-Mex Asian fusion tacos and loaded rice bowls with a local touch.
MY FAVORITE DUTCHESS EXPERIENCES:
Oysters and old-world French fare at Brasserie 292 in Poughkeepsie
Elaine Hayes, Executive Director Mount Gulian, Beacon
For more than three decades, Elaine Hayes has served as the Executive Director of the Mount Gulian Society. “One
of the areas I became interested in was the Mount Gulian garden, and the story of James F. Brown—an escaped slave whose freedom was paid for by the Verplanck family and who became the master gardener,” Hayes says. Managing a historic site requires constant care and ongoing restorations. A fire in the 1930s devastated the property, including the century-old garden. Hayes discovered a detailed map of
the garden made by one of the Verplanck women, and with board members, located the original posts where the formal garden once stood.
“After the fire, one of the descendants went into the garden and actually dug up yucca plants, roses and peonies and brought [them] back to her house in Connecticut. When she learned that we were reconstructing the garden, she donated them back to us to replant. [The plants
you see here today are] the descendants of the original yuccas, peonies and roses from the 1804 garden.” The Mount Gulian Society also restored the roof and the 1720 Dutch barn and transcribed centuries-old letters and
other documents. “We’re a small, small site, but we have
a lot of history—from the Wappinger people through the Revolutionary War period to the reconstruction.”
MY FAVORITE DUTCHESS EXPERIENCES:
Innisfree Garden and Trevor Zoo in Millbrook
Mount Gulian, Beacon
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