Does your family crave free food samples like sirloin burgers, pizza, and mac n cheese? Would the kids love to pet a live lobster, visit a zoo and sing and dance along with state-of-the-art animatronics? Would you love to catch a glimpse of Martha Stuart or Bobby Flay? If you are shouting YES, then Stew Leonard’s is the place for you! About Stew Leonard’s Stew Leonard's began as a small dairy store founded in 1969 with just seven employees. Today, Stew Leonard's is still f

Pennings Farm which sits on 100 acres of pristine farmland in the historic Hudson Valley town of Warwick, NY, is so much more than just a farm market. You could visit every day of the week and experience something different and wonderful. There’s a Farm-to-Table Cafe, a Pub, a Beer Garden, an Ice Cream Stand, a Garden Center and a Cidery Tap Room. The grill menu is known to change with the seasons to include limited specialty dishes like Curried Cauliflower Croquette, Truff

Normally, HudsonValleyEATS focuses our stories on the independent restaurant and business owners but sometimes we need to make an exception, especially when a company serves their community so well. There’s a restaurant near you that helps their neighbors everyday! T.L. Cannon owns 62 Applebee’s restaurants in Upstate NY, Connecticut and Northern Pennsylvania. “The foundation of our business is commitment to the community and being a part of our neighborhoods.” For the past

What Do Chocolate Chip Cookies & Disney Have in Common? Making Happy Memories! Established in 2012 by cancer survivor Frank Squeo, Baking Memories 4 Kids sends children with life threatening and terminal illnesses to Florida to enjoy a full week at Orlando’s theme parks. The program is funded by proceeds raised from their holiday cookie sale. Headquartered in the Hudson Valley (Valley Cottage, NY), Baking Memories 4 Kids has surprised 93 families with an all-expense paid t

The Premier Cares Foundation is holding its 7th annual “Challenge Your Colon” Chili Festival on Sunday, March 25 from 12-3 at the Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd. Wappingers Falls, NY. This yearly event is a great chance to taste chilis from restaurants throughout the Hudson Valley as well as supporting local charities that offer services for patients with gastrointestinal diseases including colorectal cancer. HudsonValleyEATS.com has a pair of free tickets for a lucky reader.

What could make a parent happier than seeing their physically challenged child take their first horseback ride and then devour a cookie dough ice cream? This heavenly dream is made possible at Hidden Hollow Farms Riding Center & Letti’s Ice Cream in Milan, NY. The mission of the farm is to provide a safe, educational and pleasurable therapeutic riding facility for people with or without disabilities. “Thanks to Hidden Hollow, I'm able to ride for the first time since last y

“Think local, give local and live local perfectly describes Tommy Keegan,” said Christine Hein, Executive Director of People’s Place, a neighboring food pantry and thrift store in Kingston. Tommy Keegan, founder of Keegan Ales, believes in his Kingston community. “Tommy stored 1100 turkeys for me last Thanksgiving! His affirmation of our work inspires us to continue moving forward to help those most in need in our Ulster County community. Tommy helps me out with labor and f

“People in the Hudson Valley have a strong sense of place. They adore the views, the hiking, the food and the landscape. Agriculture is an important part of the landscape, and it’s not taken for granted. People here understand that they need to support their local farms, and they enjoy spending time on the farm because it helps them feel connected to the natural world,” said Dave Llewellyn, Director of Farm Stewardship at Glynwood. Glynwood, a non-profit organization, supp

What are you doing this weekend? Well, fuggedaboutit! Change of plans. A fire last week on Wappinger’s Falls Main Street, has brought together a group of local business owners putting on a variety of benefits for those displaced by the fire. First up, a breakfast Saturday morning from 9-12 hosted by West Main Kitchen & Bar at the fire station across the street from the restaurant (5 School Street). All proceeds from the breakfast will be donated. Sunday morning, line up to g

Even for experienced chefs, feeding 300 people is a challenge. Especially when you don’t know what’s going to be on the menu until you hit the kitchen. That’s why the first HVEats Heroes are Chef Mark Margiotta of Brasserie 292 and his brother, and sous chef, Jesse. On May 3Oth they have generously offered to take over take over the kitchen for the Lunch Box at Dutchess Outreach allowing the staff to attend a day-long conference and retreat. If you’re not familiar with it, Du