THE CATSKILLS
Explore the up-and-coming foodie destination
The area was once a popular vacation spot for wealthy New Yorkers
Driving north out of Manhattan, it doesn’t take long before the landscape begins to change dramatically. Skyscrapers are replaced by pine-strewn mountain peaks and the traffic-clogged avenues empty out into small country back roads that wind their way upstate to the Catskills. With acres of farmland, independent food producers, breweries, and acclaimed new restaurants, it has fast become an essential destination for food lovers. For the first half of the 20th century, the area was a popular vacation spot for wealthy New Yorkers looking to escape the summer heat, but as the beaches of the Hamptons became more fashionable, the Catskills slowly fell into decline.
In the last few years, however, New Yorkers have flocked to the Catskills again, drawn by the beautiful scenery, new boutique hotels and, of course, the food. While the farms that dot the landscape have been supplying restaurants in New York City for years, increasingly, the produce is ending up on the tables of restaurants nearby. With spiralling rents in Brooklyn and Manhattan, many distinguished chefs have packed up and left the city in favour of the Catskills, resulting in a succession of exciting new restaurant openings. As more and more people call the Catskills home, the region is being completely revitalised, with many old hotels being brought back to life, and a huge array of
new producers, breweries, vineyards and food businesses. Among them, the award-winning Prohibition Distillery
( prohibitiondistillery.com) is located in an old fire station in the town of Roscoe, crafting small batches of bourbon, gin, and vodka, all made entirely from locally grown corn. Catskill Provisions (catskillprovisions.com) also makes everything from truffles to ketchup infused with New York wildflower honey from its 300 hives.
Although the Catskills is attracting an increasing number of visitors and residents, its natural beauty remains blissfully unblemished, such is the sheer vastness of the landscape. Here, you can drive for half an hour and only pass a couple of cars, and if you head out on one of the many hiking trails, you may not see anybody at all. It’s a completely different world from the bustling City That Never Sleeps, but still within easy reach by car, making it a great addition to your itinerary.