Many of you have heard the news that we're planning to open a farm-to-table restaurant here in Walpole. Undoubtedly if you've heard the news, you've also heard lots of rumors about what the menu will be like, when we'll be open, and so much more.
So here's a rundown about what to expect, what we're all about, why we're opening a restaurant, and what our focus will be. We hope you'll be as excited as we are once you read this, and especially excited once you see the finished space and taste the food for the first time!
A love of high quality, delicious food prompted Chris and I to start farming full time about ten years ago. Since the beginning, we have committed ourselves to raising all of our animals on pasture, using rotational grazing and sustainable farming methods that we feel provide the healthiest and most environmentally friendly finished product. We've met some amazing people along this journey and have learned so much. On this path, we've learned that local food is really at the heart of our local economy and for a place to be truly self-sustaining, we need farms and we need to consume the products that come from our local farms.
Our love of food goes beyond the farm products that we raise and whenever we travel, we always seek out local options where we can trace the food back to a face, a family, a home. For us, food is always a topic of conversation, from the way we keep our bodies healthy to the sheer pleasure of eating something that has real flavor. The idea to open a restaurant was born from our passion for local, healthy, flavorful food with a story. The name, The Hungry Diner comes from we as diners being hungry, hungry for real food, hungry for something different, hungry for change. The Hungry Diner is not just a diner in the traditional sense of the place; it will be a meeting spot for anyone who loves to eat, and our goal is to serve as much local food as possible while keeping the prices and wait time reasonable.
When it comes to the renovations, the entire space has been gutted and the Beam Team from Bensonwood is hard at work making the interior very special. We've worked with some amazing people over the past few months and couldn't imagine not having had the building expertise of the Bensonwood Team making our vision of the space a reality. We can't wait for you all to see the local touches on the interior finishes, it's going to be a special place.
So what can you expect from The Hungry Diner? You can expect a dedication to quality food, a clean and fresh space that is pleasing to the eye, a commitment to local ingredients, and a fun gathering place for all ages. We are committed to offering chef-quality food for a fair price. We will be a "scratch kitchen" meaning that everything that comes out of our kitchen will be made from scratch by our passionate chef Vaughn Metcalf. All of the beef, chicken, pork, and eggs will come directly from Walpole Valley Farms which is exactly five miles from The Hungry Diner. We'll be serving dinner six days per week and brunch on the weekends. There will be some healthy options on the menu for sure, but we'll also have plenty of french fries, fried chicken, and of course, a grass-fed burger from a cow raised right here in Walpole. Are you hungry yet? :-)