The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/20734
Local Eats Jarringly good Crescent Wrench Cafe: old-time charm, delicious cookies and eco-friendly gifts. Masonville General Store and It’s a natural food store, it’s a café, it’s a gift shop — it’s the Masonville General Store! When I am feeling a little overwhelmed by all things Oneonta and want a quick escape out of town, the Masonville General Store is one of my favorite excuses to get in the car and leave all of my Oneonta woes behind. The Masonville General Store has been around for about 150 years and looks exactly like you’d expect an old-time general store to look. The quaint building still retains the natural woodwork and original candy counter, which has typical penny candies like Swedish fish. Proprietors Kendal Craig and Andrew Pastore believe that “every community needs a store like this,” where locals and travelers wandering through can share stories while drinking a cup of coffee. The whole store, from the atmosphere to the food, is natural and relaxed. Honoring the Slow Foods Movement, which is a grass roots organization committed to promoting “good, clean and fair food,” Kendal brings those values to the store’s Cres- cent Wrench Café menu. From the Gimme! Coffee, an Ithaca-based independent roaster, to Pika’s soups and quiches, which use free range eggs and local products when available, Kendal offers food that is sustainable and wholesome without compromising flavor. Soups du jour made from scratch, quiches, egg rolls, savory pies, muffins and cakes can be served to go in eco-friendly, corn-based containers or eaten at one of the store’s sunny tables. I’m a fan of perusing the store with coffee mug in hand while filling my cart with groceries. Then, I’ll take a break over a delicious knish and cookie. The cookies are awesome. Cranberry-orange is a favorite of mine. The Masonville General Store is not just a café and natural foods store, but lives up to its name by stocking a little bit of everything. It also has stationary, magazines, toilet paper, gro- cery bags, greeting cards, rugs, books, cooking utensils, paper plates, socks and children’s toys. Many items are eco-friendly or handmade and make lovely gifts. _ Hope Von Stengel 8 O-Town Scene Dec. 2, 2010