Fine dining â€” with a crafty twist

By Megan Whilden12:00AM / Wednesday, September 03, 2003Print Story | Email Story

At the new â€œAn American Craftsman Cafeâ€ in Stockbridge, customers can walk away after dinner with more than a full stomach and satisfied smile. They can also take home the salt and pepper shakers, a piece of bas relief sculpture from the wall â€” perhaps even the chairs they sat on. The restaurant does not encourage thievery but offers just about everything in the place for sale. An American Craftsman CafÃ© was created with the idea of showcasing fine craft as well as fine food, according to owners Richard and Joanna Rothbard. They said they wanted to create a relaxed environment where visitors could admire work by artisans from around the country without feeling any sales pressure. And they have enabled visitors to actually use many of the functional pieces, from tables to glassware. â€œUsing handmade objects every day makes a difference in peopleâ€™s lives,â€ said Richard Rothbard, who began as a craftsman and continues to produce custom wooden puzzle boxes under the name Boxology. His boxes adorn every table, and he said he enjoys watching diners play with them. Itâ€™s not unusual for the box to be sold by the end of the meal. The cafe, which opened in early August, seats 42 in about 1,500 square feet of space. It is located one block south of the Red Lion Inn, on the corner of Maple Street and Route 7, with off-street parking available in the cafeâ€™s parking lot. The Rothbards said they invested almost two years and over $470,000 in renovating the restaurant and supplying its fixtures, including the handcrafted items. They have publicized the restaurant through print and radio advertising, and Channel 13 of Albany, N.Y., filmed a cooking demonstration by their chef and plans to air a program on a visit to the restaurant as well. But the Rothbards said many of their customers are finding out about the restaurant through word-of-mouth and recommendations from those who have eaten there. Art all around Customers can look underneath their table and find a tag with the furniture-makerâ€™s name and the price: There are six different table designs available, made from materials ranging from a concrete, fiberglass and resin mix to handmade paper under acrylic resin, cast glass and fused glass. Whirling kinetic wood sculptures by David Roy highlight the walls, along with handcrafted mirrors, glass vases and other items. The walls are painted a light and cheerful yellow, and the overall ambience is casual, colorful and welcoming. Even in the beautifully appointed bathrooms, more items are available for purchase, including wrought-iron candle holders, wall fixtures and hand-carved shelves â€” not to mention the mirror over the sink! Artists featured in An American Craftsman CafÃ© are constantly changing. When the Rothbards first opened the place, they had two hand-turned manzanita vases by Pittsfield artisan Warren Vienneau on display, but they had to order more because both vases sold in less than two weeks. A crafty background Rothbard, and his wife, Joanna, have been in the business of retailing fine craft for many years. Niche magazine, a publication for craft retailers, included them in its annual â€œtop 10â€ craft retailers in the United States list in 1998 and again in 2002. They own three stores in Manhattan â€” in the Rockefeller Center, the Sheraton Manhattan and Greenwich Village â€” and opened a fourth gallery in Stockbridge on Main Street in 2000. All are called An American Craftsman. The Rothbards also sponsor craft fairs in New Jersey, New York and the Berkshires through their company, American Craft Marketing. This summer, they produced the second annual Berkshire Summer Arts Festival, held at Butternut Basin, and the weekend of October 3-5, they will open their first fall festival in the same location, with over 100 juried exhibitors from around the country. And then thereâ€™s the food Lunch and dinner are served seven days a week at the cafe, which is open throughout the afternoon for a late lunch, a cappuccino, or perhaps a glass of wine. The menu was designed and the food is prepared by chef Anthony May, who was trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Formerly of CafÃ© Lucia in Lenox, May said much of the food he creates depends on market availability â€” the restaurant is a member of Berkshire Grown â€“ and combines classic French techniques with Mediterranean influences. Recent menu items for dinner included a snap pea salad with pickled beets and pineapple vinaigrette, seared beef tenderloin with rustic fennel-potato salad, and for dessert, mascarpone with orange raspberry glaze. Starters ranged from $6 to $14, and entrees from 18 to $24. Lunch items range in price from $6 for a chilled corn bisque to $12 for a lobster tart with roasted baby leeks, chorico sausage and tomato fondue. A fig-onion tart with gorgonzola dolce and a green salad is offered for both lunch and dinner. As a lagniappe, or unexpected gift, small iridescent glass hearts are given to each diner at the beginning of the meal, cast glass creations from a production studio down south. At present, sales cannot be made directly from the restaurant, but diners are offered the choice of having items shipped to their home free of charge (except for the tables and other large items) or picking them up at the An American Craftsman Gallery around the corner on Main Street. The Rothbards are planning to open a gallery next door to the restaurant as well, to give customers a chance to view a greater selection of works. For reservations or more information: 413-298-0250. The cafeâ€™s address is 7 South St. (Route 7), Stockbridge, MA 01262.

Stockbridge Grange Community Dinner

03:12PM / Tuesday, February 03, 2026

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — The Stockbridge Grange is holding a community dinner on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, featuring spaghetti and meatballs, salad, and bread with dessert choices of chocolate cream or lemon meringue pie.

Dinner is $17.00 per person, take out only with 12-1:30 pm pick up at the Stockbridge Grange Hall at 51 Church Street, Stockbridge. Orders may be made by calling 413-243-1298 or 413-443-4352.

Inclement weather postpones the meal for a week.