Lee restaurant Chez Nous now Café Triskele
LEE — After 16 years in business as Chez Nous, the restaurant’s chef-owners Franck Tessier and Rachel Portnoy have reinvented the operation as Cafe Triskele, which will soon reopen for outdoor and indoor dining. For the moment, the café is continuing to offer takeout Tuesdays–Saturdays from 5–9 p.m.
Cafe Triskele will offer a more casual menu, inspired by what the owners love to eat and no longer constrained by what is expected in a restaurant with a classic French name. Smaller plates (formerly known as “half portions”), one of the most popular things about Chez Nous, will be front and center on the new menu. The interior of the restaurant will stay largely intact, new high-top tables will give guests another way to socially distance, and dark blue walls will make the space feel even cozier.
The meaning: A triskele, or triskelion, is a symbol consisting of three bent limbs or lines which move outward from the center, suggesting motion, rebirth, and the cyclicality of nature. It is a symbol from Celtic culture that is ever-present in Brittany, France.
A 2020 recap: In 2020, Tessier and Portnoy switched Chez Nous to takeout only. The change enabled them to tip out the kitchen staff and raise their wages to be more equal to that of the dining room staff. Another unexpected bonus to the takeout formula was how effective it was for raising funds for community organizations. Through pop-up community dinners, the restaurant was able to raise over $6,000 for organizations working in healthcare, teen apprenticeships, woman-centered theater, and animals. The restaurant continues to host these events. Another positive development was the chance to offer pantry items to go, including more cakes and cookies, pickles, chutneys, house-milled Einkorn flour, and products from local purveyors.
—A.K.
* * *
Dewey Hall names Beth Carlson new president
SHEFFIELD — Beth Carlson has been chosen as the new president of Dewey Hall, the historic stone building on Sheffield’s Village Green. Carlson has been a member of the Dewey Hall board of directors for three years and is a founding board member of the Clinton Church Restoration project. A former co-producer of the Oldtone Roots Music Festival, she now produces Dewey’s TapRoot Sessions, and is currently a partner in Silo Media, a graphic design, film, and marketing firm.
At the board’s March 9 meeting, Wenonah Webster was named vice president, Lynne Jablonski named treasurer, and Ken Terry named secretary. Webster heads Webster Landscapes in Sheffield, and Jablonski, a former Hall president, is clinical director at Stanton Home in Great Barrington. Terry is a freelance healthcare writer and the author of two books on the subject. The board has also officially hired Maggie McRae as hall manager, a job she has performed for the past year.
Although Dewey Hall had to end its indoor activities last year because of the pandemic, it held a successful outdoor concert series last summer and fall in its back yard. That series will return this spring, along with “Young at Heart” a free Saturday morning program for children and families. More information about concerts, series, and other programs can be found on the Dewey Hall website. With some limitations, private events are also being booked at the hall.
Dewey Hall pulled through the COVID-induced financial crisis with community support from its winter fund drive, which raised over $30,000. It also received several small cultural grants from local towns. The Hall’s 2021 programming is supported by grants from the towns of Lee, Alford–Egremont, Sheffield, New Marlborough, Monterey and Richmond.
—A.K.
* * *
1Berkshire, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission launch business needs survey
BERKSHIRE COUNTY — 1Berkshire and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission have launched a survey to ask businesses about the technical assistance they would benefit from in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and building resiliency for the future.
All businesses and nonprofits in the Berkshires are encouraged to provide their feedback to this short survey, which will help inform a comprehensive technical assistance program being organized by the two agencies. Businesses should share their feedback by completing the survey as soon as possible.
Ben Lamb, director of economic development at 1Berkshire, said, “This survey will provide us the ability to identify specific help businesses and organizations need to regain the momentum they had prior to the pandemic, and to make themselves more resilient for the future. We will use this feedback to build a network of experts who will provide key technical assistance to help our region’s businesses rebuild stronger than ever.”
The technical assistance effort is a component of the Berkshire Economic Recovery Project plan, funded by a grant awarded to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission by the U.S. Economic Development Administration under the CARES Act Recovery Assistance program. This funding will be used to coordinate short- and long-term economic recovery efforts in the region.
—A.K.
