7 Five College Alums Making Western MA a Delicious Place
ConVino Wine Bar, Northampton | Photo by Thornes Marketplace
Did you love where you went to school? Would you ever open a business there? With the Five College Consortium (the University of Massachusetts and Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges), there’s roughly 30,000 students in our midst during any given academic year. While many only reside in western Massachusetts for the duration of their college careers, there’s a few that stick around or come back later to do great things in our communities. One of those great things is contributing to our local food scene—a scene the Huffington Post thinks deserves some serious food cred. Learn more about the businesses these seven alums started because they loved their time at school in western Massachusetts so much!
Owner: Howard Wein
Alma mater: Hampshire College
Not only did Wein fall in love with western Massachusetts when he was in school, more importantly he fell in love with his wife who he met at Hampshire College (celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year). “We pretty much always knew we wanted to live here,” he said. After 20 successful years in the hospitality business around the world, they’ve returned!
What It’s Like: Housed in the historic Montague Mill building, The Alvah Stone offers authentic American food and drink in an atmosphere that’s both casual and modern. It is one of the first ventures by Howard Wein Hospitality, LLC. Many of The Alvah Stone’s simple dishes are heightened with something made from scratch, like the hot dogs and gnocchi to the English muffins and XO sauce. The Alvah Stone is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Monday through Saturday check out Alvah Afternoons from 12-5 p.m. out on the deck overlooking the Sawmill River.
Owner: Caroline McDaniel
Alma mater: Smith College
McDaniel’s parents have a summer place in western Massachusetts so she had been passing through town long before her time at Smith. However, it was really her first year at Smith that kept her coming back for years after—particularly a really good hair stylist who’s been cutting her hair ever since! After graduating in the 80s, she owned a patisserie called C. McD's Café in Northampton before relocating to New York City. With 28 years of industry experience under her belt, McDaniel opened ConVino Wine Bar this year.
What It’s Like: ConVino is the newest wine-focused bar in western Massachusetts. Located in the lower level of Thornes Marketplace, ConVino has 50 wines available by the glass and 100 by the bottle, as well as a menu of snacks, appetizers, small plates and of course cheeses. Look out for special events featuring prominent wine makers or live jazz music.
Elbow Room Coffee, Williamsburg
Owner: Melissa Krueger
School: Smith College
After graduating as an Ada Comstock Scholar from Smith, Krueger started Elbow Room Coffee in 2004, running the original café out of a former ATM kiosk on Green Street in Northampton. “Locating my first coffee business on the edge of Smith’s campus was a great way to stay connected with the college and engage with the more temporary undergraduate community – while at the same time, anchoring me to the more permanent community of teachers, staff, business and residential neighbors,” Krueger said. “I could not imagine a more supportive and welcoming place!”
What It’s Like: Now Krueger operates her coffee business off scenic Route 9 in Williamsburg. When she relocated in 2010, she was originally only going to operate a coffee roastery but in 2012, having missed the coffee shop environment, she converted half of her space to a café. Recently, Krueger reached her crowd funding goal to build out a space for her customers to sit and hang out.
Owner: Sally Noble
Alma mater: Smith College
Noble is one of the more recent graduates in the bunch having finished her Smith degree in 2012. “Once I walked around downtown Northampton and explored the various hidden gems that the Valley had to offer I knew I wanted this place to be my home,” Noble said. “And in my last year at Smith College I began thinking of ways that I could involve myself in the community so I could make a living and get to stay here.”
What It’s Like: With an ever-expanding beer and espresso repertory, The Foundry offers quality beverages and a breadth of working knowledge of all of its products. Whether it’s an Espresso Con Panna or a Flemish Red, The Foundry is excited to share knowledge with their customers and hopefully get others excited about delicious coffee and beer. With less than a dozen taps, the beer selection at The Foundry is carefully curated and you’ll probably never have the same thing twice.
Hungry Ghost Bread, Northampton
Owner: Jonathan Stevens
School: Hampshire College
What It’s Like: Since 2004, Hungry Ghost Bread has been providing western Massachusetts with some of the best old-world artisan breads and pastries made from organically grown grains. Stevens’ Potato Thyme Fougasse was named one of Saveur Magazine’s Best American Breads. Hungry Ghost has also been recognized as a semi-finalist for a James Beard Foundation Award every year since 2012. If you ask the Huffington Post (or really any local), it’s the pizza at Hungry Ghost offered Wednesday through Sunday that’s not to be missed.
Owner: Reza Rahmani
Alma Mater: University of Massachusetts
With his parents in the food and beverage industry for over 25 years in the Boston area, Rahmani’s no stranger to the business. He graduated in 2004 from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a collaborative degree in economics and business, and in 2009 he decided to pursue his life-long passion to ope his own restaurant. He said he picked Amherst because he saw a lot of good business opportunities where he attended school.
What It’s Like: Moti’s menu features Mediterranean and some of the only Persian cuisine in this region of western Massachusetts, filling a void with its delicious kabobs, falafel and hummus. With its 2014 move from North Pleasant Street to Boltwood Walk (where Rahmani’s second Amherst business, Lit Nightclub is located as well), Moti now has outdoor patio seating and offers an expanded drink menu to accompany its Persian cuisine. Rahmani’s latest venture takes his industry experience back home with Limoo Tea Bar near Boston University.
Owner: Jerry Jolly
School: University of Massachusetts Amherst
What It’s Like: If you went to school or live in the Amherst area, chances are good that you’ve been to The Pub at least once. Established in 1968, The Pub’s been providing the UMass community and Amherst area with high quality food and beverage longer than all of these spots combined. This beloved watering hole has gotten a lot of love from lifestyle brand Thrillist, too, being named one of the 14 Best Bars Outside of Boston and having one of the 19 Best Burgers in Massachusetts overall.
Side Notes!
Yankee Magazine selected 30Boltwood at the Lord Jeffery Inn in Amherst for Best College-Town Dining in the Editor’s Choice Awards in 2015! While it’s not owned by an alum, it is owned by Amherst College!
The town of Amherst overall was recently named one of the 13 Best College Towns in America for Food/Drink by Thrillist!