Heritage Food + Drink to bring farm-to-table to Wappinger

As customers place their orders off a menu built from Hudson Valley ingredients, their attention turns to the open kitchen and the custom wood grill.

Diners can watch as that piece of chicken or steak they ordered is cooked on that grill with flair.

That is Jesse Camac's vision for Heritage Food + Drink, a farm-to-table restaurant planned to open in June in the Town of Wappinger.

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"There's some showmanship to it," said Camac, owner and operator of Heritage. "You get to watch it from the grill to the plate."

With a focus on local ingredients, Heritage will specialize in slow-cooked foods and New American cuisine, Camac said.

The restaurant is planned to open at 1379 Route 9. The site is the former location of Greenbaum & Gilhooley’s, a traditional American restaurant that closed in 2014.

Camac, a New York City resident, was motivated to open a restaurant in the Hudson Valley because his fiance's family owns a farm in Milton. With the concept, a focus on local ingredients was a must.

"Here, it was important for us to keep it simple and let the food speak for itself," Camac said. "We want to work with the community, and local just tastes better."

The restaurant will also feature local craft beer on tap, such as Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie.

The two-floor, 6,400 square-foot space will feature about 250 seats including two bars and dining area, as well as two private rooms.

"We want this to be the neighborhood joint where people can get together a couple times a week for an affordable, local meal," Camac said.

The project has already been approved by the planning board, and it has received permits to start construction at the site, according to Lori Jiava, Town of Wappinger supervisor.

"We're excited for this addition to the town promoting farm-to-table food," Jiava said.

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW