Farm Shoppe in Hudson: A Collaborative Destination

“Food should be fun,” says Emma Hearst, a James Beard-nominated chef and co-owner of Farm Shoppe, a new Hudson shop selling farm-fresh produce and flowers, pantry items, and curated, antique tableware at 554 Warren Street. Decked out in rustic whimsy with patterned wallpapers, wood displays, and pops of bold colors, Hearst aims to create a mini wonderland of food and gifts where the shopping experience is just as enticing as the chef-quality produce plucked from the farm she runs with her husband and his brother.

The team has owned Forts Ferry Farm in Latham for the past 10 years, but opted to move the farm’s retail shop to Hudson’s Warren Street this year.

“We felt that one thing missing in the neighborhood was a grocery store,” she explains. “The specialty stores here are fantastic, but there aren’t many places to get salad greens and produce. We definitely put vegetables on a pedestal at the shop, but we also wanted the new space to give a sense of whimsy and fun. I want people to feel refreshed and inspired to eat more greens, but also hear the stories of the seeds we grow, food we produce, the antiques we sell—all of these items have a story.”

Hearst and her husband, John Barker, both have a strong culinary background, which impacted how selective they are about the produce they choose to grow and sell. Hearst is the former owner of lauded Manhattan Italian restaurant Sorella, which she opened at the age of 21 and ran for eight years until 2014. “I worked many years in the restaurant industry and was very tired and a little burnt out,” she explains. “But food is the greatest love affair of my life. My husband is also a chef with a background in farming and always wanted a farm. So in 2015 we thought, okay, let’s do it, we’ll grow some produce—specifically more of what we would want to use as chefs—and maybe have a little farm stand. We ended up with a 100-acre property, three acres of growing around 300 varieties of produce—no-till, completely no-spray—with an apiary and our own line of honey and sauces.”

Barker’s brother James joined the team in 2018. An artist with an MFA in ceramics, he had previously been working at the University of Michigan but, according to Hearst: “He came out to the farm for a break in 2018 and never left.” She explains that the farm and shop are very aesthetically driven, and James uses an artful approach to maintain that feel through photos, installations, furniture-building, and more as the chief creative officer. John is the Director of Agriculture and Hearst is CEO.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d have a farm, and I still don’t consider myself a farmer,” she says. “But you can find me in the shop rearranging goods and finding new items. I source all of our offerings—quality candles, tableware, nothing that I wouldn’t have in my own home. Many of our antiques are sourced from Europe, but there’s a little something for everyone—prices that range from 50 cents to a couple thousand.”

Hearst’s affinity for antiques and whimsy runs in her lineage—it doesn’t get much more whimsical than Hearst Castle (yes, that one), which belonged to her great-great grandfather, arguably one of the biggest antiques collectors in the world.

“Because I live upstairs from the shop, I’m always updating my little world of displays downstairs,” she says. “Technically this space is like an extension of my home, so I really want it to feel welcoming, but also provide this ‘Alice In Wonderland’ experience that makes people feel like they’re having this fun, acid-trip foodie-adventure.”

The shop opened on February 28. In addition to seasonal produce they offer pantry staples, baked goods, fresh and dried flowers, spices, granola, and sauces ($14 each) made from heirloom peppers grown on the farm that can be sampled. “We offer unique blends like a limited-edition batch of Buffalo sauce made with Hungarian Leutschauer pepper, and a barbeque sauce with heirloom tomatoes sweetened with maple syrup from our friends at Laurel & Ash Farm,” Hearst says.

A top-seller is their gluten-free carrot cake, a single-layer snacking cake made with farm carrots and brown-butter cream cheese frosting ($38).

Also at the shop, guests will be able to purchase Hearst’s second cookbook, Flavors From the Farm (Weldon Owen), available in the spring. “I wanted to create this cookbook with easy home-entertaining ideas and inspirations for farm-market finds,” she explains. “We want people to get excited about greens and meals, and to enjoy themselves. That’s why when you approach the shop, the phrase ‘have fun’ is tiled in mosaics into the entryway. Come by, be curious, have fun.”

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This article appears in March 2024.