Vale is a creative collaboration between Chef Elise Kornack and her wife Anna Hieronimus. The couple, known for their acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant Take Root, moved to The Catskills to more intimately explore their commitment to sustainable methods of farming and eating. Their time in the region has deepened their immense respect for nature, its rhythms, and its call for seasonality as a daily practice. At Vale, they hope to honor not only the landscape, but also the people who make—and historically made—it bloom.

The beauty of The Catskill Mountains has attracted travelers for generations: New Yorkers looking to fill their lungs with the pine-scented air north of Manhattan, but also communities of immigrants who found space and security in the region’s rich soil and rapid waters, its dense forests and fruitful fields.

Set on 27 acres, in the shadow of these storied mountains, Vale is located on the ancestral and unceded land of the Esopus Lenape, the traditional stewards of the fertile land used for both hunting and fishing. We acknowledge the lives of those that came before us in Shandaken, those here today and those who will continue to thrive here tomorrow, as the region takes shape around recreation and environmentalism.

Guided by the principles of sustainability and local ecosystems, Vale will produce seasonal vegetables and flowers, maple syrup, chicken eggs, and mushrooms, with a focus on varieties and species that are native and well suited to Vale’s particular climate. The property is managed using low-till, regenerative farming techniques that allow for a meaningful connection with the soil and the knowledge it confers. Everything foraged from Vale and the surrounding land is thoughtfully gathered, processed, and honored as a symbol of the wisdom and abundance of our region’s wilderness.

Vale is an ongoing meditation on The Catskill region, a celebration of nature and a reflection on the meeting of time and place.

Vale was first envisioned as a restaurant concept with an onsite farm. But the experience of caring for Vale during Covid-19 and witnessing the pandemic’s impact on the hospitality industry inspired Kornack and Hieronimus to recalibrate the project, recentering the land as priority.

In its first iteration, Vale will remain a private property with an emphasis on developing the farm and nurturing the land. Our produce and foraged goods will be available for purchase to both neighbors and our surrounding community by request, when abundant and available.

As Vale grows, so will its offerings. Discoveries made in the field and forest will inspire future meals and hone the holistic vision for Vale as a place for both farming and eating.