CHESTERFIELD – When Greg Monette purchased the long-closed Chesterfield General Store and painstakingly renovated the building adding a café and kitchen, he had no inkling that half of his new business venture would shortly be shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, store owner and chef Monette is trying to keep his business sustainable while also going the extra mile to help community members who may be experiencing food insecurity during the public health crisis.
More than a convenience store, the general store provides a much wider selection of fresh foods and produce, and is the only place in town to purchase groceries. It is also the town’s only restaurant serving a variety of breakfast and lunch items, including pizza made in the store’s large, newly constructed pizza oven.
While the café has been closed, take out is available. There is a menu on the store’s Facebook page and Monette said that he will also prepare light meals or meals that will last over a few days upon request.
“If there is an interest, I can do that every day,” he said. “Working on the fly is easy in a restaurant, and I am very familiar with adapting to circumstances.”
As well as adapting to the needs of his customers, Monette says that he is very concerned about seniors and families who have lost income or access to school breakfast and lunch for their children because of the shutdowns caused by Covid-19.
“I’m going to try to work out something with the local food pantries,” he said. “I can make bread to donate, and we have soups, and if there are families here that are compromised, I would like to try to help them out too.”
Monette said that he has been working in conjunction with Chesterfield Council on Aging, which has been compiling a list of residents that may be in need of food deliveries as well as volunteers that can make those deliveries.
On Thursday, he said that it is important for him to play a part in helping the community, but he also noted that the interruption in business is affecting his ability to remain open and he may have to reduce hours again or consider closing temporarily.
“We are a small business so we will have to gauge this as we go,” he said.
Monette was busy in the store’s kitchen on Thursday morning, making 47 loaves of bread to keep up with requests. A task he says he will continue even if he has to effectively close the café to take out.
“We are such a small enough community that if anyone really needs anything I can help out,” he said. “I will still be here doing bread, so people shouldn’t hesitate to knock on the door even if it’s locked.”
For menu, hours and updates visit the Chesterfield General Store on Facebook.
WORTHINGTON – In the Hilltowns, if you want to pick up the latest community news or gossip or rumor, the transfer stations have been the go-to place to hear all about it.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, towns like Worthington are urging residents to refrain from socializing at transfer stations.
To help reduce the risk of contracting or spreading the new coronavirus, Worthington officials request that people be prompt when dropping off trash and recycling, that they maintain the proper six-foot distance between one another, move along quickly when their business there is complete, and wash their hands before and after their visit.
The Worthington transfer station notes that the book donation box is temporarily closed as is the bottle and can redemption shed. Hilltown residents should check in with their towns to see if transfer station hours or services have been changed or altered due to the pandemic.
WILLIAMSBURG – The Haydenville Congregational Church is now live streaming Sunday services in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The church is using the teleconferencing application Zoom.
The Rev. Donald Morgan is also offering a mid-week check-in on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m via zoom. For information on how to join in or how to download Zoom, go to haydenvillechurch.org.
Ideas for this column on life in the Hilltowns can be sent to Fran Ryan at Fryan.gazette@gmail.com.