The rise of 'farm to table' takes on a whole new meaning at this restaurant in CNY.

Looking for someplace delicious, unique, homemade, and beautiful to visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner? This spot checks all the boxes and it helps sustain our local farmers.

Origins Cafe at Carefree Gardens in Cooperstown is where you'll enjoy homemade organic food in a beautiful greenhouse area. They work with small batches of locally-sourced vegetables, cheeses, and meats for delicious organic meals that change daily. Now that's fresh. Here is a list of farms who supply the food used at the Cafe.

  • Chicory Creek Organic Farm | Mount Vision
  • Nectar Hills Organic Farm | Schenevus
  • Pathfinder Village | Edmeston
  • Rock Hill Farm | Mohawk
  • Arabeth Farm | Mohawk
  • Heller’s Farm | Bainbridge
  • Cayuga Pure Organics | Brooktondale
  • Mountain View Dairy | Richfield Springs
  • Heidelberg Bakery | Herkimer
  • Bovina Valley Farm | Delhi
  • Mountain View Dairy | Richfield Springs
  • Painted Goat Farm | Garrattsville
  • Byebrook Farm | Bloomville
  • Red Gate Farm | Ithaca
  • Palatine Cheese | Palatine Bridge
  • The Piggery | Ithaca
  • Ithaca Soy | Ithaca
  • New Bridge Greens | Middlefield

The website says:

Together, with our food choices, we can create a world in which small farms prosper and biodiversity thrives!
Thank you for supporting our local farmers.

I was surprised to discover everything they serve is homemade and sourced locally. There's nothing matchy matchy about the decor or table settings. Simply put, everything they use tells a story. They travel the world with the Youth Food Movement and pick up items to sell like beautiful handmade fabric napkins and many other exotic items.

Team Origins closes down in the winter to explore global food culture by volunteering on organic farms through the WWOOF network (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). In the past 4 years, they have collectively volunteered on organic farms in Peru, Ecuador, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Hawaii.

Cooperstown has many fabulous restaurants to grab a bite to eat like the Hawkeye Grill, Doubleday Cafe or the Blue Mingo Grill, but this is something off the beaten path that lends a hand in giving Cooperstown it's fabulous reputation.

Here are the details if you want to try them out.

Origins Cafe, 558 Beaver Meadow Rd, Cooperstown NY
LUNCH   Tuesday - Saturday  11-4pm
SUNDAY BRUNCH  10am-3pm,  with live jazz from 11-2pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNERS weekly @ 7 pm, RSVP
Each Wednesday night of the spring, summer & fall, they host a special community dinner event to celebrate the harvest of the week. They craft a three-course menu based on the most bountiful and ripe ingredients available and invite local musicians to entertain throughout the experience.

Hey, even the rich and famous eat at Origins Cafe when visiting Cooperstown, we saw photos of Kelsey Grammer and his family dining there this summer. You never know who you'll bump into.

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