Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Local organic bakery on the rise in Amherst

Courtesy dma.ucla.edu
Courtesy dma.ucla.edu

Give someone a loaf of whole grain bread and they will eat for a morning; teach someone how to mill and bake his or her own bread, and they will be eating healthy for a lifetime.

This principal fits well with the attitude of Ben and Adrie Lester, whom as the proprietors of Wheatberry Cafe (321 Main St., Amherst) for nearly four years have been putting a new “twist”on the community’s connection to its grain: Having customers mill it themselves.

In the years after World War II the business of grain production shifted from local farmers and millers toward centering almost exclusively in the American “breadbasket”of the Midwest, leading most individuals to be further and further disconnected from their breads ever since. When they opened Wheatberry Cafe into a modern world full of tasteless McDonald’s buns in 2008, the Lesters were actively seeking to reconnect people with wonderful bread rather than Wonder Bread.

Beyond offering Amherst residents a handpicked selection of foods equal parts healthy and delicious, the Lesters also aim for the betterment of the Pioneer Valley community by developing local organic farming networks and offering a number of ways for customers to interact with their own meals.

“We started this because we love good food,” said Adrie Lester. “From the start we’ve always grown food. Getting food straight from the farm can be tricky, but we’ve come a long way in organizing since we began. Most of our vegetables and grains come from our own farm in Shutesbury, [Mass.]”

Beyond the grain produced at their own Wheatberry Farm, the Lesters use locally-grown grains from Lazy Acres Farm in Hadley, Mass. and Uppingill Farm in Gill, Mass. Unlike most organic local bakeries, Wheatberry Cafe does its own grain milling on location, and over the past few years the Lesters have worked hard to create an atmosphere that encourages community members to bring in their own whole grains to mill in the cafe’s kitchen.

The couple has been integral in the creation and success of the Pioneer Valley Heritage Grain Community Supported Agriculture (PVHG-CSA) program, which offers the community a rare chance to get in touch with its own grain. For $350 a seasonal share, participants receive eight distinct varieties of locally grown heritage grains, including Zorro (a hard, white wheat perfect for breads), Richland (a hard red winter wheat), buckwheat, oats, rye and Mandan Bride (a flint corn hailing from the native American tribes of Minnesota and North Dakota).

Members pick up their shares from the farmers themselves, and also have the opportunity to make use of Wheatberry’s own mill whenever it is convenient.

“We believe that when food is organic and grown nearby, it tastes better,” said Lester. “The process of growing food and taste of the food go hand in hand.”

Even if you don’t have time to mill your own, individuals who are looking for locally-grown grains freshly baked into savory breads will be satisfied by a stop into Wheatberry. On any given morning you can drop in for breakfast and find the Lesters baking and milling in the shop’s kitchen, with their small children playing around their ankles and the smell of hearty bread rising through the room.

The menu at Wheatberry Cafe is limited, with only a handful of options scrawled on the shop’s chalkboard, but each item exudes a handcrafted feel. Choices include the ‘Cackleberry,’ which features two scrambled eggs (from Mapleline Farm in Hadley, Mass.) and a vibrantly flavorful breakfast sausage (from Chestnut Farm in Hardwick, Mass.) over their own hearty whole wheat toast, and the ‘Locavore,’ which includes cheese from Chase Hill Farm in Warwick, Mass. on top of two scrambled eggs and served over one of the bakery’s delicious and unique handmade flax seed bagels.

“More than 90 percent of our vegetables are certified organic, and 100 percent of our meats and cheeses are organic as well,” said Lester. “That’s an amazing thing to offer, and not just because it tastes great. We’ve been able to convert some vegetarians just by being able to show them how our thoughtfully our local meats are produced, which is really encouraging.”

Another option for individuals seeking out a local taste is Wheatberry’s ‘Sprout,’ which features fresh sprouts, frost-sweetened carrots, olives and homemade cream cheese on one of their bagels. Wheatberry also features many offerings for those with sweet tooths, including delectable carrot cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting, and each morning a new batch of whole wheat cherry scones and raspberry croissants – all of which are baked with their own grains.

“Our most popular item is our whole wheat cherry scones,” said Lester. “People are addicted to them.”

Normally people associate highly-processed fast foods with being addictive and habit-forming, but with offerings that are healthy, delicious and socially-conscious, it’s easy to see how one could get hooked on Wheatberry Cafe.

Nick Bush can be reached at [email protected].

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