The Myths and Truths of Woods Hill Table 

Woods Hill Table is the restaurant we are opening in West Concord, in the old West Concord Supermarket space.   It is named for our farm in New Hampshire that will be supplying some of the proteins for the restaurant, The Farm at Woods Hill.

We have heard a lot of rumors about the restaurant lately, so we decided to set the record straight about the plans that we have for Woods Hill Table, and the renovation that we hope starts soon.

 1.  We are NOT knocking down the building  

We are renovating the building to look exactly like it once did.  We have already gutted the inside of the building to get rid of freezers and refrigerators and walls we had to change.  We have also had to do asbestos abatement.

We will be replacing the windows and adding window boxes under every window.  We plan to replace the old tattered awnings and expand them all the way over on the right side of the building, where we plan for an outdoor/garden seating area.

Should we have knocked down the building and built a replica?  Probably.  It would have been a lot less expensive.  However,  having grown up in West Concord, we are sentimental about the original building and we decided to do a renovation.

2.  We are applying for a FULL liquor license.  

We are not just applying for beer and wine only.  We plan to have full bar service.  The restaurant would not be sustainable without a full liquor license.  We are excited about offering a line of locally distilled products, craft beers and a variety of sustainably farmed wines.

3.  We are NOT trying to put 50 extra seats in an upstairs space.  

There is small existing room upstairs in our building (approximately 20’ by 20’) with an existing staircase that we were told the zoning and planning board was not aware of when they made the zoning laws a few years ago.  Under the current zoning laws we would not be able to occupy this existing room.  It was suggested to us by members of the Zoning Board that this space be used as office space instead of completely wasted.  We plan to put a couple desks and a computer there so that the chef and manager can use it to talk on the phone, hold meetings, etc.  That room will not be used for any food service whatsoever.  We would appreciate your support for Article 50 at town meeting to allow this office to exist and be occupied.

 4.  Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.

Once we receive all our necessary permits we plan to donate a significant portion of our land to allow the Bruce Freeman bike trail to go through our parking lot.   The MBTA has recently approved the proposed crossing of the commuter rail line and we are excited to be able to facilitate the bike path in a way that will make it much safer for the bikers to cross Main Street.   The bike trail and the train station provide alternative means for our future customers to travel to our restaurant without adding additional traffic to the streets of West Concord.  Many town citizens have told us how excited they are to be able to walk or bike on the new BFRT to our restaurant.

5.  Our Farm

We have purchased a farm in New Hampshire (“The Farm at Woods Hill”) and we are raising grass fed cattle, out door hogs, and free range chickens for use for the restaurant.  We have been talking to other farmers locally to raise other food for us, including vegetables and organic grains.  Please visit my website, farmatwoodshill.com to meet our farmers and learn about what we are doing with the soil up there and how hard we are focusing on the health of the pasture and the health of the animals.  The food we have received from our farm so far has been phenomenal.  We are looking forward to serving it at the restaurant.

Come talk to us in person!  We have been walking around the neighborhood together introducing themselves to our new neighbors and if we missed you and you would like to talk to us, email  kristincanty@gmail.com and we will come see you or you can come visit us at our temporary office at the Wheelhouse on Bradford Street.