Kristine and Aaron Charbonneau appear completely at home in their work environment. The young pair — she is 22; he, 37 — are the owners, managers, and sole employees of Charlemont’s newest restaurant. Since early February, they have served hearty meals every day at 90 Main, which they call “a family eatery.”
The Charbonneaus learned of the space on Route 2 last October through a classified ad they spotted while living in Albany, N.Y. They didn’t know anything about Charlemont and weren’t sure they wanted to run a small-town business.
“We said, ‘It’s a nice drive. We might as well go,’” recalled Aaron Charbonneau. They ended up falling in love with the spot and the town and envisioning a future there.
They signed the lease for the café the first week in November and immediately began renovating the space. “We are trying to make it homey,” said Kristine Charbonneau.
The café has two rooms. The first one, accessible from the front door, features a counter for ordering plus a case full of goodies for snackers: muffins, brownies, cookies and chocolate fudge. A chalkboard announces each day’s special soup, salad, side salad and sandwich.
The adjoining dining room next door seats about 30 and features collectibles on the walls — snowshoes, a washboard — as well as paintings by area artists. Most of the wall decorations were donated to the couple by enthusiastic local patrons, the Charbonneaus told me.
I remarked that they seem to have made a lot of new friends. They nodded.
“Our first friend was the postmaster next door,” announced Kristine. She reported that postmaster Tammy Hicks has sent many customers their way, adding that Hicks’s favorite item on the menu is the Reuben sandwich.
Sandwiches are a mainstay at 90 Main, along with soups, salads and burgers. Aaron, who does the cooking, characterized the fare as casual. He is proud that he and his wife hand cut all their burgers and fries. They create their own vegetable burgers as well.
He also enjoys the variety of his breakfast menu. “We’ve got some different breakfast sandwiches here, not the typical stuff,” he explained.
The eatery serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Sunday and stays open into the early evening on Friday and Saturday. The Charbonneaus assured me that the workload doesn’t worry them.
Before buying the business, the two worked every morning and afternoon at a café before going to work evenings at a pizza parlor. They may actually may be working fewer hours now — and they are their own bosses, which seems to delight them.
The couple have faced some unexpected repairs to the building. “We think we’re done, and then something happens,” Aaron said ruefully.
Nevertheless, they are happy with the space and report that business improves by the day. The local mahjong group now meets at 90 Main every Wednesday, and Charlemont has welcomed the eatery.
“The whole community seems to enjoy (the place), which makes us feel like we’re doing a good job,” Kristine said.
The pair were tickled to be invited to participate in the Chowder Fest in March, sponsored by the Friends of the Charlemont Fairgrounds. Local businesses compete at this annual event to see whose chowder is deemed the tastiest by those who attend.
“Everybody told us we weren’t going to win,” said Aaron. “We were new in town.” To his surprise, his chicken corn chowder garnered first prize.
The Charbonneaus hope eventually to hire some help so that they don’t have to work at the eatery every day. For now, however, they are content to put in the time to get to know the community by dishing up tasty, simple fare like the popular sandwich they fed me — the Rancher.
Ingredients:
1 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded flat
enough buttermilk to cover the chicken
oil for deep-fat frying
flour, salt, and pepper as needed
2 slices cooked bacon
2 slices American cheese
2 slices white bread
ranch dressing to taste (about 2 tablespoons)
fresh lettuce and tomato to taste
Instructions:
The day before you wish to make the sandwich, pop the chicken into the buttermilk to marinate. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a pot or deep-fat fryer to 350 as well. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a flat bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and dredge it in the flour mixture, turning to cover both sides.
Shake off the excess covering, and pop the chicken into the hot oil to fry until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees (about 5 minutes).
When the chicken is nicely browned, place it on a baking sheet. Cover it with the bacon and the cheese, and pop it into the oven to stay warm (and to melt the cheese).
Toast the bread. Spread dressing on both pieces of toast and cover one piece with the lettuce and tomato. Place the bacon, etc., on the other piece of toast.
Serves 1. (The recipe is easily multiplied.)
Food writer Tinky Weisblat
of Hawley is the author
of “The Pudding Hollow
Cookbook” and “Pulling Taffy.” For more information about Tinky visit her website, www.TinkyCooks.com.