Carrying On a Family Tradition at King Brothers Dairy

One of my favorite things about blogging is the opportunity it gives me to share people and places in our local community, especially places that might be off the beaten path.  Today I'm sharing one such place - King Brothers Dairy in Schuylerville, NY.  The name might sound familiar to blog readers because I listed King Brothers Dairy in my annual Best Business post under my "Favorite Ice Cream" category.  Some of you may be familiar with their milk which is still delivered to doorsteps, just like the old days, but King Brothers is taking the dairy industry into the future, one bottle at a time.

Operating a dairy farm is nothing new for brothers Jan and Jeff King. A fifth generation, family-run dairy farm, the King family is focused on producing quality products.  In the early 1900's, their great grandfather produced bottled milk and delivered it to local residents.   "From seed to sip, we are proud to be in control of the production process by cultivating our land, caring for our animals and small batch processing our highly acclaimed products.'

Working with animals is their passion. Their pasteurized and homogenized milk is rBST and antibiotic-free.  The original family business ran until the early 1960's, but Edgar King (Jeff's dad) continued to run the dairy farm.  In 2010, Jeff and his brothers decided to return to their roots and fulfill a lifelong dream of bringing back the farm to table tradition.

Today the dairy farm consists of 2500 acres right behind the retail store and 900 cows.  The King Brothers don't just have a dream.  They have a century old family tradition that joins modern technology with the old time charm of delivering bottles of milk to doorsteps from Queensbury to Colonie.  Their passion for the business has garnered them attention and awards.  The American Dairy Association recognized them with the "Dairying for Tomorrow Award" for Community Outreach and the NYS Agricultural Society named them the 2020 Agribusiness of the Year.  The King Brothers want to engage the consumer with the process, educating them about where food comes from and having consumers aware and in touch with what it takes to produce a superior product.  In order to help that dream become a reality, in May of 2019, a 3,000 sq. ft. retail space was completed on King Road in Schuylerville.  Not only is the milk produced at this location, the King's ice cream venture has graduated from the farm stand to a beautiful retail space complete with over 30 ice cream flavors.

Just Take My Money

We heard about King Brothers Dairy this summer and stopped in during one of our Easton road trips.  All it took was one kiddie-sized dish of ice cream (pictured above) and we were hooked.  I can't admit how many times we've been back.  My favorite flavor is appropriately named, "Just Take My Money" because once you try it, you'll be investing in more, and more and more.  It's salted caramel ice cream with caramel swirl and praline pecans. Honestly, it's so good, it should be illegal.  This delicious masterpiece below was Apple Pie ice cream with apple pie filling and caramel swirl all together in one decadent sundae ........ that my skinny hubby devoured.

The ice cream wizards at King Brothers Dairy whip up new flavors for every season.  They just modified the Christmas cookie flavor for Valentine's Day.  It features Vanilla Cookie Ice Cream with sugar cookies, red sprinkles and pink frosting swirl.  On my last visit I enjoyed the HotButItsNot - hot chocolate flavored ice cream with marshmallow swirl and mini marshmallows.  The only thing better than the clever names is the creamy, rich ice cream.  It's also a very generous portion (I get kiddie) at a very reasonable price.  They also have soft serve!   Ice cream isn't just a summer treat anymore!
If you think King Brothers Dairy is only milk and ice cream, think again.  In this immaculate, bright and beautiful retail space you can pick up some frozen meat, their own frozen pizza,  meat from Oscar's Smokehouse, cheesecakes from the Nuns of New Skete, Cabot Cheese products, maple syrup, candy treats, buttermilk, chocolate milk and so much more.   Speaking of buttermilk, my mom says it's the best around.  She drinks a big glass everyday and wouldn't consider drinking any other brand.  Most people today use it for cooking, but if you're so inclined, take her word for it and give it a try.  They even have two hot soup choices every day and coffee too.  You can even find great hostess gifts!  Talk about one stop shopping!

I'm sure the locals love having such a beautiful place to pick up a few things on the way home from work, or catch up with friends over a scoop of ice cream or cup of soup.  I know we love stopping in for a snack on our outings and especially appreciate their sparkling clean restrooms too!  But at King Brothers Dairy, it doesn't end here.  Since they opened the store in May they have hosted a Fall Open House, Milk and Cookies with Santa, and their first annual KBD Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.  They hope to offer even more opportunities to connect with the community.  They already are doing a great job and I see nothing but success in the years to come.
Next time you're in the area, make a point to stop in to King Brothers Dairy at 311 King Road (which runs between Route 50 and Route 29).  I promise you'll go back again and again.  To read more about King Brothers Dairy and follow them on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/kingbrothersdairy/

https://kingbrothers.deliverybizpro.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kingbrothersdairy/

You can also find King Brother Dairy milk products at 25 markets including Hannaford, ShopRite and Walmart.  If you're interested in home milk delivery....https://kingbrothers.deliverybizpro.com/p-54-home-delivery.html

Photo by Ann Durocher at the Malta Hannaford

Thanks for stopping by Life As I See It where you never know where the road will lead....sometimes it leads to sweet places like this one.  Don't forget to check out my Directory for more fun places to see and explore!

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Lumber Jack's Coffee & Snacks for Delicious Food and Great Customer Service

Coffee......who does't need or love coffee?  And who doesn't love a delicious snack for the road?  That's exactly what you'll find at Lumber Jack's Coffee & Snacks on Route 7 in Hoosick NY on the border of New York and Vermont.

I included Lumber Jack's in my Best Business blog post, but I wanted to tell you more about it, so here goes! We found Lumber Jack's this fall when we were on a family caravan to Vermont.  Our son-in-law drives a tractor trailer and passes Lumber Jack's once a week on his delivery route.  He'd never been able to check it out though because Lumber Jack's is a drive-through....technically a 'drive around' and his rig is too big to maneuver around.  So when we were planning our day in Vermont, he added Lumber Jack's to the itinerary.  That trip was in August and I have to admit John and I have been back at least three times since....twice in passing and once as a dedicated trip specifically to this addicting snack stop!

Steve and Kimberly Beaudry are the third owners to run the coffee shack which was originated in 2005 by Michael Green.  The business was then known as the Coffee Connection.   In 2015 Green sold the business to Vallis and Duane Goodermote who changed the brand and product line as well as the name, naming the business after one of their children.  Two years later the Goodermotes sold the business to Steve and Kim who put their food service experience to work and brought Lumber Jack's where it is today.

With their own coffee line, also available by the pound, all-day breakfast sandwiches, bagels, muffins and mouth-watering, warm cider donuts, it's no surprise this modest little shack is a favorite among travelers.  To go along with the super friendly service, the shack offers hot and iced coffee, lattes, cappucino, chai latte, tea and hot cocoa.  They also sell maple syrup.  For those wondering....yes, there are wonderful cider donuts in and around Clifton Park.  Lakeside Farm, Bowman's Orchard and FoCastle Farm all serve delicious donuts...........but, I've got to say, Lumber Jack's are my favorites and so worth the drive (51 miles/37 minutes from Clifton Park)!  Their toasted bagels and breakfast sandwiches are pretty outrageous too.

Plan a ride out Route 7 sometime soon and watch for the pretty little Lumber Jack Coffee & Snack Shack. Sure, you'll probably pass a bunch of Stewart Shops and convenience stores, but you won't be able to beat the friendly service and deliciousness of a hot cider donut at the Lumber Jack.  You will be glad you did and I know you'll go back again and again.   Stop in and tell 'em I sent you.  Follow them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lumberjackscoffee/) or check out their website and menu (https://lumberjackscoffee.com/)   There's a reason why they've got 1600 followers and hundreds of rave reviews.
Stay tuned because I have one more great snack venue to share next time on Life As I See It.

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Day Trippin' in Greene County - Frank Guido's Port of Call

When John and I retired and began our new hobby, day tripping, one of the first things we noticed was the vast array of interesting places that were within a short drive of home.  We discovered so many places that, although we are both native to the area, we had never visited.  Those places included the popular Grafton Lakes State Park, the Central Park Rose Garden, Fort Ticonderoga, just to name a few.  I think many folks travel to the coast, to other states or even to other countries in search of adventure and beautiful vistas when the reality is, our own home state offers a huge array of history, recreation and great food.  One area which wasn't on our radar until a couple years ago was Greene County!   We made our discovery the first year we heard about the Cat'n Around Catskill exhibit and we've been going back ever since.  If you've been reading a while, you've probably seen my posts about the Bears of Cairo, the Owls of Coxsackie  and this year's Cat'n Around Catskill exhibit (links at the end of this post).  Today I'm bringing you the first of a series of posts featuring some gems of Greene County that we happened upon this season during those hunting expeditions that are too good not to share.  I begin the series with the sponsor of one of the Catskill cats, a restaurant that has everything to offer, Frank Guido's Port of Call Restaurant.

Frank Guido's Port of Call is located at the end of Main Street in Catskill, right off Dutchman's Landing where the Catskill Creek meets the Hudson River.  We've been dying to get back to Catskill ever since photographing the Catskill cats just so we could enjoy a meal at this most amazing venue!

The "Cat-ch of the day" isn't too shabby either!  Honestly, not to get off topic, but is this not the most creative and beautiful cat?  It's only fitting that such a fabulous feline should be perched next to a restaurant with views like these:

We arrived at the Port of Call at noon, just as they were opening, so we scored a wonderful seat under the canopy.  It looks empty in these photos but by the time we left, most seats were filled.

It was a gorgeous day, warm but not humid and just enough clouds in the sky to make the view picture perfect.  Our waitress was awesome - efficient, friendly and full of great suggestions when I asked for recommendations.  I can't imagine there's anything on the menu that wasn't insanely good, but I decided to order the lobster roll with their fresh tomato, cucumber and red onion salad.

The menu didn't specify and I didn't ask whether it was a hot or cold lobster roll and as you can see, it was a cold one.  It was perfect - a very generous portion of lobster with diced celery and just enough mayo to do the job without being overdone.  The roll was perfectly toasted and buttery.  The salad.....well that was just as my mom might have made....freshly chopped seasonal veggies lightly dressed in oil and balsamic.  John eventually settled on a fish sandwich.  For his side, he selected the pasta salad.  Once again, this side salad was so fresh and clean tasting, it was obvious it was just made fresh today, with just the right amounts of additives (celery, onion) and good 'ole Hellman's mayonnaise.  If I didn't know better, I'd have thought my mama was in the kitchen!   It wasn't too hard to clean our plates!  This is perhaps the best food I've had in ages.  I decided to live on the wild side and since I wasn't driving I also ordered the Port of Call punch.  O....M.....G....talk about delicious!  You can get a glimpse of that in the photo with my lobster roll.  It was really just what the doctor ordered for a beautiful lunch on the deck - refreshing, cold and only made me a tiny bit tipsy!

What I didn't realize until researching for this post, the restaurant's kitchen was damaged in a fire on May 25th. Rather than let their 33 staff be out of work, Mr. Guido put up a temporary outdoor kitchen under a tent, scaled down their regular menu and carried on. Frank Guido is no stranger to adversity. It seems in the ten years in business at this location, they've also suffered two floods. After Irene, they had to knock the whole building down. (according to an article in Hudson Valley 360 (https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/article/port-call-stakes-tent-reopen-after-fire-decimates-kitchen).  We noticed the food seemed to be coming to us from outside the building, rather than from inside, but we had no idea it was being prepared in an outdoor kitchen!  Talk about rolling with the punches!  We lingered over lunch to enjoy the view and as soon as we were able, we headed to the next item on our agenda, the Bronck House in Coxsackie.  That will be Part II in my next post.
If you're looking for a fabulous venue for a delicious, fresh meal, we strongly recommend you take a drive to Catskill and visit Frank Guido's Port of Call.  You can also find their other restaurants in Kingston - Mariner Harbor on Broadway and Little Italy on Thomas Street.  For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/portofcallcatskill/

http://frankguidosportofcall.com/

The Bears of Cairo

Coxsackie Owls

Cat'n Around Catskill

Come back soon for a look at the 1600's estate of Peiter Bronck followed by more interesting stops in Greene County.

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Great Food and Wall-to-Wall Fun at C.P.'S Family Restaurant in Hagaman NY

One of my favorite things to do here on the blog is to share family businesses in the area.  That might include garden centers, gift shops, service businesses and even restaurants.  While I certainly don't consider myself a food critic, I do enjoy a good meal at an affordable price presented with friendly service.  We found all that and more......way more.... last weekend at C.P.'s Family Restaurant in Hagaman, NY.

I've learned during my four years blogging that when one business recommends I check out another, I need to listen.  Businesses know other businesses, especially when it comes to small family businesses.  I've met some of the most wonderful people following such recommendations and so far, I've not once been disappointed.  So when Char Brown, owner of the Garden Bug in Amsterdam, suggested we check out C.P.'s a while back, we knew a visit there would be a no-brainer.   Last weekend we took a drive to visit Char on her seasonal opening day at the Bug and then took a drive to visit our local Amish community in the area.  Soon we were starving and anxious to check out lunch in Hagaman, just a short skip away.

We arrived around 1:30 and although we were a little past the prime lunch hour, there were a number of diners.  Char had mentioned that there would be fun things to look at and write about at C.P.'s and she didn't exagerate!  C.P.'s is filled to the brim with model cars, trucks, trains, antiques and gas station memorabilia - everywhere - from floor to ceiling.  There's also a train track overhead!  At one point during our visit with a thunderous, "All Aboard," the train began it's trip around the track above us.   I found myself sorry the grandkids weren't with us, what a thrill they would have experienced.

Of course, aside from visiting for the blog, our immediate intention was to fill our empty bellies and there was no problem doing that at C.P.'s.  With an extensive menu and several recommendations from our friendly and enthusiastic server, Sue, we placed our order and did a little exploring while we waited.  I ordered a cheeseburger.  Sue mentioned they were a crowd favorite and the menu noted that they'd won the Gazette's, Capital Region Best Burger.  I could see why!  My burger was hand-formed into a delicious patty and grilled to perfection.  Tasty and cooked to order, not overly large and overwhelming like the local chain restaurants, just delicious and easily devoured.   I ordered the homemade macaroni salad as my side.  It too was just like mom would make and was enough for both of us.  John ordered the eggplant sandwich which came on a hard roll.  The eggplant was sliced paper thin, breaded and fried to perfection with just the right amount of sauce so it was easy to eat without falling apart.  Family restaurants are generally known for their homemade desserts so we saved room to try the Strawberry Shortcake.  It was yummy - fresh berries on 2 homemade biscuits!  I'm sorry to report I did not take photos of our food but the bill with tax came to $23.12.  We did not order beverages.

Chuck and Carol Phillips have been running businesses for over 40 years and it shows.  C.P.'s opened in 1983 and over the years the family grew as did the restaurant.  It's easy to see this business runs on love and hard work and the customers love it too.  If you're looking for a great meal at a great price where everyone will have a great time, I strongly urge you to take a drive to Hagaman (just 30 some minutes from Saratoga Springs or Clifton Park) and check them out.  It'll be an adventure and a great meal you won't soon forget!  Thanks Char for recommending C.P.'s Family Restaurant!  We loved it and will definitely be back.    For more information on C.P.'s (they're closed on Mondays), check out their Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/CPs-Family-Restaurant

 Thanks for reading today! If you check out C.P.'s tell them you heard about them here on the blog.  Support local, small business!  CP's Family Restaurant is located at 17 Main Street in Hagaman, NY.  Come back soon for more Life As I See It.  Have a great week!

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