Westerly Canteen is a sort of restaurant uniquely housed in a 1971 airstream, currently based in the Hudson Valley. Born from many cross country moves, the joy + kinship of gathering around vibrant meals rooted in collaboration + community, and over a decade spent in restaurants that demanded a shift in the way cooks, servers, diners and farmers interact.
Westerly is rooted in the traditions of agritourism, offering earnest interactions with outdoor agricultural spaces by transforming them into full service dining experiences. With an intentional balance of high-low offerings- from playful a la carte pop ups to elegant, seated dinners, their service style closes the gap between where our food + drink are grown, prepared and enjoyed.
Westerly’s mission is to break down the literal and imagined walls of traditional restaurants to engage diners with their surroundings – where their food comes from and the people who grow, prepare and serve it.
Inspired by years of cooking in California, the aperitivo tradition of Italy, the cave à mangers in France, and the growers of our food, Westerly Canteen serves up constantly evolving and rotating menus of seasonal fare. Alex grows a selection of speciality produce for the Canteen and everything else— our produce, meat, seafood, dairy, and drink — is sourced from our friends and community whose values align with our own.
Molly Levine is a chef, restaurant consultant, event curator, and local food advocate. Her formative years working at Alice Water’s seminal farm-to table restaurant Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, CA defined her unwavering principles in seasonality, locality, and sustainability and formed the backbone of her culinary style.
Alex Kaindl manages crop producing landscapes through holistic management and integrated livestock grazing. Inspired by a decade of farming, Alex strategizes to create inclusive alternatives to antiquated agriculture systems in both vineyard establishment and food cultivation for the surrounding community.