The road bends sharply as you descend a hill into South Londonderry; blink and you’ll miss the small hamlet nestled along the West River. It was here that Chloe and Wesley Genovart decamped from New York City life to raise a family and build a restaurant. The result, SoLo Farm & Table, has proven the adage “if you build it, they will come,” as it’s become a popular spot for sophisticated dining in an otherwise rural Vermont enclave.
The restaurant’s name plays on its location (SoLo for South Londonderry) and nods to the big city life the family left behind (SoHo in New York). Wesley was well known as the chef of Degustation in New York, a jewel box of modern Spanish-American cooking in the East Village, while Chloe ran the floor as maître d’ at Per Se. Both were seemingly on the fast track to successful careers in the culinary arts.
Yet the family story is rooted in Vermont and it made sense they would find their way back to this verdant state with toddler Rafael in tow, even if ironically it was Wesley the Spaniard who had to convince Chloe the Vermonter to move. Chloe is from nearby Manchester, home to designer outlets, the Equinox Resort and Robert Todd Lincoln’s majestic summer home, Hildene. She was home from college working in a restaurant; he was a young cook in the kitchen. You get the connection? Together, they set out to explore the world, bouncing from Boston to his native Spain to New York. While Chloe finished up her college degree, Wesley made a stop at a place you may have heard of in San Sebastian, Mugaritz. If not, let’s just say it’s been one of the epicenters of the Spanish food revolution for more than a decade.
At SoLo, the focus is squarely on seasonal cooking in a stately old house from 1790 with a large garden. A fortuitous corollary to winning a centuries old house at auction and building a restaurant is that garden. Outside sit 15 raised beds where everything from peas to tomatoes to herbs is grown from seed. When I ask about the couple’s farming experience, Chloe says, “Neither of us had ever really farmed or gardened on the scale we are doing it today. A lot of trial and error and research.” Considering the quality of ingredients on the plate, I couldn’t detect much in the way of error.
Stepping into the renovated house, you’ll find a series of bustling rooms and an intimate bar, likely already fully occupied. Once seated at your table, the server swings by with a basket of rustic local breads and a creamy, house made butter with a touch of sea salt. This is bread service as it should be. Our meal began with an Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho from tomatoes grown in the garden. The dish had an intense, almost smoky quality and vanished in an instant. Next, Braised Crispy Octopus. When a Spaniard offers octopus, you’d have to be nuts not to say yes and the cephalopod that arrived possessed an exquisite tenderness. The dish was accompanied by avocado puree, celery, onions, cilantro and charred tomato salsa serrano for a bit of heat. But when octopus is this perfectly executed, you almost forget there is anything else on the plate.
Next came Hand-Cut Pappardelle with poached eggs, wild mushrooms, wilted kale and Woodcock Farms Timberdoodle cheese, the mushrooms imparting a pleasing earthiness to the dish. Less successful, a Maine Lobster Risotto with chanterelles arrived far too salty for my taste, although the lobster was perfectly prepared. The crispy Vermont Family Farm Pork Belly is a rich dish and not for the faint of heart but came with a terrific vegetable gratin that offset the fatty meat. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with a classic Spanish Torrija, traditionally a Lenten dish in the old country and made with a slice of bread soaked in milk and spices. SoLo’s version is soft, not too sweet and a pleasing finale.
Walking away from a successful career takes an enormous amount of courage. To have both breadwinners do so at the same time? Well, some would say that’s not only crazy but just a bit risky. Happily for travelers to Southern Vermont, not to mention local purveyors, Chloe and Wesley have weathered their transition well and welcome diners to a place that feels like it’s been there forever.