From Snowboards to Cheese Boards

With a Little Help From Her friends, Donna Carpenter has Brought High-end Takeout to Stowe

By Jessica Turner, Photographed by Daria Bishop

Twelve years ago, Stowe’s shopping options were plentiful — if it was ski gear that you were after. But if, like Donna Carpenter, your tastes ran more toward aged balsamic, the pickings were slim.

Inspired by the European markets she visited while working as an executive for Burton, her husband’s wildly successful snowboarding company, Carpenter decided in 1995 to open a specialty foods store with a distinctly Vermont community charm. Today, in a building that once housed a ski shop, Carpenter oversees the continuing evolution of Harvest Market, a rustic, shingled emporium for gourmet food.

Harvest Market’s charming exterior — country breads can often be found cooling on the small front porch — opens into airy, cottage-style retail space. Stainless steel shelves are lined with dozens of varieties of olive oil, vinegar, mustard and marinade. A broad bakery counter topped with muffins, croissants, brownies and pies is flanked by jars of house-made granola. Barrels of dark and oily coffee beans stand guard near the full espresso bar, a section that has become somewhat of a community gathering space for morning coffee. Near the wide selection of wines in the mini “cellar,” a refrigerated chest houses a vast assembly of Vermont cheeses: Crowley cheddars from Healdville, blue cheese from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, organic chèvre from Lazy Lady Farm in Westfield, and Vermont Ayr, a farmstead cheese from Crawford Family Farm in Whiting.

“In a new city or a new country, I would always visit the food stores first,” says Carpenter, who from 1985 to 1989 worked as European sales manager for Burton. (She served as Burton’s chief financial officer for the three years that followed.) Because the sales position involved so much overseas travel, Carpenter became well-versed in the specialty food of Europe, with local markets serving as a classroom.

The influence of European cuisine is apparent in the cheese selection, where the extensive local assortment sits among imports from France, Italy and Denmark, and in the deli case, where high-quality Italian prosciutto waits to be carved into paper-thin slices. “The store provides people access to products that they might not have otherwise,” she explains.

Carpenter received much of her culinary education in New York at Barefoot Contessa, the specialty store run by Food Network celebrity Ina Garten.

Working in the gourmet emporium for several summers, Carpenter learned the business of food and was inspired by Garten’s simple approach to cooking and entertaining.

Garten, who provided early consultation on Harvest Market’s design, layout and product selection, says: “It was a pleasure to help out Donna when she opened. But today Harvest has really evolved into such a unique store by responding to the needs of the Stowe market and its loyal customers. It’s an extraordinary luxury to have this kind of homemade food available. This is the real thing.”

Nancy Tingle of Hyde Park, a regular at Harvest Market, agrees. “I can’t find most of these things anywhere else,” she says.

Among the mélange of high-end ingredients, condiments and snacks, prepared foods take center stage. “When you’re working full time, it can be hard to prepare great meals,” acknowledges Carpenter. “It’s so important to have wholesome, homemade food to feed your family and guests, even if you’re not doing the cooking.”

Harvest Market’s rotating selection of prepared food includes a rustic balsamic chicken, roasted butternut squash with maple syrup, a prosciutto and white bean salad, broccolini with creamy mustard dressing and roasted potatoes with rosemary. Each day’s menu is generally designed to include a pasta, a chicken dish, a grain and a vegetable among assorted patés and antipasti items such as hot cherry peppers stuffed with provolone and grilled artichoke hearts.

“It’s good, fresh food and it gives people another option besides always sitting in a restaurant,” says executive chef Keith Martin, who has been with the store for 11 years. The takeout offerings are particularly popular with Stowe’s many out-of-town visitors. “This is food that skiers can take back to their hotel rooms to eat if they want to.”

Garten visited Harvest Market again last year when she designated the store as the sole Vermont stop on her 20-city book signing tour. Hundreds of fans turned out to meet the best-selling cookbook author, whose Barefoot Contessa series has earned her a loyal following among devoted foodies and culinary novices alike.

“I love Ina’s whole philosophy about food,” Carpenter says. “It’s all about simple, home cooking.”

Carpenter’s culinary approach is heavily influenced by Vermont; she ardently supports local farms and products. Harvest Market offers sausages made of Vermont-raised lamb, organic farmers supply much of the market’s seasonal produce, and at Thanksgiving-time, local organically farmed turkeys are roasted and sliced for sale.

“Vermont has always been a great place to live as far as food; from maple syrup to fiddleheads, the ‘made in Vermont’ label has a certain cachet,” she says. “Just in the last 15 years I feel there’s been a change as we’ve gained access to more ingredients, and now more than ever, people are coming to Vermont for the food.”

View this article as a PDF of the actual magazine pages.

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A popular gourmet takeout dish at Harvest Market:

Ravioli, Agnolotti, or Tortellini with Wild
Mushroom Ragu

Cook and drain:

• 2 lbs. ravioli, agnolotti or tortellini

Sauté until brown:

• 1 lb. sliced mushrooms
• ¼ lb. sliced portabellas
• ¼ lb. sliced shiitakes
• ¼ cup olive oil

ADD AND COOK FOR 1 MINUTE:

• 1 T. chopped garlic
• 4 large leaves of chopped fresh sage
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Add:

• 1½ pints cherry tomato halves
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 1 T. lemon juice
• salt & pepper

Let cool to room temperature. Combine with pasta.

ENJOY!