Some things were meant to be special. My Mom and Stepfather, with the help of many others, created something special in the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts…the Norman Rockwell town. Rockwell’s illustration, Home for Christmas, which depicted Main Street Stockbridge gives you a glimpse of a wonderful New England town at Christmas time. Published in McCalls magazine in 1967, Main Street has gone virtually unchanged in all these years.

Just around the corner on Pine Street, in a house built in 1850, the Stockpot was opened in 1973. Born as an idea by my Mom and some of her close friends, The Stockpot vision was to bring a fresh, enthusiastic and wholesome approach to food shopping and eating. All dishes served at the Stockpot were home recipes. All deserts were named after their contributor. The emphasis was on all fresh ingredients, and the Stockpot philosophy was that the basic ingredient of a satisfying meal was cooking with happiness.

The guest books read like a Who’s Who of that time, as it was frequented by many popular personalities of TV, and screen.

The Stockpot closed its doors in 1986, but left its mark in Stockbridge. Residents still remember the restaurant. Many in the area worked there: in the kitchen and the dining room. All have stories to tell, and all remember the food—and my Mom.

Along the way, a cookbook was published. One of the desserts, the Sour Cream Coffee Cake, won a culinary award and was published in Bon Appetite in 1980.

Seventeen years ago, I decided to resurrect the Stockpot name and one of its premier food products, the Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Life came along…I got married, had a family, and shelved the idea until this past year. A recent trip back to Stockbridge, and conversations with friends who remember, has only reinforced my belief that some of the good things in life need to stick around and be enjoyed again.