Lovin’ Mama Farm is trying to help reduce the financial burden for families in Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (WNYT)- A husband and wife team plans to turn a longtime Amsterdam diner into a farm store and cafe focused on affordable organic food.
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NewsChannel 13 Photojournalist, Josh Morrell spoke with the owners of Lovin’ Mama Farm about their plan for the former Tulio’s Diner, which they said has been around since 1948.
The couple said the space will become a farm store for their organic farm, a farm-to-table cafe and a certified kitchen for shelf-stable products.
“We recently bought this historic diner that we’re standing in front of,” co-owner Corinne Hansch said. “This is the old, most people know it as Tulio’s Diner.”
“Our plan for the space is to create a farm store for our organic farm, Lovin’ Mama Farm,” Hansch said. “We’re only eight minutes away from here.”
The farm is on Cranes Hollow Road east of Amsterdam, where the couple said they have grown organic vegetables and flowers since 2016. They said a brick-and-mortar store in the city would help them serve more people locally.
The couple said Amsterdam has nearly double the poverty rate of the rest of New York state, which shapes how they plan to run the business. They said they want to make organic food more accessible and keep prices affordable.
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The owners said they plan to accept EBT at the store and want to work with nonprofits. They said they also hope the project helps bring more people to downtown Amsterdam and supports other local businesses.
Donations to help Lovin’ Mama Farm open their farm-to-table kitchen can be made on their website.
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