Find Fabulous Farm-to-Table Fare in Worcester, MA

The food scene in Worcester is deeply rooted in locally grown products.

By Erica Buehler on September 11, 2023

Jeff Adkins

For an authentic taste of Worcester, MA, look no further than the region’s family farms, serving long-lasting recipes created from nature’s ingredients. You can enjoy great farm-to-table fare in Worcester, thanks to restaurants and markets that help support those farms by bringing locally grown produce to urban venues.

Whittier Farms is a fifth generation working farm, a fact of which Samantha Staebner (of said fifth generation) is extremely proud. Her family laid its roots in the dairy industry back in 1945, purchasing two Holsteins and beginning a dairy legacy, though they may not have known it at the time.

Staebner says her ancestors have been involved in farming in virtually all ways for decades, from selling tractors and farm equipment to running an excavation company. She also notes that success in the farming industry isn’t simply producing and selling.

“Farms wouldn’t be able to talk about their generations if it weren’t for stewardship and sustainability,” she says. “That’s something that can be highlighted across Massachusetts, but Worcester is where you get special insight into it. When you look at Whittier Farms’ profile today, we’re stewarding over 600 acres in Central Massachusetts for dairy, beef, and vegetable production.”

Whittier Farms

Family Affair

The farm has a beautiful barn storefront that offers direct access to the public and has long been a family affair devoted to constant learning and improving its methods. In 2008, the farm joined – and remains active in – the Cabot Creamery Cooperative, and more than a decade ago, it got into the beef-raising business.

Selling the beef seemed tricky at first, but a simple solution of cooking homemade meatballs (and locally famous mac and cheese) in the store’s commercial kitchen provided an entirely new and exciting feature for the business.

“It’s always been about diversifying and keeping our culture alive and well,” Staebner says. “We’re just trying to balance farming with agritourism and doing the work of producing food while connecting people.”

Jeff Adkins

Supporting Local Producers

Also connecting people with good food is the Salem Cross Inn Restaurant & Tavern, an old farmhouse-turned-restaurant dating back to the 1700s, which utilizes farm-grown ingredients throughout its regularly rotating menu.

The property has remained a family business since opening in 1961, when Martha Salem-Leasca’s parents and uncle ran things, though her sister Nancy is the innkeeper now.

“We have our own gardens here,” Salem-Leasca says. “An heirloom garden with herbs and produce that would’ve been growing at the time the original family lived here, and a production garden for more of what our cooks need in the kitchen – tomatoes, squash, strawberries, and beans. We do a lot of our own growing here, but we also supplement that with our local farms.”

Jeff Adkins

Salem-Leasca says the restaurant works with local orchards like Breezelands and Brookfield, as well as little local farms they try to support, especially when Salem Cross’ chefs are doing specials that feature unique or locally found ingredients. “We’re in a little pocket of great orchards in this area,” Salem-Leasca says.

Those orchards offer plenty of seasonal pick-your-own opportunities, especially for apples – many of which end up in Salem’s own neighborhood-famous, deep-dish apple pie with fresh whipped cream.

Locals and visitors can also find plenty of old-school, sit-down ice cream shops to beat the summer heat, like family-friendly West End Creamery and Westview Farms Creamery.

The Salem Cross Inn also raises its own black Angus beef on 600 acres of land and is working on reviving special culinary programming, like its popular Farmers Dinners series, a unique dining experience held in the property’s barn that highlights local farms and growers.

“We try to do things like that, which incorporate our own product with other growers in the area,” says Salem-Leasca. “We try to support local farms as much as we can. It’s a great area to live in as far as that goes; everyone supports each other.”

Worcester Regional Food Hub

The Worcester Regional Food Hub is a destination and significant resource for burgeoning food startups to get their footing before opening brick-and-mortar ventures of their own.

Shon Rainford, director of the Worcester Regional Food Hub, says the organization creates opportunities in Worcester’s food industry in two distinct ways: the distribution of food from Massachusetts farmers and the growth and development of food entrepreneurs.

The Hub works with farms across the state, selling locally grown products primarily to institutional buyers, such as schools and hospitals, plus a smattering of restaurants, storefronts, and other smaller ventures. This process helps broaden the consumer base of Massachusetts farms and puts healthy, local food into institutions that serve large populations.

The business incubator side of the Worcester Regional Food Hub is where budding food operators learn the ropes of running successful restaurants, food trucks, or product brands. The Hub offers a shared-use, fully equipped kitchen that can be rented by the hour, as well as assistance with permit processes, obtaining food safety certifications, and navigating insurance.

“By having a foundation with us, landlords and lenders are more likely to believe they have what they need to be successful,” Rainford says.

Many businesses that have worked with the Worcester Regional Food Hub have moved on to open their own restaurants, including establishments like Unique Cafe, a Jamaican restaurant and catering company. “Our graduated concepts are thriving,” Rainford says.