Latest news with #10BestReader'sChoice
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hot Plate Brewing Co. of Pittsfield named #3 Best New Brewery in USA Today poll
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The only Latina-owned brewery in Massachusetts has ranked third place in USA Today's Best New Breweries poll. Hot Plate Brewing Co., located in Pittsfield, was the only brewery in Massachusetts to make the 10Best Reader's Choice list. A panel of beer experts selected the nominations through USA Today, reviewing hand-crafted breweries founded within the past three years. The poll released on Wednesday shows Frazier Creek Brewing & Distilling Co in Stuart, Florida ranked as No. 1, followed by RAK Brewing Co in Frederick, Maryland and then Hot Plate Brewing Co. in Pittsfield. The dream of Hot Plate Brewing began in 2017, when homebrewers Sarah Real and Mike Dell'Aquila lived in a New York City condo and were issued a code violation, losing gas in the building. City of Springfield provides update to South Main Street development plan Rather than giving up on their aspirations to brew beer from home, they shifted their plan to brewing on a hot plate, which inspired their future business endeavors. 'Before we made the transition to joining the craft beer industry, we were fans for almost twenty years,' said owner and head brewer Real. 'Whether traveling across the country or even in different industrial neighborhoods in Brooklyn, we saw how breweries could become anchor tenants and lead to all sorts of development around them.' In 2020, the pair moved to western Massachusetts and were drawn to downtown Pittsfield. Seeing the community's efforts to boost the economy with local businesses, Real and Dell'Aquilla put their own vision to work. 'Hot Plate has been a wonderful addition to the downtown and has capitalized on the economic incentives the city has provided,' said Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti. 'The city of Pittsfield is committed to continuing this work on attracting new businesses, to not only downtown but all across Pittsfield.' Hot Plate Brewing largely employs a female and queer staff and collaborates with many mission-aligned organizations to raise funds for local organizations. Women of color own less than 1% of all breweries, so the impact of Hot Plate's efforts has not been lost on the staff and the city. 'There's a lot of chatter in this industry about how beer brings people together,' said co-founder and General Manager Dell'Aquila. 'The question is, what do you do once you have those people together, and can you create a diverse enough audience to create a real-world impact?' Hot Plate Brewing Co. has 12 beers on tap, including lagers, porters, ales, stouts, and IPAS. The brewery also serves coffee, tea, and home-baked goods. To view the full list of USA Today's Best New Breweries, visit WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prolific Finger Lakes restaurateur named semifinalist for prestigious national honor
One of the most prolific business owners in the Finger Lakes region was recently named a semifinalist in the prestigious James Beard Awards, which recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries. Christopher Bates, together with his wife, Isabel Bogadtke, own F.L.X. Hospitality, which operates several businesses: F.L.X. Wienery, a casual burger and hot dog joint along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail in Dundee. F.L.X. Table, an intimate restaurant in Geneva that serves a five-course tasting menu based on local sourcing. In 2017 it was named the country's best new restaurant in the USA Today 10Best Reader's Choice poll. The Quincy Exchange, a cozy American bistro in Corning's historic Gaffer District. The Maillard Club, a high-end steakhouse with a chef's counter omakase experience; it's housed in the same building as The Quincy Exchange. F.L.X. Provisions, two retail shops and tasting rooms that sell Finger Lakes wines (including Element Winery), international beers, New York state spirits, house made food products and more. They are adjacent to the restaurants in Geneva and Corning. F.L.X. Culture House, a nano brewery that focuses on complex sours and barrel aged beers; its products are sold at F.L.X. Provisions. Element Winery, which Bates established with his father, Robert Bates, in 2006. In 2017, they purchased 30 acres of land on the east side of Seneca Lake planted with the varieties that excited them ― syrah, pinot noir, cabernet franc, chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon — and shifted toward an estate approach. In addition, Bates travels the world as a master sommelier, having passed the notoriously difficult exam in 2013. That year he also won TopSomm, an important sommelier competition in America. He was named one of Food & Wine magazine's 2016 sommeliers of the year. The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards were established in 1990, with the first awards given in 1991. They celebrate excellence across all types of dining experiences, from fine dining to casual establishments. The 2025 restaurant and chef awards have 25 categories;Bates is a semifinalist in outstanding professional in beverage service, which is new this year. The Finger Lakes region has earned occasional recognition from the James Beard Awards in the past. Finger Lakes winery Red Tail Ridge was named a semifinalist in the category of outstanding wine, spirits or beer producer in 2019 and 2020. Dano Hutnik, the late chef and owner of the recently closed Dano's Heuriger in Lodi, New York, was a semifinalist for best chef in 2012 and 2014. Nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Tracy Schuhmacher has covered Rochester's food scene, along with the Finger Lakes wine and culinary scene, since 2015. Send tips to tracys@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Christopher Bates, F.L.X. Table owner, named James Beard semifinalist
