Four Corners Farm to open cafe

Thursday, July 29, 2010

By JESSIE SALISBURY

Correspondent

WILTON – The Planning Board has approved a plan to convert space recently used as a day care center at Four Corners Farm into a cafe.

Lincoln Geiger, manager of the Temple-Wilton Community Farm, which operates Four Corners, said he hopes the cafe will open in September.

The planning board approved the plan at its meeting last week.

At its meeting in June, the Planning Board suggested Geiger meet with building inspector John Shepherdson and that the parking lot have “cut-off lighting” to prevent light pollution. Geiger subsequently met with Shepherdson, and the lighting recommendation will be put into effect.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the change in use June 8, with the restriction that the outside of the historic building not be changed.

Geiger said the cafe would use mostly home-grown produce. It’s to be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, and would seat 15 patrons. Paper plates will be used; the use of china service would cut the number of seats to seven because of limitations on the septic system.

Four Corners Farm, at the junction of Isaac Frye Highway, Abbott Hill Road and Badger Farm Road, is owned by Steven Moheban, and is under a conservation easement and a 99-year lease agreement with the farm.

Purchase of the easement, set at $550,000 for 43 acres, was financed through the state Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, town conservation funds, a trails grant through the Wilton Wanderers Snowmobile Club and a wellhead grant to protect a well on adjoining land owned by High Mowing School.

The farm is one of the oldest in Wilton, dating to the late 1700s.

The farm buildings date to the early 1800s and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Temple-Wilton Community Farm has leased the farm since 1998.

It’s one of the first community-supported agriculture farms in the country, dating to 1986, and has more than 100 members.

They use more than 70 acres and are looking to increase their hay fields to become self-sufficient.

In addition to vegetables and eggs, Four Corners is a working dairy farm and supplies dairy products to the farm members and the nearby Waldorf schools.