Located right in the heart of Ashfield, Elmer’s Community Center is a non-profit organization and gathering space that is also home to the Wicked Good Cafe.
The end result of a community project years in the making, these two organizations operate in tandem as they seek to offer a space that meets the needs of the community while simultaneously supporting a business that honors the legacy of the space. In a town of 1,700, Elmer’s has struck a balance in the push and pull of needing spaces for community while still wanting to support those organizations financially.
Many in and around the hilltowns may remember Elmer’s as a unique and beloved local cafe. Operated by Nan Parati, this down-home kitchen served countless breakfasts and burritos to neighbors and travelers alike for nearly two decades. The space has been owned and operated by locals since its inception in 1835, and has borne the name Elmer’s since at least 1937. After the sale in 2018, due to various financial difficulties, the space declined and was eventually shuttered.
As a historic staple of neighborhood commerce and community, the space was sorely missed. Unfortunately, while many members of the community were aching to see its return, there was no single, individual party that felt they could do justice to the work and investment required to set the stage for success.
Having moved to town in 2020, Ariel Brooks heard this same sentiment echoed so many times that she began to consider a way to instigate its return. She put together a pitch. In order to save this important piece of Ashfield’s collective culture, this site of dancing, dining and connection, why not cultivate ownership by the very community who honored its history and hungered for its future? First she brought her message around to roughly 30 local folks she knew in town, then she hit the farmer’s market with a clipboard and a heaping helping of grassroots gumption.
By September of 2022, enough interest had been generated to organize a first Steering Committee meeting about how to turn this idea into reality. In a poll to interested folks in town, there seemed to be a strong desire for a restaurant, especially one that served breakfast. But the first step was a difficult one, before they even touched the property they needed $285k to cover the purchase and closing costs. It was no small feat to generate this sort of local investment.
It was no small feat to generate this sort of local investment. There were moments when the Elmer’s Steering Committee weren’t sure things would come together. With a stack of checks in hand, they knew they might need to send them all back up if they couldn’t make their set financial goal. And just in the nick of time, someone offered the final $25k that put them over the top. With 200 incredible donors from Ashfield itself, and another 200 generous folks from surrounding towns, the first barrier was surmounted by the community’s generosity.
Purchase price now in hand, the next challenge to achieving this dream would be qualifying for a new Certificate of Occupancy. With the former certificate having lapsed during the time the property was shuttered, this would mean a whole host of physical improvements. Even having raised $285,000 for the purchase and closing costs, the project may well have fallen short had the community not come together once again. This time around, the offerings were baked goods, sweat and physical effort. Led by steering committee members, volunteers came together to execute all manner of repairs – from repainting the interior to building a whole new front porch. Were these jobs to be outsourced to contractors, there’s no way the project budget could possibly have supported them. Once again, it was the collective effort of the community that saw the project to the next phase.
And all along the path, Ariel Brooks has been pleased to offer her services to keep things on track. From establishing and running the non-profit, to handling the bookkeeping, to leading first the Steering Committee and now the Board – Brooks has worked hard to execute the will of her adopted community.
Other founding Steering Committee members have contributed hundreds hours of labor and creative problem solving – from leading construction projects, to coordinating clean up days, to imaginative advertising videos and getting the kitchen relicensed. Without their dedication, the project would have faltered at one of many seemingly insurmountable hurdles.
Last year the Board, which still features five of the original ten Steering Committee members, was awarded a grant from the Underutilized Properties Program through the state for $381,000. While most of that funding went towards replacing the building’s roof and siding, those are only a couple of the many structural improvements that have been effected through the sheer force of community investment and unrelenting optimism.
Since September, 2024, the space has been open for public gatherings, as well as rented out for private events. From retirement parties to birthdays, Friendsgiving Celebrations to art nights, bit by bit these rentals add up to chip away at the remaining physical improvements needed to ensure the lasting integrity of this historic property. And while every little bit counts, a large piece of this desperately needed income is the rental of the space to Allison Nottingham, who owns and manages Wicked Good Cafe through a Shared Use agreement.
The Wicked Good Cafe is the spiritual successor of Elmer’s, which fed so many folks over the years. Allison heard through word of mouth, the best way to hear things in the Hilltowns, that Nan was looking for a baker or a cook for a new venture.
Allison is an innovative baker, with a passion for quality, and a work ethic that just won’t quit. Starting at home she was always the person to bring a banana bread to the party, and when her bread and bagel production seemed like more than family and friends could manage, her fiance asked if she shouldn’t take it to the next level. That’s when she got a job in Amherst working at Cushman Market and Cafe. In a fortunate twist of fate she had just stepped away from Cushman’s when she heard about the opportunity just down the road.
The Cafe opened in February, just six short months ago. Already the offerings have expanded and adapted, but the menu is a solid choice of breakfast and lunch with classics you wouldn’t want to miss at any descendant of Elmer’s. The eatery focuses on high quality ingredients, Allison bakes nearly everything from scratch, including a range of breads.
Of particular note is her original recipe Kind Bun. A sweet and delicious pastry that originates in Allison’s fondness for focaccia, it is a spiritual homage to her “kindness forward” approach to life. Be sure to look for staples like Gray’s Sugarhouse pancakes, whose recipe was passed down from Nan herself. In her self-deputized role as a grandmotherly figure to the business, Nan has stepped away from the board to help Allison get this essential piece off the ground.
With the same community-mindedness that brought new life back to this important space, Wicked Good prioritizes local ingredients whenever possible. With sausage and bacon from Porter Family Farm, maple syrup from Gray’s, yogurt from Sidehill Farm, and coffee from Yup Coffee Roasters (try their custom Wicked Good Blend), their menu strives to support other local businesses.
Their dedication to scratch-made ingredients continues into the lunch menu, like the “Wicked Good Sauce” featured on their corned beef reuben. For the turkey BLT they roast their own turkey. They even make their own pistachio pesto for the focaccia.
The community response has been phenomenal. Everyone is excited to see how clean the space is, freshly painted and with new art on the walls. The cafe had a slow opening, mostly for the community donors, which allowed them to iron out small kinks. At this point they are seeing what demand looks like and what systems they still need to implement as operations fall into rhythm.
Currently the Cafe is considering expanding their hours, perhaps opening on Tuesdays and/or possibly extending hours till 4pm. Nothing is set in stone, but these are the types of shifts a growing business sorts out as things settle.
Allison Nottingham –
Wicked Good Cafe Owner
Allison, who begins her day at 3 am to bake, is passionate about what she does. She’s incredibly proud of the extensive offerings they manage with their current staff, and she should be. Without the community’s support, this venture wouldn’t exist, as it’s a unique challenge running a business within a community space. A relationship that highlights the value of communication and understanding. She has so many ideas for the future, and says that as long as she has new ideas she’ll continue to love her work.
Currently, the cafe employs six people, and is open Friday through Monday, from 7am to 2pm. This is supported first by a loyal base of local folks, but the cafe also sees a steady trickle of tourists from nearby Airbnbs and the Inn across the street.
If you’d like to see what they’ve got cooking be sure to stop by and say hey to Allison! And Wicked Good Cafe also offers catering for events, a delicious mix of casual finger foods and salads, be sure to check out their catering menu!