BLACK EYED SUZIE'S HISTORY
Cheryl Paff & Juan Tzitzimititila
1996
Cheryl opens Black-Eyed Suzie’s Organic Café on E 7th St in the East Village of NYC just off Tompkin’s Square Park. Juan moves to NYC from Puebla, Mexico and comes to work in the kitchen at the restaurant. Black-Eyed Suzie’s features a wholesome, organic menu and is named Restaurant of the Year by New York Naturally in 1998. Good times were had.
2000
Cheryl gets travel fever, sells Black-Eyed Suzie’s, takes a year off with her husband Mark, to roam around the world, nibbling, studying and savoring the local food in culinary meccas like Spain, Morocco, Italy, France, Turkey, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay & Mexico. Juan stays on with the new owners, honing his skills in the Mediterranean style of cooking at the top-rated NYC restaurant, Pylos.
2001-2012
Travel weary and craving the simple life, Cheryl settles down in New York’s Hudson Valley, not far from where she was raised and begins managing the highly regarded Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market. She also works as a private chef catering parties and events in and around Woodstock and teams up with some folks to launch the Woodstock Farm Festival. Meanwhile, Juan, at the helm in the kitchen at Pylos earns a 27 out of 30 in Zagat.
2013
Juan relocates to the Hudson Valley as well and Cheryl & Juan begin working together again. They revive the name Black-Eyed Suzie’s for old time's sake. They cater parties and operate a traveling food stand with a local, seasonal menu all over the Hudson Valley.
2015
The great fortune of a steady gig catering lunches for Etsy allows Black-Eyed Suzie's to grow and move to a storefront location in Saugerties offering café service with patio dining, take away meals and catering.
2022
Covid times prompts a move to Kingston and a change of format. Black-Eyed Suzie's pivots to operating as a retail Food Shop with wholesome prepared meals to grab & go, specialty grocery and continues to offer their popular Family Style Take Away & Drop Off Catering.
When they aren't cooking up goodness, Juan enjoys fishing and cycling everywhere from the Catskills to the Hamptons and Cheryl loves traveling, hiking and chasing sunsets.
Cheryl opens Black-Eyed Suzie’s Organic Café on E 7th St in the East Village of NYC just off Tompkin’s Square Park. Juan moves to NYC from Puebla, Mexico and comes to work in the kitchen at the restaurant. Black-Eyed Suzie’s features a wholesome, organic menu and is named Restaurant of the Year by New York Naturally in 1998. Good times were had.
2000
Cheryl gets travel fever, sells Black-Eyed Suzie’s, takes a year off with her husband Mark, to roam around the world, nibbling, studying and savoring the local food in culinary meccas like Spain, Morocco, Italy, France, Turkey, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay & Mexico. Juan stays on with the new owners, honing his skills in the Mediterranean style of cooking at the top-rated NYC restaurant, Pylos.
2001-2012
Travel weary and craving the simple life, Cheryl settles down in New York’s Hudson Valley, not far from where she was raised and begins managing the highly regarded Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market. She also works as a private chef catering parties and events in and around Woodstock and teams up with some folks to launch the Woodstock Farm Festival. Meanwhile, Juan, at the helm in the kitchen at Pylos earns a 27 out of 30 in Zagat.
2013
Juan relocates to the Hudson Valley as well and Cheryl & Juan begin working together again. They revive the name Black-Eyed Suzie’s for old time's sake. They cater parties and operate a traveling food stand with a local, seasonal menu all over the Hudson Valley.
2015
The great fortune of a steady gig catering lunches for Etsy allows Black-Eyed Suzie's to grow and move to a storefront location in Saugerties offering café service with patio dining, take away meals and catering.
2022
Covid times prompts a move to Kingston and a change of format. Black-Eyed Suzie's pivots to operating as a retail Food Shop with wholesome prepared meals to grab & go, specialty grocery and continues to offer their popular Family Style Take Away & Drop Off Catering.
When they aren't cooking up goodness, Juan enjoys fishing and cycling everywhere from the Catskills to the Hamptons and Cheryl loves traveling, hiking and chasing sunsets.
FRIENDS & FARMERS
We consider ourselves very fortunate to live and cook in a region with such rich & diverse agricultural bounty.
These are some of the farms and friends that we support and/or source our ingredients from.
MIGLIORELLI FARM | MEAD ORCHARDS | SAMASCOTT ORCHARDS | RED JACKET ORCHARD | WRIGHTS FARM
HEPWORTH FARM | JACUTERIE | HUDSON VALLEY CATTLE CO. | LA SALUMINA | RONNYBROOK FARM
CELLAR'S AT JASPER HILL FARM | NETTLE MEADOWS | McGRATH CHEESE COMPANY | OLD CHATHAM SHEEPHERDING CO
ADIRONDACK CHEDDAR | CABOT CREAMERY | R&G CHEESEMAKERS | GREAT HILL DAIRY | HARNEY & SON'S
CATSMO SMOKEHOUSE | TREE JUICE MAPLE | CROWN MAPLE | CATSKILL PROVISIONS HONEY
WILD HIVE GRAIN PROJECT | HEAVYFEATHER ROAST CO | BETH'S FARM KITCHEN | SARATOGA WATER
EARLY BIRD GRANOLA | SFOGLINI PASTA | IMMUNESCHEIN ELIXIRS | HUDSON VALLEY SEED CO. | L&M STUDIO
DEEP ROOTS FARM | SEEDS & SUN FLOWERS | PLATTE CLOVE NATURALS | FOOD BANK OF THE HUDSON VALLEY
KINGSTON FARMERS MAREKT | RHINEBECK FARMERS MARKET | WOODSTOCK FARM FESTIVAL