Although she’s New York City born and bred, Dana Cowin, the longtime editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine, has found a happy second home in Amenia, NY. Catch her this coming Saturday (4-6 p.m.) and Sunday (4-5 p.m.) at one of her favorite local shops, Hunter Bee in Millerton, where she’ll sign copies of her debut cookbook, Mastering My Mistakes: Learning to Cook with 65 Great Chefs and over 100 Delicious Recipes. I was born in New York City and I still live there, but have been living part time in Amenia for the past five years. I had friends with a home in Millerton and I was an expert, A-1 moocher. Every year for a decade I visited Joan and Bruce: when I was single, after I got engaged, when I was married, after I had my first kid, and then when I had my second kid I thought ‘maybe it’s time to get a place here.’ I’d been threatening those same friends for a while with buying a home and Bruce said he knew the perfect place. We looked at three houses with Katharine Dunlop, and we ended up buying the one my friend suggested. He was right, it really was the perfect house for us. In the summer and fall, we come up as often as possible, almost every weekend. When I’m here I love to eat, cook, shop… and repeat. I’m an avid rail trail fan; there’s an entry at the end of my road, so we bike to Millerton, eat at the diner and go to the green market if it’s a Saturday. My daughter takes guitar lessons at The Music Cellar, and when her lesson is over, it’s the perfect time for tea at Harney & Sons, and then we bike back home.
I really love Hunter Bee. My daughter has actually tried to ban me from there because every time I go, I find something I “need." If you walk through my house, 50 percent of the stuff in it is from there. I’ll be signing books at Hunter Bee on Saturday and Sunday, and if you buy my book, you’ll get a free issue of Food & Wine. I feel like I’ve discovered every food shop and artisan around here. I’m a huge devotee of Back in the Kitchen for breakfast; Peggy is such a great baker. I love Red Devon and The Lantern in Wassaic. I go there on Saturday nights because the pizza is fabulous. I’m happy and lucky to be part of the community. I found a little home here, and the more you dig deep, the more it becomes your place. The community around Amenia is a different kind of home away from the city.
