European Eats In Piermont

Did you know there's authentic Belgian eats for sale in Piermont?

On a recent Sunday in the village, I found myself at the weekly farmers' market. A small booth called Pika's Farm Table, near Dr. Pickle, caught my attention.

At this table there are a variety of soups, pesto, quiches and more. The runner of the booth, Nikki, explained that everything is handmade and all-natural.

Most of the food is made from locally-grown, in-season produce, she added.

Owners and founders Luc and Pika Roels started Pika's Farm Table in 2002 out of their home in Big Indian, NY. Business began at a local farmers' market with gourmet quiches prepared from her Belgian grandmother's old world recipe. And with such an impressive taste (stemming from the hours of from-scratch cooking), customers couldn't get enough of Pika's quiche.

The following year, with the help of her husband, Pika added soups to the menu.

Both Luc and Pika were born in Belgium, and have lived all over Europe (with long stretches spent in France and Italy). Between these travels and their roots, the prepared foods have a variety of flavors.

The food sold at the markets can't get any fresher, Nikki explained. Everything is cooked on the same day the ingredients are bought. The customers definitely love everything, she noted; a large number of people came and went from the booth while I was there.

Gluten-free and nut-free dishes are also available, setting Pika's apart from other booths . With more and more health allergies realized, it's nice to see some places catering to these special needs.

These days, all the food is made in Kingston and brought to many farmers' markets in the Hudson Valley and Westchester. A large list of stores in New York and New Jersey—and even two in Connecticut—are now carrying Pika's products. Nikki said there's also a restaurant that has one of their soups.

But if you can't make it to any of their locations, their website sells direct to your door in as few as two days.