Blue Mountain Bistro - Woodstock, NY

Blue Mountain Bistro opened in Woodstock in 1993 serving French-Mediterranean cuisine and bringing the first tapas bar to the area in 1996.

 

 

 

Chef Richard Erickson

Chef Erickson is a graduate of the "School of Pots and Pans", having also studied at The New York Restaurant School, L'Ecole Hotelliere in Lausanne, Switzerland, as well as with James Beard and Giuliano Bugialli. He has lived and worked in restaurants in Mougins, France as well as in Tokyo and Taos, New Mexico.

In New York City, he was the head chef at Two-Eleven Restaurant in Tribeca, and later at Metropolis Cafe on Union Square, and Bisro du Nord on Madison Avenue, which as named the best new bistro in New York Magazine by Gael Greene. Between restaurants he became chef / instructor at The French Culinary Institute in New York City, while supervising service at L'Ecole Restaurant.

Reviews and recipes have appeared in Bon Appetit Magazine, Newsday, and Harper's Bazaar among others. He also wrote a book, Pizza Pizzazz, which was illustrated by his wife Mary Anne, and went on to be marketed by Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table.

In 1990, Richard and Mary Anne moved to Woodstock where he worked at Rudi's Big Indian, before opening their own restaurant. In 2005 they closed the restaurant portion of their business to focus full time on catering.

Mary Anne Erickson

Mary Anne Erickson has been an artist since childhood. After graduating from Art Center College of Design in 1973, she moved to New York City where she was an illustrator, hand-coloring artist, graphic artist and painter for 20 years.

She worked for all the major publications including The New York Times and New York Magazine, painted book jackets, album covers and movie posters, as well as 90 video box covers for the Samuel Goldwyn Collection of vintage films for HBO.

Mary Anne has been a landscape painter most of her life focusing on watercolor and oils, as well as hand-painting her own black and white photographs.

She is on the Board of Directors of the Woodstock Artists Association, serving as the new Exhibition Director for 2005 and as the director of their graphics and advertising. She has participated in many group shows there as well as the Woodstock Guild Gallery and the James Cox Gallery. In 1983 The University of Texas at Austin had a solo show of her work and during her years living in New York City she participated in several group shows in SoHo.

The Food

Chef Richard Erickson has been cooking with the best local produce since he was chef at Metropolis Cafe on Union Square in NYC next to the Farmer’s Market.

As a member of Oldways he continues to support local farmers and delight diners with menus that feature local, organic and farm raised produce, poultry, eggs and dairy. Our distinctive Mediterranean cuisine features dishes from Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Morocco - countries where the traditions of family and food combine to make every meal a celebration.

The Mediterranean diet is often referred to as the gold standard for healthy eating. Fresh, clean, tasty food that is professionally prepared and attractively presented, that is our pledge to each and every one of our clients. Guaranteed!!

Chef's Corner

I noticed early on that if I volunteered to cook dinner, someone else would usually volunteer to clean up. Then I noticed if I made a really great meal, people would smile, thank me and a general feeling of contentment, and well-being would suffuse the room. I was hooked !!

Most of life's great moments are celebrated with food. On a day to day level, many small moments of satisfaction are derived from food as well. Whether it's special occasion feasts or simple every day eats, life is enhanced by good food and wine.

More often than not, the best food and wines are traditional. Nowhere are these traditions more passionate than in the Mediterranean. People take the time to shop, to cook, to eat and give food a central place in their lives. Living and working there changed my life and I hope what we do gives others a feeling for the geography, culture and flavors from this area.