Having a Frank Talk About The Art of Beautiful Food

Food stylist Frances Boswell, who created this still life with asparagus, chatted with her friend and fellow food professional, Frank Way, on Zoom.
Photo by Frances Boswell


Restaurant owner Frank Way joined his friend, food stylist Frances Boswell, for a chat on Zoom about food that is both beautiful and delicious — as meals are likely to be at Way’s new West Cornwall, Conn., restaurant.
Way was the owner of frank.food in Kent, Conn., until the pandemic. He is now working on a new restaurant in West Cornwall that is likely to open in May.
Sponsored by The Cornwall Library and hosted by Jane Bevans, the conversation happened on Sunday, March 6. For those who missed it, a video is available on the library’s website at www.cornwalllibrary.org.
The infectiously enthusiastic conversation between Way and Boswell drew 65 Zoom participants, who had the chance to look at the new frank. food site (still being renovated) overlooking the Housatonic from the West Cornwall side. The restaurant will be in the carriage house of the building known for years as The Pink House (although at the moment it is a creamy light yellow).
Way and Boswell worked together at Martha Stewart Living for years, and now are pleased to be back together as Cornwall neighbors.
Boswell’s life has always maintained a thread of a connection with food. She always loved cooking, from a young age.
But she had no experience in television production when Stewart asked her to take on a television cooking show. Although none of the food experts working on the show had any idea how to make a TV production, somehow it all worked out.
“That’s how life is,” Way interjected. “You just figure it out.”
That was something of a theme in the conversation between the two friends: Life throws you opportunities, and sometimes you just have to reach out and catch them.
“I have always said ‘yes’ to opportunity,” Way said.
Way first came to Kent as a weekender, but soon found that he was spending more and more time here. He was working for several large companies as an expert on “branding,” and found he could do much of his work from The Country.
Although he had no experience as a professional cook, a friend invited him to open a small business in a retail space she owned on Main Street in Kent. He called it frank.food, not just because his name is Frank but also because he liked the idea of food that was sincere, open and honest.
The restaurant did well for three years, even when the pandemic made indoor dining impossible. He laid off most of his staff and started doing take-out dinners — and was so successful at it that he was spending about 75 hours a week cooking.
He eventually gave it up, and was then invited to open in the Pink House carriage house by the property’s new owner/developers.
Way used his laptop computer to give a walking tour around the future restaurant space, noting the river view from the outdoor deck that will seat 40 guests.
The inside is clean and modern, with a bar counter fashioned of dark walnut from a tree on the property that needed to be removed.
The menu will be simple, with artisan pizzas produced by Joel Viehland of Swyft in Kent. There will also be burgers made with local beef, fish and chips, salads and more. Way said he is working with a chef to help make the cooking more streamlined and professional, but he will still come up with the menu ideas.
As for what a food stylist does, Boswell described her career with several major magazines, including Martha Stewart Living and its spin-off, Real Simple.
As a stylist, her aim is to create visual balance. She said that one of the first things she has to tell clients is to calm down the presentation; there doesn’t always have to be a “cheese pull,” the food can stand on its own.
Her Zoom tour of her city apartment showed a sea of sheet cakes awaiting frosting and due for plating and a photo shoot the following day.
“For all the downsides of COVID-19,” Boswell said, “it has made people drive their creativity to new levels.”
Boswell finds food essential to post-pandemic life and noted “how important food is as a connector.” She is looking forward to seeing people experience food-human connections at frank. food. The long community table is expected to be a popular gathering spot.
Preparing at full tilt to open his new restaurant, Way said, “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m giving it 150%.”

Food stylist Frances Boswell explained to Frank Way in a Zoom last week how to take ordinary dishes and enhance their beauty. Photo by Frances Boswell
Alec Linden
A blue SUV remains in a ditch after an early-morning crash along Segar Mountain Road in Kent May 27.
KENT – A driver escaped with minor injuries after an SUV crashed into a utility pole and water line before rolling into a ditch along Segar Mountain Road early Wednesday morning, May 27, disrupting traffic for much of the day and affecting water service to a nearby residence.
The single-vehicle crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. near 36 Segar Mountain Road, just under half a mile east of the intersection with South Kent Road. State police said the blue SUV struck the pole, went over a guardrail and came to stop in a roadside ditch.
The driver was transported to Danbury Hospital with minor injuries, according to police.
The damage to a utility pole forced crews to shut down parts of the road and reduce traffic to a single lane throughout the day. First Selectman Eric Epstein announced that traffic would be impacted as utility companies make repairs. Motorists were advised to avoid the area until the work is complete.
As of 2 p.m., traffic at the scene was reduced to alternating single lane travel. Employees from Eversource Energy, Aquarion Water Company and the state Department of Transportation were at the site making repairs to the utility pole and wiring. They have yet to provide an estimate for when the repairs will finish.
The car was still in the ditch as of mid-afternoon, officials on the scene said.
In an email to Kent residents, which was sent at approximately 12:40 p.m., Epstein reported that a water line connected to one residence in the area was also damaged, but clarified that it was not the line supplying the town.

Lakeville Journal
EAST CANAAN — Pauline K. (King) Garfield, 94 of 77 South Canaan Rd. formerly of East Canaan, died Sunday May 24, 2026, at Geer Village.She was the wife of the late Duane Garfield who passed August 14, 2017. Pauline was born April 3, 1932 in North Canaan, CT in the former Geer Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Rose (Van Vlack) King.
Pauline spent her career at Becton Dickinson in Canaan, after being a stay-at-home mother for many years.She was employed at Becton Dickinson for 23 years. She enjoyed bus trips with her late husband Duane to the Casinos, spending time with her family watching the grandchildren grow up. Recently she made a comment to care givers that was “wait until I see that husband of mine for leaving me here, I am going to read him the riot act.” Over the years she enjoyed many crafts, but her favorite was crocheting gifts for everyone.
Pauline is survived by her daughter Paula Ducharme and husband Tom of York, Pennsylvania. Her son Michael Garfield and wife Joann of Winchester Center, Connecticut. Her granddaughter Koren Garfield and her great grandchildren, Alyssa Jade, Addison Jacob and Brennden Leo of Colebrook, Connecticut.
Pauline is also survived by her sister, Althea Marshall and her husband Corky of North Canaan, Connecticut. She was predeceased by her brothers, Everett and Alan King.
A Celebration of Pauline’s life will be held on Monday June 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the North Canaan Congregational Church 172 Lower Road East Canaan, CT 06024.Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery in East Canaan, CT. Memorial Donation can be sent to the North Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps P.O. Box 178 North Canaan, CT 06018. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
Natalia Zukerman
For many pet owners, animals are family. On Saturday, May 30, that bond will be celebrated in a uniquely practical and heartfelt way when the Blessing of the Animals returns to Third Lutheran Evangelical Church in Rhinebeck alongside a free rabies vaccination clinic hosted by Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.
The event, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., is free for Dutchess County residents and open to dogs, cats and domestic ferrets three months and older. While the clinic itself provides an important public health service, organizers say the day has become about much more than vaccinations.
“It’s a very simple afternoon of kindness,” said event curator Rosemary Joyce. “I think of it like a gardener — you go someplace, you learn how to plant seeds and then you take those seeds home and grow them in your own community. Except these are the seeds of kindness.”
The annual blessing is now entering its fourth year, with each event honoring a different theme. This year’s celebration pays tribute to renowned primatologist and animal behaviorist Jane Goodall.
“Most people know her from her work with primates,” Joyce said, “but she also taught us to understand that animals are sentient creatures — they feel like we feel.”
Joyce pointed to recent scientific studies that scanned dogs’ brains using MRI technology.
“When dogs are presented with the scent of the people they love, the part of their brain that lights up is the exact same part of our brain that responds to love,” she said. “So not only do they love us — dogs love the way we love.”
Unlike larger ceremonial blessings often held around the feast of St. Francis, Rhinebeck’s blessing is much more personalized.
“This is not where everyone gathers and gets blessed all at once,” Joyce said. “This is individual and hands-on. You walk up to Pastor Jim Miller, and he talks to you and your animal.”
Past participants have brought everything from dogs and cats to chickens, parrots, reptiles and even an iguana “draped around someone like a scarf,” Joyce recalled.
The event also features more than a dozen rescue and animal welfare groups, each bringing “ambassador animals” for visitors to meet.
Among the most anticipated returning guests is Lazarus, a 9-year-old Eurasian eagle owl with a six-foot wingspan.
“He’s the wow factor,” Joyce said. “I watched a father hustling his two boys to leave last year because they had another appointment. I told him, ‘If you haven’t seen what’s over there, you haven’t seen this event.’ He walked over, looked at Lazarus, and his mouth just dropped open. The little boy came out in him.”
Other participants include rescue horses from the Southlands Foundation, adoptable dogs from Animal Farm Foundation, reptiles from Two by Two Animal Haven, small animals from 4-H and rescued farm animals from Hope Farm Animal Sanctuary, including Rosie, a 200-pound potbellied pig.
Joyce said one of her favorite aspects of the event is watching it create unexpected connections.
“I’m always amazed that people who would never talk to each other on the street are suddenly sitting on the lawn talking like old friends,” she said. “Animals are great catalysts for human connection.”
This year’s rabies clinic, provided by HVARS, adds a critical public service component.
Rabies vaccinations are required by New York state law for all dogs, cats and domestic ferrets by four months of age. Owners who fail to comply can face fines of up to $200.
“A lot of people don’t realize that,” Joyce said. “And they also don’t realize how affordable this clinic makes it.”
Vaccinations are free for Dutchess County residents with proof of residency and $15 per pet for non-residents. Vaccines are valid for three years with proof of prior vaccination, or one year without it.
Microchipping will also be available for $45, and one-year distemper vaccines for $25.
“It’s the size of a grain of rice,” Joyce said of the microchips. “It’s tiny, safe, affordable and permanent. If your pet is lost or stolen, all someone has to do is scan it.”
She noted that the service can be especially important as pet thefts have risen in recent years.
The clinic was made possible through a donation from the Estate of Charles Svatek, whom Joyce described as someone “known for true acts of kindness and a loving desire to make the world better for all living creatures.”
For Joyce, the event reflects a larger message about compassion — for animals and for each other.
“If this event does anything,” she said, “I hope it reminds people that kindness ripples outward.”
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged at hvars.org, though walk-ins will be accepted as space permits. Dogs must be leashed; cats and ferrets must be in carriers. The event will be held rain or shine.

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Robin Roraback
Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh on a shoot last year in New York City.
When I was around 12, a family friend showed me how to use my family’s computer...from that point on, it was pretty much all movies. — Yonah Sadeh
Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh of Falls Village left May 8 for China, where he will shoot a short documentary.
“I got into a documentary film intensive program where we have two weeks to shoot, edit and screen a 10-minute documentary about a topic of our choosing,” he said.“I’ll be in Changsha, Hunan, making a film about a fifth-generation shadow puppet master.”
It is an exciting opportunity for Sadeh, who has built his own business, Sadeh Studios, by working with small area businesses and nonprofits, “helping to tell their stories through film,” he said.
Some of his projects have included projects for local affordable housing organizations and area nonprofits such as Berkshire Busk, Berkshares, Naturalis Healing, local after-school programs and the Falls Village Fire Department. Current projects are for Berkshire Mountain Bakery and a documentary about Great Barrington’s revitalization in the 1990s.
Sadeh discovered early in life that he wanted to make films and began to develop his process and distinct style.
“It started with puppet shows and musical performances, and then, when I was around 12, a family friend showed me how to use my family’s computer to record and edit short homemade videos using iMovie. From that point on, it was pretty much all movies. I would set up my mom’s computer on a stack of books and record with the webcam.”
An early influence was Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” which, “inspired my Claymation videos when I was 10 and remains one of my favorite films.”
He said getting his first camera made a big difference in his filmmaking.
“I was no longer stuck filming wherever I could set up the laptop. I could move with the camera and be more intentional about how things looked.”
Finding some of the technical aspects challenging, he watched YouTube to learn.
“I would imagine these big scenes, like fight sequences with lighting and effects, and then have to figure out how to actually make them. That process pushed me to learn. I spent a lot of time watching people like Casey Neistat, Film Riot and Corridor Digital, and just trying things out.”
Knowing the path he wanted to take, he pursued his high school education at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA. The school has since relocated to Barrytown, New York.
“Simon’s Rock was not a film school in a traditional sense, but it had incredible faculty that I was able to work with one-on-one throughout my years there,” he said. “It gave me the flexibility and time to make films both in and outside of class, and to start my production business while still in school.”
He was able to take college-level film courses while still in high school.
“It seemed like the perfect opportunity. I loved it so much that I stayed at Simon’s Rock after graduating from the academy for my bachelor’s degree.”

After graduating, he focused full time on his freelance business.
“Most of my professional work is in documentary, where I am a one-man crew overseeing every aspect of the process, from meeting with clients to develop the idea to planning, filming and editing it all together. I love working in this way, with my hands in every part of the project.”
In addition to documentaries, he also works on narrative films.
“The script I am working on now is set over the summer solstice and follows two kids over a short but formative period of time. I feel like this idea of land and place, and the passing of time, is a pretty consistent theme in all of my work, both narrative and documentary.”
Narrative films involve working with a crew, and he said writing and directing have presented different challenges.
“By the time I get to production, I’ve usually been sitting with the story for a while and have a pretty clear picture of how I want each scene to feel. So a lot of directing is about communicating that vision to the actors and crew. It can definitely be stressful, especially with the pressure of being on set. But I’ve been lucky to work with people I really trust and enjoy collaborating with, which makes a big difference.”
The finished film, Sadeh said, “becomes something built by everyone involved.”
Eager to share his love of filmmaking, Sadeh recently took on the role of curator of the VideoWall at the Hunt Library in Falls Village.
“I would love the VideoWall to become a place that showcases the work of local filmmakers, and I hope that other creatives in the area will submit their work to be shown.”
Reflecting on his chosen path, Sadeh said, “I feel really excited and creatively fulfilled to be doing the work I love in the place I grew up.”
Learn more at sadehstudios.com
Natalia Zukerman
Silvano Monasterios thrilled a sold out audience in Cornwall.
Grammy-nominated pianist, composer and producer Silvano Monasterios performed works from his upcoming “Solo in Paris,” his seventh album, on Sunday, May 23 at Cornwall Town Hall to a packed audience. Presented by Music Mountain in partnership with the Cornwall Town Hall and Cornwall Library, the concert showcased Monasterios’ signature fusion of sophisticated jazz harmonies and vibrant Latin rhythms. Throughout the performance, he moved seamlessly between intricate compositions and spontaneous improvisation. The concert built excitement for Music Mountain’s upcoming summer jazz series, which will bring an array of acclaimed performers to the historic venue. For more information, visit musicmountain.org
Jennifer Almquist
Norfolk Library celebrates the release of Courtney Maum’s latest novel, “Alan Opts Out,” with a book launch party Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30 p.m. The author will speak about her book in conversation with WAMC radio producer Sarah LaDuke.
A graduate of Brown University with a degree in comparative literature, Maum is an acclaimed author of five books, including the romantic comedy “Touch,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year; “Costalegre;” and “I’m Having So Much Fun Without You.” Her memoir, “The Year of the Horses,” was chosen by the TODAY show as top pick for Mental Health Awareness Month. Vanity Fair listed her author’s guidebook “Before and After the Book Deal,” as a best resource for writers, and she has an eponymous Substack newsletter.
“This is a story of an advertising executive whose rogue rejection of capitalism inspires waves of reprioritization throughout his neighborhood,” said Maum of her new novel.
When asked about her inspiration for “Alan Opts Out,” Maum mused, “There is a reminder in the lyrics of the Justin Moore song ‘Time’s Ticking’ to ‘make a memory, not just money,’ that sums up the emotional experience I aimed for with this novel. The suspicion that I was living to work instead of working to live was — like for so many of us — one that became especially pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
She continued, “I found myself enjoying the enforced change of pace where priorities shifted to health, time with loved ones and deep, honest gratitude for what I already had, because I sure as heck didn’t know what tomorrow would deliver. Was the pandemic offering me a chance to opt out of the rat race?” Maum began to wonder what would happen if she did. “I took these sentiments, cranked up the volume on them to explore the existential ‘aha moment’ of somebody who did, in fact, opt out.”
In his advance praise for the book, author Carl Hiaasen writes, “Like all good satire, ‘Alan Opts Out’ is vivid, lacerating, and funny, but also presents uncommon empathy for those it skewers.”
Literary Hub describes the book as “the eat-the-rich farce we need, from one of our funniest writers.”
Maum lives in Norfolk and is married to filmmaker Diego Ongaro. She states simply “I write, and I help writers write,” and describes herself as a “human fighting for my wildness.”
Founder of The Cabins, a collaborative arts retreat, Maum also runs a writer’s workshop in New Mexico combining her 20 years in advertising with her love of craft. Maum is a brand strategist, publishing expert, writing coach and creative consultant. She says she wants to “help people hold on to the joy of art making.”
To register for the event, go to norfolklibrary.org. Those who pre-order from Oblong Books (oblongbooks.com) will also receive a lobster sticker.

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