Long-shuttered Geer Lodge café reopens with fresh focus

Chef Gina Trivelli-Young recently opened Manna Catering at the public café space at Geer Lodge in North Canaan.
Debra A. Aleksinas

Chef Gina Trivelli-Young recently opened Manna Catering at the public café space at Geer Lodge in North Canaan.
“A lot of my food is geared toward health...the nourishment of mind, body and soul.” —Chef Gina Trivelli-Young, owner of Manna Catering
NORTH CANAAN — After a pandemic-fueled, five-year hiatus, the public café space in the lobby of Geer Lodge is open for business with a new tenant and a fresh approach to eating healthy.
Chef Gina Trivelli-Young, who was classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, has opened Manna Catering in the café space formerly occupied by Railway Café.
She said her vision is to provide earth-to-table, fresh and locally sourced foods for lunch, dinner or to grab and go.
“A lot of my food is geared toward health, the nourishment of mind, body and soul,” said Trivelli-Young, who also runs a catering business and launched the now-closed Manna Dew Café in Millerton, New York.“If I can’t eat it, I won’t sell it.”
During an interview last week at Manna Catering, Trivelli-Young, who is also a holistic health coach and has built a loyal following as a caterer, spoke about her plans for the café space, her philosophy toward cooking and the challenges of drawing customers back to a space that has spent a few years in the dark.
She was joined briefly in the cozy eatery by Shaun Powell, CEO/CFO of Geer Village Senior Community, who expressed excitement about the Lodge’s new tenant.
An “Open” sign and daily menu welcomed visitors, and bouquets of seasonal, fresh flowers for sale from Crooked Oak Farm in Lakeville, graced the entrance.
“It’s great to see it open,” noted Powell. “Now we’re trying to get the word out. It has been closed since March 2020, the day the world changed,” he said referring to March 11, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global pandemic. Now, he said, the challenge is to reinvigorate the public’s interest.
To help spread the word about Manna Catering’s arrival, Powell said several “joint promotional events” will be held in the upcoming weeks in conjunction with local businesses, the Y on campus, farms and employees.
“We’re anxious to help create a vibrant atmosphere here at the Lodge,” said Powell.
Chef, caterer, holistic healing coach
Trivelli-Young came to her passion for food at an early age, savoring the aromas of her mother’s Italian kitchen where there was always something fresh and healthy simmering on the stove.
Those early encounters with good food, she said, formed the cornerstone of her philosophy toward cooking: let the food speak for itself by using clean ingredients in their purest state, enhanced by fresh herbs and aromatics.
Her cooking, said the chef, “needs to be clean and it needs to be nourishing. Nothing artificial. It has to be of the highest quality.”
Rather than a style of cooking, the chef defines her approach as a way of respecting food and bringing it to the tale in a way that “accentuates its natural flavors and conserves its healing properties.”
In parallel with her interest and training in culinary arts was Trivelli-Young’s involvement with health and healing, which began with a teenage summer job in a health food store and culminating with her certification as a Holistic Nutrition Health Coach.
For more than two decades, she has been a private chef, caterer, holistic healing coach in the tri-state area. Her clients, she said, range from those seeking catering for private dinner parties to individuals with food restrictions and sensitivities who need healthy meals delivered to their homes.
“My philosophy is that food is the best medicine,” noted Trivelli-Young.
Her clients also consist of busy working mothers who want to provide simply prepared, nutritious meals to their families.
Introducing Friday Supper Club
The menu at Manna Catering is refreshed weekly using locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients and seasonal produce. Sandwiches, salads, soups and nourish bowls feature local meats and cheeses.
Customers can stop by and order lunch on the spot or call ahead to have lunch ready upon arrival.
On a recent visit, the menu included roasted pepper/tomato parmesan bisque, borsch soup, Thai shrimp curry with rice pilaf (pre-order), Tex-Mex chili and herb-goat cheese and smoked salmon sandwich with roasted peppers, cucumber, tomato and greens.
Also featured were an avocado, blue cheese, buffalo chicken salad wrap, classic chicken salad wrap with red grapes and fresh herbs, chicken fajita bowl or salad, roasted portobello mushroom and Vermont goat cheese salad made with roasted beets, raspberries and honey roasted pecans and vinaigrette.
Refreshments include smoothies, made with fresh fruit, coconut juice, collagen and monk fruit for natural sweetener, as sugar, she noted, “Is very bad for you,” as well as a large selection of organic drinks, Harney teas, kombucha and iced coffee. Desserts are made fresh daily.
Trivelli-Young said she is also excited to launch supper club night on Fridays. Customers can place orders for an appetizer, salad and entree by Tuesday and pick up their freshly made dinner on Friday afternoon.
“I like the old-fashioned concept of a supper club,” said the chef. “I’m meeting the needs of people who are very busy,” or second-homeowners who are coming up to the area for the weekend.
“Everything is made from scratch,” she noted, “and it’s important that I put my love into it every single week.”
Currently, Manna Catering is open to the public at Geer Lodge Wednesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with catering available for private events at other times. Customers can order ahead to have lunch ready upon arrival by calling (860) 824-2610, or text (845) 233-8513.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.