BY ELLEN NESBITT

North Country This Week

MADRID – With a commitment to community, a local chef and his family have opened the doors of The Blue House restaurant, at 3736 County Route 14, overlooking the Grasse River.

Josh Taillon along with his wife Alicia, and toddler Clementine hosted the soft opening of the new farm-to-table restaurant for take-out only the weekend of January 16 with food selling out. With a wood-fire oven and grill, pizza and lasagna are topping the menu the first couple of weeks.

“We plan to have different offerings each week, as we get going,” Taillon said, who is proud to show off the unique features of the rehabbed house, located in the center of the village.

The bar is made from local cedar timbers and lightning strike maple. Local stone mason Mark Seymour from Radiant Hearth, Inc. in Norwood created the oven, grill and high service counter.

Taillon has been a chef for 25 years. He earned his degree from Paul Smith’s College, and then spent time training in France. He moved to Colorado and even set up his own restaurant there, before moving back to the North Country when opportunity presented itself at Iroquois Farm.

He spent the last five years as the chef at Jake’s on the Water in Hannawa Falls before moving out on his own again, which is a family business, with his wife Alicia as president.

Ironically, the property has been bought and sold over it’s more than 100 years history from women. And even a cubby in the house revealed bakery coupons from when it was a bakery in 1910.

“I got chills, thinking about it being a bakery 100 years ago and now I’m making dough from scratch,” Taillon said.

The business really is a circle of family and friends. Taillon’s sous chef Brad Rookey met his wife while working with Taillon, and Taillon and his wife also met when they were working at Iroquois farm. And both their fathers have done large amounts of work on the property to renovate it.

He is purchasing food locally and even has plans for growing their own herbs and vegetables at Taillon’s father’s property. He is purchasing vegetables from nearby farmers, Daniel Martin and the Kent Family farm.

“We are all about being part of the community and helping local businesses and growers,” Taillon said.

More windows were installed on the first and second floors to take advantage of the view of the Grasse River and overlook one of the few stone bridges left in New York, Taillon said.

The second floor dining area will seat 50 when open to full capacity seating. But for now, the business is open Friday-Saturday, 4-8 p.m., and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. to get started, and the menu is posted on The Blue House facebook page, or give them a call at 315-590-3021.

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