by Dee Calvasina
When Laurie Miner was faced with her workplace downsizing – where she had been employed for 32 years – her career-changing brainstorming began. She had bided her time, working in foster care for a handful of years when a vision materialized: a community-centered place that would honor the memory of her mother.
Ann Miner, or Annie, as Laurie’s dad called her, passed away from cancer in 2017, leaving behind a legacy in her hometown of Newark Valley. She was actively involved in her church and community, volunteered at the school and for Meals on Wheels, and was a 4-H leader. Those who knew her best, however, knew that Ann loved to bake and share her delectables with others. “There were always homemade cookies ready for us after school,” Laurie’s sister, Diane Miner, reminisced.
Moving forward with her vision, Laurie soon began the search for a building in the heart of Newark Valley. A local restaurant had closed, leaving a rentable space along the town’s main route. Laurie decided to give it a shot and began renovating in January 2020. A tentative April opening was planned. Unfortunately, COVID hit, and everything came to a screeching halt. In May, Laurie relinquished the spot and stepped away to regroup.
“It was okay because I had a vision for a place, but that was not it,” she confided.
COVID did not stop her from pursuing locations. Soon her fortitude paid off. Just down the way, at 7 Water Street in the village sat a laundromat which had closed a couple of years prior. The rentable space spoke to Laurie, and in July 2020, the massive gutting and renovation process began.
Was this huge undertaking a scary endeavor? “Not so much as switching careers and starting all over from scratch,” Laurie admitted.
By the time the café was ready to open for takeout only (still COVID restrained) Diane had also made a career change to support the family legacy and carry on their mother’s memory. After all, who would be better to bake Annie’s famous soft sugar cookies? The opening was on Monday, December 14, 2020. Two days later, 44 inches of snow fell, bringing life to a standstill and causing Annie’s Place to close. As town, county and state workers began the task of plowing folks out, Annie’s Place took up the task of giving out food and drinks in appreciation.
The “takeout only” restraint lasted until April 2021 when in-house café seating was finally made available. “The takeout period allowed us to get into a rhythm of things,” Laurie said.
Meanwhile, staffing grew to include Diane’s son, Lou Pratt, as well as Randy White. As chef, Diane runs the kitchen with Pratt wearing multiple kitchen duty hats. White is the errand runner and fixer-upper, leaving Laurie to see to general owner/management duties. To date, Annie’s Place employs four full-timers and three part-timers with no staff turnover.
There are many family-run businesses, so what makes Annie’s Place superb? For starters, Laurie goes above and beyond to source from local suppliers: The Ithaca Bakery for bread, Hollenbeck Food for sausage, Stoughton Farms for produce and Trinity Valley Dairy for milk, as well as locally resourced honey, maple syrup, fruit and eggs. Annie’s Place is determined to support local providers for all their culinary needs. Fresh supplies result in fresh food.
“This isn’t fast food,” Diane confirmed. “We want to put out good quality food done right, not fast.”
This high standard has resulted in a five-star rating on Google and Trip Advisor. It has also made them popular with folks from all over the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier who will travel for Annie’s famous fresh baked quiche, specialty breakfast and lunch sandwiches, seasonal dishes, fresh homemade soups and salads, and of course, the fresh daily baked goods – cookies, fruit crostatas, cinnamon rolls, scones, dessert bars, specialty muffins … the list is endless and varies daily. It also requires a 5 a.m. arrival time for Diane to be ready for the 7 a.m. opening.
Annie’s chocolate chip cookies are a hit with the Newark Valley fourth graders whose monthly library field trip includes a stop at Annie’s. This brings us to the other unique qualities of Annie’s Place: community, ambiance and atmosphere.
“We have regulars who come in all the time,” Laurie noted. “We try to keep prices reasonable for this reason.”
Tips are only accepted in a jar at the front counter and are used in a “pay it forward” manner toward the local food pantry, library, rural ministry and families in need. They are also there when a couple of hard-working grammar school kids who shovel driveways and sidewalks for residents free of charge and stop into Annie’s for a much-needed lunch break. Witnessing their orders of preferred food and drink and seeing what their total was versus what they gave to the cashier, it was evident that the “pay it forward” tip jar would come in handy. Their order was completed with warmth, a smile and no questions asked – a representation of what Annie’s “pay it forward” is all about.
Visitors and the community step up to support this mission as well as the excellent food and service. Noting rising costs, the team admits that sometimes they must absorb some costs but hold steadfast to putting out a quality product.
“It makes us happy to see people enjoy coming here,” Laurie shared.
“And kindness matters,” Diane added. “This is a place where people can come and feel joyful. It’s nice to try to make somebody else’s day a little better.”
Annie’s Place is where you’ll want to be. Located at 7 Water Street, Newark Valley, it’s open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Find their daily specials on Facebook and information at anniesplacenv.com
Dee Calvasina, deecalvasina.com, is an author, speaker, and monthly columnist for the Finger Lakes Times.
