About US
THE BEGINNING
Hudson, NY serves as a commercial center to many burgeoning restaurateurs, musicians, artists and shop owners. But it's also surrounded by the bounty of the Hudson Valley, from beautiful farms to popular hiking trails and more. For this reason, Hudson is often referred to as the “Downtown to the Upstate,” and it was right on the edge of this very downtown, overlooking the Hudson River and conveniently accessible by the nearby Amtrak station, that we fell in love with a building and a vision. Wm. Farmer and Sons and the Farmer family was born.
At first, owners Kristan and Kirby were just spending weekends visiting the Hudson Valley and Hudson. But as many NYC ex-pats can attest to, one too many visits can tip the scale from weekend delight and discovery into full time, all-out love. In 2013, with a baby on the way, they bought the historic 19th century Front Street building and began a two-year process of renovations in order to make the building what it has become today.
Kristan and Kirby, with Wyeth on the way, when they first bought the building that would become Wm Farmer & Sons.
OUR NAME, OUR FAMILY & OUR TEAM
Wm. Farmer and Sons derives its name from a long-standing tradition of naming in the Farmer family, but is also a direct tribute to Kirby’s Father, who played an integral role in making the dream to open and run this restaurant, bar & guesthouse a reality. The “and Sons” part is brought upon by the next two generations of William Farmers: one son and one grandson. Accordingly, they all go by their middle names:
William Joseph Farmer (The OG)
William Kirby Farmer (Current Owner and Chef) and
William Wyeth Farmer (Farmer-in-Training)
Many families have come together to make up our team. And for us, this endeavor has always at its core been about family: our personal family, our restaurant/bar and guesthouse families, our family of community and of course... your family. From our team of families to yours, we pledge to always maintain a warmth and hospitality of space that helps ensure each and every one of our guests receives an unforgettable experience through impeccable accommodations, outstanding service, and of course exciting food and drink.
Kristan, Wm. Kirby and Wm. Wyeth Farmer
WILLIAM KIRBY FARMER
In the Western North Carolina Mountains, Wm. Kirby Farmer grew up on a kitchen stool, eagerly watching his Father prepare culinary greatness. Although not a Chef, his father always maintained a passionate culinary focus founded in simple mid-western family food traditions such as: gardening, canning, preserving and the curing of country hams. Most everyday crescendoed with a magnificent spread of lovingly prepared food shared together at the Farmer family table.
It was only natural for his father to pass along these family food traditions and Kirby took to them like a fish to water. He was off and running as soon as he was old enough to wield a knife and spark a stove.
Ever since his early days at the Culinary Institute of America, the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains have warmly reminded Kirby of his North Carolina, Blue Ridge Mountain roots. This made it a natural choice when selecting a place to raise a family and start their business.
KRISTAN CATHERINE KECK
Born just outside of Baltimore, Kristan Keck, the youngest of four, was raised in a home with an ever-revolving door of friends and neighbors. No invitation was needed for dinner or an overnight stay and there was no one who was not welcome.
Kristan was infamous for extending invitations to traveling artists to crash in her parent’s attic following gigs in the area (often offering first and explaining later). Waking up to a group of hungry musicians was a tradition her parents were not wild about at first but one they upheld long after she moved out. It seems only fitting that a guesthouse would be in her future.