Cushman Market and Cafe in Amherst, Massachusetts

The Cushman Market and Cafe is located in an old train deport station, in the tiny hamlet of Cushman, which is technically part of the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. The Cushman Market and Cafe was in continual business from 1896 through 2003; in 2003 the former owner closed the business suddenly and left all of the food on the shelves in coolers. When new owner Peter Sylvan bought the Cushman Market and Cafe in 2005 he and his partners faced the monumental task of cleaning out a century-old building, removing rotten food from shelves and coolers, and bringing the building and business up to code.

The market part of "Cushman Market and Cafe" is in the front of the store, facing Pine Street and a small grassy area with a picnic bench and a stone salamander, where children can play and run around after buying snacks or deli food from the restaurant, which sits in the back of the store. In addition, the store sells fine wines and cheeses, with some good beer thrown in for good measure. Occasional jazz concerts round out the business's unique, local flavor.

The atmosphere at the Cushman Market and Cafe is casual, with board games available for patrons, approximately 32 seats, a small coffee bar, and a menu that includes standard deli sandwiches, local pastries, espresso-based drinks, and a breakfast menu for patrons on the go.

On a recent trip for lunch, the grilled cheese sandwich was a hearty white cheddar on grilled sourdough bread. The bread was crunchy and the perfect temperature, with the cheese a sharp distinction. The sandwich arrived with chips and a healthy deli pickle; the service was excellent. Patrons order at the counter and pick up there as well, so table service is virtually non-existent, although staff will hunt down patrons absorbed in newspapers or laptops (the cafe has free WiFi). The double soy latte was good but not great; the espresso was a bit burnt, and the soy milk was bubbly but not the thick foam experienced barristas can coax from a stubborn soy milk.

A standard meal plus drink at the Cushman Market and Cafe will run anywhere from $5-9, but the portion sizes are large, and patrons can easily take home 1/3 of a meal for later. Cushman Market and Cafe is a family-friendly surprise nestled in a quiet, quaint area of Amherst, and fills a vital role in that area's economy, serving the small area of Cushman once more, as it did 111 years before.