image description
Partners Anandkumar Singh, Kevin Orozco and Sonu Rahman say patrons will find the best food and a family atmosphere at The Station in Lee.

The Station in Lee Fuses New Flavors With Iconic Restaurant

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

The former train station has been renovated since November and has a similar atmosphere to when it was Sullivan Station for more than three decades.
LEE, Mass. — The proprietors of the popular Charlie's Bistro Bus food truck have opened a new restaurant in the old train station.
 
Appropriately called "The Station," Anandkumar Singh and Kevin Orozco, and a third partner, Sonu Rahman, opened the gastropub in late February. 
 
Singh said he wants people to feel like family at The Station while they're served good food with the best ingredients and best service.
 
"The whole goal is about holding the community together with food connections," he said. 
 
The fusion menu offers a range of global dishes along with American favorites for lunch, dinner and "last call." 
 
The partners want offer fare that they didn't see much of in the Berkshires, a concept that had fueled their food truck's menu.
 
"I feel like that's what transitioned all the way over to The Station," Orozco said. "We're making this food, this is what we want to see everywhere — we really don't see it."
 
Singh said they source most of their food locally. One of the most popular dishes is a whole branzino, or sea bass, with caper sauce, tomatoes, potatoes and sweet peas. Their pasta dishes, like truffle ravioli, are made in house.
 
Prices range for entrees, small plates and salad bowls because the partners wanted to ensure affordable options.
 
"The whole thing is to have the experience, like sitting in this kind of atmosphere, but not to worry about paying too much money, but you can still have the experience with good food," Singh said.
 
In addition to Charlie's, Singh and Orozco also operate Berkshire Cone. 
 
The Station is located in a former train station at 109 Railroad St. built in 1893. The building was made a historical site in 2010.
 
Sullivan Station operated there for more than 30 years until closing in 2017. It had also housed Lucia's Kitchen and most recently Mexican restaurant Antojitos Oaxaca, which closed more than a year ago. 
 
The building was procured last November and partners started renovations, bringing it back to look more like the old Sullivan Station.  
 
"The Sullivans, they definitely had a dream and like we are just here to keep carrying on that dream for them and improving it in our own way," said general manager Sarah Kostue.
 
The property also has the caboose which will be for entertainment and private events.
 
The Station's grand opening was last week. Regular hours are 5 to 10 Thursday through Tuesday; closed Wednesday. Lunch service is Friday through Sunday from 11 to 3. There are plans to extend late hours and lunch service in the future. 
 
More information here or by calling 413-394-4004.

Tags: new business,   restaurants,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories