What’s the hold-up with Amy’s Kitchen?

By Geri Corey
GOSHEN — Developers of a massive warehouse/food production plant in the Town of Goshen first made an appearance about a year ago. But lately, project updates about Amy's Kitchen and visits to the planning board have stopped.

To bring the public up-to-date, Amy’s owners, Andy and Rachel Berliner and spoke at the last town board meeting. As it turns out, the hold-up is actually good news for the company.

“We couldn’t keep up with our orders,” Andy explained. The company started with a potpie, first developed in 1987 in the couple's California kitchen.

The company has since grown to establish plants in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, Calif., Medford, Oregon, and, starting in Dec. 2014, one in Pocatello, Idaho.

It’s the latest facility in Idaho that caused the Goshen project hold-up. But it has offered developers more time for better planning, say the Berliners.

The company is going through “a big growth curb” and hasn’t been able to meet the demand for its products, Andy told the board.

Rachel explained that a recently vacated Heinz Company plant in Pocatello offered a solution for their situation. As the building was a former food-making plant, Amy’s Kitchen was able to move in with its equipment and get into production rather quickly. Additionally, experienced food workers seeking employment were on hand.

Although Amy’s still hasn’t caught up — they’re planning to be by summer — opening the Idaho facility gave them breathing room, and now they’re able to concentrate on Goshen. The Berliners say they are committed to building the Goshen facility.

Amy’s is responsible for upgrading Hartley Road for use during construction. Afterward, it will be an emergency exit. When the plant is operating, an exit off of Route 17M will be for employees and deliveries.

When completed, Amy’s Goshen facility will improve food service to the Eastern part of the United States, as well as to its overseas accounts. Amy’s Kitchen is available in every supermarket in the United Kingdom, and has a strong presence in other European nations.

Andy said they are working with local farms, like Fresh Meadow Farms in Middletown, to acquire organic produce when the plant is up and running. Testing is going on in Cornell University.

And Amy’s is opening its first drive-thru restaurant, in Petaluma, on June 4, Andy said.

“Yes, I still cook for my family, often using our products as part of the meal," said Rachel in an interview after the meeting.

For instance, she’ll use the beans for tacos or tomato sauce when making a pasta dinner.

“We love all of our food and stop and buy it from a local store when we’re traveling," she said.

She said they eat simple meals, including organic salads, sautéed or roasted vegetables, soups, and rice.

The Berliners’ daughter, Amy — the company’s namesake — is planning to get married over the summer on the grounds of their Victorian home, an old dairy farm in Petaluma.

“There’s going to be lots of people, music, dancing,” said Rachel. “I hope the weather will be good.”

“I look at our business as personally feeding all the people who I care about, giving all of them healthy food and, at the same time, making their lives easier," she added.

She reads all of her mail and feels good when people say they like Amy's.

“Ours is a labor of love,” she said.