Our series "In Conversation With" follows the lives of creatives and home-owners living their lives to the fullest in Upstate New York.
In 2005, partners Charles Burd and Suvir Saran were living on the 22nd floor of a Manhattan apartment building and pursuing exciting business ventures in the fast-paced world of fine cuisine. Suvir was leading Devi, his Michelin Starred restaurant, and Charles, a former retail and non-profit consultant, was working with Suvir to open a new restaurant in New Delhi. In 2006, much to their own surprise, they embarked on a completely different kind of journey as the owners and cultivators of a nearly 70 acre farm in Washington County, New York.
Charlie credits their decision to seek a change of pace to visits at their friends’ idyllic country homes, a memorable stint working at a close friend’s Vermont cheesemaking farm, and books like Anne Willan’s My Chateau Kitchen, which champions the art of cooking in partnership with the natural rhythms of the seasons, the land, and one’s local community.
After entrenching themselves in the process of finding the perfect country getaway, the pair landed upon the farm that would be their upstate retreat for 13 years. Near the town of Salem, at the border of New York State and Vermont, they found their dream yellow farmhouse that would shortly thereafter be lovingly named the American Masala Farm. After years of hard work the farm ended up with productive livestock, chicken coops, English style floral gardens, an abundant veggie patch, rows of raspberry bushes, mulberry trees, and their beloved apple orchard with all imaginable varietals.
Here, we’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Charlie and Suvir about the tumultuous joys of living upstate.
The first year after making a big move is both thrilling and laborious (if only in the best way). What were the steps that you took to make the farmhouse your own? And, did you find you were able to bring a bit of the deeply-steeped heritage and history of this farm into the 21st century?
The farmhouse had been fully restored and had won a preservation award for that restoration; indeed it is beautiful and we were committed to not altering the look and feel of the home. That said, interior colors were largely updated as were lighting controls and other comforts, but the kitchen space was rather broken up; this was never going to do.
I enlisted the help of Susan Smart, principal at SieMatic, to design with me a kitchen that would fit the feel of the home, add a subtle fresh/modern edge, incorporate intelligent use of space, and be as “green” as possible. What we ended up with is a beautiful, open floor plan that lends itself equally to intimate fireside noshing and chats, wildlife gazing over morning tea, bombastic family meals, or large scale entertaining and fundraisers.
There is no doubt that the kitchen plays an important role in the experience of the Masala Farm. What were some of your favorite elements of this kitchen? Do you hold any specifically fond memories of this part of the home that you would care to share with us?
They often say the kitchen is “the heart of the home” and no truer words can be said of the kitchen in our home. Often kept apart due to our busy careers, friends and family would often note that the only time we saw each other in New York was when we arrived back to make weekend meals for friends - often beginning with Saturday guests for brunch, some of whom would spill over to cocktails and noshing as we prepped for dinner with more friends, then dinner and cocktails, making up a bed or two so that we could start it all over again on Sunday! Our kitchen has always been the place where everyone wants to congregate and watch and be part of the magic, the masala, of the moment.
There are so many fond memories, it would be near impossible to list them all! But the best for me was watching Suvir’s nephew Karun eat and grow; the farm became his “happy place” as it was told to me, and he would spend long weeks and months here - helping on the farm, at summer camp on Lake George, learning to ski at Stratton...
You both have many accomplishments to your names and sustain robust careers. Did incorporating the farm into your life provide you extra sustenance to create and innovate in your career? Did you find that there were unexpected changes that this lifestyle brought to your daily life?
My daily life changed almost immediately. What was to be a gradual move to the farm became almost immediate. Suvir was in the middle of photography for his second book, American Masala, and wanted to shoot part of that at the farm. I moved in and set up the home, and he arrived a few days later with our friend and photographer, Ben Fink, to begin the second round of photography.
One week later it was Thanksgiving with 20 guests in residence, and it barely slowed from then on! My time became mostly devoted to managing the farm and our other homes, helping friends and family, and working with local charities. In truth, we found that this allowed us to see each other and spend time together; otherwise as two OCD workaholics, we were always going in separate directions and barely saw one another.
Suvir relaxed more…at last. Taking time to enjoy the gardens, and to write.
Your charming yellow farmhouse is nestled amidst some of the most beautiful landscapes of Upstate New York. Besides enjoying quality time at home, where would you be spending your time on any given weekend in Salem?
Gardenworks - local farmstand and u-pick blueberry and raspberry business with a gallery space and dried flowers on the second floor, cafe seasonally.
McCartee’s Barn - great local artists and antiques.
Battenkill Creamery - NY #1 Milk, our local dairy of choice!
Lastly, we would love to know what your next adventures will be, whether it is in the kitchen preparing a legendary menu, behind a desk penning a new culinary book, or opening new places of culinary experience around the world. Are there any exciting new plans on the horizon?
I’m reminded of our dear friend Kim Sunee’s calming words of advice to me as I sank my toes into the sand and surf one morning years ago, “…Oh, Charlie, that is the beauty of your life. Today Masala Farm, tomorrow Seaside Masala, or Paris Masala, or India Masala…”
It is the latter that has become our reality. Nearly two years ago while I was finishing a project I’d committed to with Habitat for Humanity, Suvir shifted to his home country of India for some much-needed rest and recovery after a series of mini-strokes. In this time, he healed but also reconnected with India. I shipped the contents of our farm and our doggies off to join Suvir couple of months ago, and now I leave for New Delhi in just a few short days.
Charlie and Suvir put their American Masala Farm on the market this year as they begin their next adventures in India. Nestled in one of the most beautiful parts of Upstate New York, this charming yellow farmhouse and its nearly 70 acres of well-loved land are ready to find their new owners and the farm’s next purpose.
