The name itself is intriguing. Chef-owners Colleen Hunt and Shawn Hyer bring a wealth of experience to Bramble, a name chosen to symbolize deep, established roots. These small-town kids returned to their roots in Vermont to bring us fresh, interesting, and simply delicious food. Colleen grew up at her family’s country inn in Dover, and Shawn, who grew up in central New York, spent considerable time here with his family. The name seemed to fit.
Colleen and Shawn both worked with some of the finest chefs in San Francisco, Napa, and Sonoma, California; Park City, Utah; and Vermont. Apprenticing with well-known, talented chefs who saw something in each of them provided opportunities to learn and grow early in their careers for which they have deep gratitude.
Simplicity is key here: four, five, or six ingredients treated with respect and plucked at their prime. Shawn shares the importance of respecting all the ingredients in each dish that Chef Colleen carefully prepares. “Food is joy,” he says. “Food is our playground.”
Bramble received the prestigious Snail of Approval designation from Slow Food Vermont, which celebrates good, clean, and fair food, a significant reflection of their commitment to sustainability. During the growing season, the team heads out to farms to see the efforts of hard work that goes in to raising food. These trips create a more engaged staff. The menu here is always fluid with dishes selected while fresh and in season and is an attempt to stay within 100 miles of the restaurant. The flats of microgreens year-round allow them to grow in their kitchen window, eliminating packaging and shipping materials.
“When mother nature shows up, we show her off.” This philosophy runs deep here. As soon as spring ramps emerge from the earth, they are on the menu as are seasonal berries, vegetables, and game. The menu reflects what is fresh and in season whether you order from the hearth, the garden, or the larder. Try the impressive selection of wood-fired pizzas from the stately ceramic-tiled oven, always aglow as the centerpiece in the room. Toppings might include roasted fennel, truffle cheddar, purple potatoes, and prosciutto.
Shawn shares the importance of respecting all the ingredients in each dish that Chef Colleen carefully prepares. “Food is joy,” he says. “Food is our playground.”
As spring arrives and early young strawberries start to pop, Chef Colleen prepares her Pickled Green Strawberries and Watercress. She quickly pickles the strawberries and tosses them with watercress, tops them with whipped ricotta on toast, and finishes with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon zest. Hungry for pasta? Order Ramp Pappardelle and Vermont Ham, handmade pasta with wood-roasted ramps, Vermont ham, aged pecorino, and early pea shoots. The spring pea fettuccini with fresh fava beans, English peas, baby summer squash, and pea shoots is a vegetarian’s pleasure. For the more adventurous palate, try octopus roasted with new potatoes, saffron oil, olives, capers, and radishes. Is your mouth watering yet?
This charming expansive space with an old-world provincial vibe has beautiful yellow and blue wall tapestries, large colorful vases of flowers scattered about, and a long shelf of cookbooks. Barnboard walls and beams from a 300-year-old barn offer rustic charm.
Bramble’s ingredients sourced as locally as possible from more than 20 farms and producers are key to the culinary success here. A cocktail menu offers a selection of potions including a signature cocktail, Bramble Cooler, refreshing with hints of preserved bramble berries, fresh lemon, and basil. The house limoncello sits in the dark for six months, a classic Italian liqueur with a Vermont twist—maple syrup of course—and is a perfect finish to your meal.
Try octopus roasted with new potatoes, saffron oil, olives, capers, and radishes. Is your mouth watering yet?
Combining Colleen’s talent as a chef curating interesting flavorful dishes with a Vermont flair and Shawn’s knowledge as a sommelier and his contagious enthusiasm for supporting local farmers, it’s a restaurant to experience.
Come sit on the patio. Come to Wine & Friends, a dining series that showcases a guest chef. Come on a date night. Come celebrate with friends and family at one of the long farmhouse tables. Bramble is a place to gather, to enjoy scrumptious, interesting flavors, unique potions, and conversation amidst rustic elegance.
