about us
Our story
Inspired by our life in the Catskills— mornings on the front porch, days in the garden, nights around the table—we started hosting pop-up dinners and events in the area. These gatherings led us to dream of a permanent home we could make ours, one where we could continually welcome guests and share our love for upstate living with a focus on food and community. Our Kingston brick-and-mortar studio is the evolution of that dream, a space that embodies the spirit, passion and creativity that surrounds us daily.
At the Upstate Table we are dedicated to nurturing a love for cooking, gathering, and entertaining. We aim to elevate every day living by savoring the small things, from simple breakfasts to seasonal pleasures.
We want to highlight special days too, by sharing the festive energy that permeates the house during holidays, birthdays, and other milestone events.
Our meals at The Upstate Table are made with the same love and care we take when feeding our own families. We are greatly inspired by local farms and what we find at the weekly outdoor markets, allowing the seasons to dictate our menus. We wait with anticipation for spring's first strawberries and are grateful for watermelon radishes that store well into winter—and therefore, by default, our meals are almost always vegetable forward.
Inspired by the nature that surrounds us, we strive for an unfussy modern sensibility. We value what's old and always look to incorporate what's new, whether it's food, design or ideas.
At the Upstate Table we’re here to learn, create, and do good things, but really, we want to have fun along the way. We hope you will join us and share in the experience.
who we are
Rebecca Miller Ffrench, Founder
A cookbook author, recipe developer, cooking instructor, and events planner, Rebecca is the creative force behind the Upstate Table. She has a deep passion for connecting people—to information, food, ideas, and each other.
A resident of the Catskills for over 20 years, Rebecca has
dreamt of a place Upstate where should could bring people together. The Upstate Table is a culmination of Rebecca’s 22 years of experience at stellar companies like Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Conde Nast, with a particular focus in food and marketing.
She studied culinary nutrition at The Natural Gourmet Institute (now a part of the Institute for Culinary Education), has taught in top cooking schools, contributes to national publications, and has appeared on national television shows like Good Morning America and NBC’s Emmy award-winning Naturally Danny Seo. She has written and co-/ghost written eight cookbooks, including the most recent, The Complete Vegan (Clarkson Potter, 2019).
From lingering meals and endless taste tests to family travel and local hikes together, Rebecca's husband and two daughters have always been her greatest source of inspiration.
Fríða Kristinsdóttir
A chef and food stylist, Friða is from Iceland where as a child she loved to be in the kitchen, cooking up meals from cuisines of countries near and far. She went on to become a flight attendant where she traveled the world and enjoyed eating different foods along the way. Life brought her to New York City where she trained to be a chef at the Natural Gourmet Institute (now a part of
the Institute for Culinary Education) and then to the Hudson Valley where she cooked at Gaskins in Germantown among other Upstate venues. She is also the master baker behind the sublime sourdough pretzels sold at The Kingston Standard.
Friða is passionate about getting her own daughter and other children excited about cooking and tasting new foods. She believes that while a meal is about nourishment, it is just as much about community, creativity, and learning about the world we live in.
she/her
Camilla Ffrench
she/her
A baker, photographer, and graphic designer, Camilla is a founding creative force behind the Upstate Table. She’s been baking with Rebecca, her mom, since she could hold a whisk and sold her first cake when she was 13 years old.
With a passion for art and food, Camilla loves decorating cakes
and other baked goods—whether it’s hand-painted rainbow trout cookies or a meticulously-piped cake. Her graphic design and photography skills have also lended a hand to the creation of the Upstate Table brand.
For several years, Camilla was also the creative director of the band LAUNDRY DAY. She now attends Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she continues to explore her creative side while studying maths and philosophy.
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OUR PARTNERS
We are proud to use Viking appliances in our culinary studio. Viking originated the professional-grade range for the home kitchen and their industry-leading innovations in appliances have set the standard for the modern luxury kitchen. Viking delivers professional performance and stunning design, including a range of custom colors. We chose Cast Black and love it. Viking is, in our opinion, the gold standard for a home kitchen.
We have partnered with our good friend, Danny Seo, founder and CEO of Danny Seo Media Ventures, a multimedia
lifestyle company that marries style and sustainability across a host of media and merchandising products, including Wilsonart, a world leading engineered surfaces company. We feature "material mixology" in our kitchen: Madeira Beach Quartz, Sterling Calcutta Thinscape, and Graphite Nebula chalkboard laminate.