NORTH ADAMS -- There's more than just hot dogs and hamburgers on the menu at Windsor Lake this summer.
Pulled pork sandwiches, fish and chip dinners, clam rolls, roasted veggie wraps with hummus and iced mochas are all being served up, alongside the traditional fare at the recently opened Amy's Cafè on the Lake in the public beach pavilion.
"I want to upgrade this place from a typical concession stand to cafè," operator Amy Whi senant said Thursday. "My hope is to get some cool tables put out front and become a destination for not only people coming to Fish Pond, but for the community."
With 30 years of food service experience under her belt, which includes previously owning a catering company and her current position at Bard Col lege at Simon's Rock, Whis enant said she's up for the challenge.
"I used to do events with up to 400 people," she said. "There's going to be some trial and error, but I'm open to suggestions. I had one gentleman, who's a regular already, ask if I had lemonade. I didn't, but I've added a frozen lemonade to my menu."
An almost daily request for fried dough recently prompted her to purchase a floor-model Fryolator -- which is being installed by the city.
"In the meantime, I have a counter-top fryer, so I just began making fried dough. On Fridays, I'll be offering fish and chips, clam rolls and New Eng land clam chowder," Whisen ant said. "I just began offering fried foods
She's also keeping her prices low, with prices ranging from $1.50 for a grilled cheese sandwich to $4 for a roasted veggie and hummus wrap.
"I'm not trying to compete with the restaurants," Whisen ant said. "I want to keep it affordable for the people who come here."
While she would have liked to open the concession stand on Memorial Day, when the lake and campground opened, the Alford resident wasn't able to arrive until June 3. Then, for the next two weeks, with the help of her father, Frank Whis en ant, she scrubbed, painted and fixed up the concession stand -- turning it into her own space.
Whisenant said she jumped at the opportunity to apply for the lease and take over the space, after learning about the opening from her sister, Susan Chilson, co-manager of the Windsor Lake and Historic Valley Campground, earlier this year. The lease was awarded by the Windsor Lake Re creation Board.
"Most of my family is up here," she said. "My sister and her husband are co-managers and my parents recently came up to visit from Florida. It used to take me an hour and 15 minutes to get up here, so I'd only come up for special occasions. Right now, I'm spending the summer at the campground."
Amy's Cafè on the Lake is open Monday, Wednesday, Thurs day and Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 to 8 and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. The Cafè is closed on Tuesdays. Take-out orders are available by calling 413-663-7928 or 413-528-3222.
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