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The Camper is Parked, but the Goods are To Go

The Camper is Parked, but the Goods are To Go July 5, 2023
Photo of Kristan Keck, left, and Paty Boccato, right, dispensing to-go orders through the former windshield of a vintage camper.
Kristan Keck, left, and Paty Boccato, right, dispensing to-go orders through the former windshield of a vintage camper.

Fortunately for Bolton Landing, an architect’s refurbished camper intended for the hippest trailer park in the Hudson Valley never made it to its destination and is now parked behind The Gem restaurant, where it does double-duty as a take-out counter and retail outlet.

Gem co-owners Kristan Keck and Kirby Farmer use a similar-styled camper as an outdoor bar at their hotel and restaurant in Hudson, NewYork, William Farmer and Sons.

As soon as Kristan saw the camper, she knew it was something she had to “take to lake George,” she told us at its unveiling on June 23.

She and her co-owners – husband Kirby, friends Paty and Richard Bocatto – did not know what, precisely, its ultimate purpose would be, but they did know “it was the right fit for us; it had the right vibe,” said Kirsten.

Serendipty, however, played a role in determining its function.

“We were driving from the Sagamore into town and we saw the windshield of the camper in its place in the driveway and I thought, ‘that’s the perfect to-go window,’” Kristan said.

Boaters and others who order take-out from The Gem can now pick their purchases up from the Camper.

In New York State, cocktails-to-go are also allowed by law, so customers can pick up an Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour or Manhattan, for which the Gem enjoys not just an intramural fame around Lake George, but throughout the world of craft cocktails.

The unveiling of the camper was also the Gem’s first anniversary, which the Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce celebrated with the Gem’s staff, friends and customers.

The Boccatos and the Farmers, equally renowned and frequently profiled in food, design and lifestyle magazines, purchased the former Sagamore Pub in 2020.

After two years of work, the restaurant opened in 2022 as a smokehouse and craft cocktail bar, winning raves from food and drinks critics and winning a loyal, local following. For information, visit thelittlegem.com.

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