A Pop Up Lunch with Chef Maria Lara-Bregatta!

The African Diaspora Foodways Institute of Vermont proudly presents a Pop-Up Lunch with Chef Maria Lara-Bregatta, owner and lead chef of Cafe Mamajuana, from 12 pm - 2 pm on Sunday, October 26, at the Clemmons Farm!

Meet Chef Maria and her team. Learn about her foodways entrepreneur story and culinary heritage, and inspirations.

Chef Maria will be cooking just for you. Enjoy lunch featuring an array of dishes that celebrate the flavors of her Dominican, Caribbean, and Italian culinary heritage, and enjoy socializing in the magical setting of the 1800s Main House.

Today's Menu

• Assorted Empanadas (Choose Bean, Chicken, or Pork)
• Green Plantain Cups stuffed with Picadillo (Ground Beef Mixture) & topped with House-Made Salsa Roja & Garlic Aioli (Gluten-Free. Dairy-Free) or Green Plantain Cups stuffed with Arroz con Gandules & Dominican Stewed Beans, and Salsa de Aguacate (Vegan/Dairy/Gluten Free)

• Persimmon Upside-down Cake w/ Cardamom Cream (vegetarian) or FLAN (gluten-free)

Program

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM: Main House

• Meet Chef Maria and other guests

12:15 - 2 pm

• Sit down with everyone and enjoy a lunch of Cafe Mamajuana favorites.
• Sighs and goodbyes

The African Diaspora Foodways Institute of Vermont is a Clemmons Family Farm pilot initiative in partnership with the University of Vermont. It is funded in part by the Leahy Institute of Rural Partnerships and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Working Lands program.

Learn more about the African Diaspora Foodways Institute of Vermont.

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ABOUT CHEF MARIA

Chef Maria Lara-Bregatta is the vibrant chef-owner and creative force behind Café Mamajuana, where she masterfully blends her Dominican, Italian, and Caribbean heritage into a joyful, culturally rich cuisine. Inspired by growing up in her father’s Dominican restaurant and her mother’s Italian roots, Maria infuses every dish with storytelling, warmth, and a sense of place.

After experimenting with pop-ups starting in 2018—with empanadas, sancocho, and plantains—Chef Maria and a group of local investors launched Café Mamajuana in a community-owned co-op building in late 2019. The shared real-estate ownership model not only preserved the space but fostered a tight-knit, mission-driven community of entrepreneurs.

A new mother during the café’s early days, Chef Maria pushed through with stamina—“scribbling recipe ideas at 2 a.m.”—leading to early acclaim. In 2022, Café Mamajuana was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, a major recognition for a Vermont eatery (Best New Restaurant, 2022). That same year, she pivoted to a catering and pop-up model amidst pandemic pressures, all while nurturing a flourishing homestead garden. Chef Maria has also received Small Business Administration recognition as a standout entrepreneur under 30 for building jobs, bringing cultural cuisine to Vermont, and pioneering a real-estate co-operative model in her community.

Beyond the café, she develops recipes for EatingWell—spanning tropical ceviches to vegetable-focused meals—and is a vibrant presence on social media, sharing moments from her garden, homestead life, motherhood, and behind-the-scenes kitchen stories. Her successes continue. Following the café’s first iteration, Chef Maria announced plans to open a new Café Mamajuana location in Colchester by late 2024—a diner-inspired space that fuses brunch favorites with her signature Dominican-Italian flavor DNA.

Chef Maria’s journey is one of passion, resilience, and joy—rooted in cultural authenticity yet boldly experimental, community-driven, and future-focused.

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TICKETS

Advance registration is required for admission, with one ticket per person. Your name must be on the list. If you have more than one person in your party, you must register the name of each person in order to receive an admission ticket.

MAIN PARKING: 2213 GREENBUSH ROAD, CHARLOTTE VT 05445.

Our greeters and guard service will direct you to the Main House (2158 Greenbush Rd.) located a 2 min. walk on the west side of Greenbush Road (the side where you can see the Adirondack Mountains. Please let us know if you have difficulty walking- we are reserving parking for you right in front of the Main House at 2158 Greenbush Road.

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ADMISSION POLICY

Advance registration is required and your name must be on the registration list in order to be admitted. One ticket per person. If you have more than one person in your party, you'll need to register for each person.

Only 25 attendees will be admitted to enable us to offer quality interactions and a friendly, safe, and low-key community environment. Clemmons Family Farm reserves the right to refuse admission or eject, at our sole discretion, any person behaving dangerously or inappropriately, or for safety, health, or any other reasons.

By attending this Event, You agree that visual/audio recordings of the Event, including your voice and likeness, may be used for any purpose on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity, without any compensation to You.

Clemmons Family Farm shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, cost, or injury that arises from, or in connection with, Your attendance at this Event.

**Note: Please do not explore other venues on the farm that are closed to the public.

No Smoking, No Vaping (e-cigarettes)

The Clemmons farm is a smoke-free, vapor-free environment- both indoors and outdoors.

No Alcohol

No alcoholic beverages are permitted during community arts programs at the Clemmons farm.

No Weapons

The safety and well-being of our visitors, artists, and staff are of the utmost importance. To ensure a safe venue for all, the possession of firearms, fireworks, explosives, incendiary devices, knives, or weapons of any kind is prohibited on the Clemmons farm property and in the farm's facilities, except those carried by law enforcement officers who are on duty. All visitors to the farm, and their belongings, such as bags or purses, are subject to search and enforcement, and anyone found in violation will be asked to secure the weapon inside their vehicle or at home or leave the property immediately.

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FAQs

Health precautions:

1. The program is indoors. If you are ill, not feeling well, have a fever or a cough, please stay home and take care of yourself!
2. Maximum participants: 25

What Should I bring?:

1. A relaxed and curious attitude- this program is fun, low-key, and intriguing!
2. An appetite to enjoy this pop-up meal.

Where do I park?

Parking is located on the lawns right at the entrance of 2213 Greenbush Road- you will see "Event Parking" signs indicating the areas where you can park. You will then cross the road and walk north to the Main House, which is located at 2158 Greenbush Road (Adirondack Mountain side) and is where the meal will be held.

What About Accessibility?

The Main House is a historic building with three steps leading into the entrance. There is no wheelchair access ramp.

Please let us know if you have difficulty walking- we are reserving parking for you right in front of the Main House at 2158 Greenbush Road. Email events@clemmonsfamilyfarm.org or call/text 802-999-6137 if you will need assistance for accessibility parking.

Is it ok to bring Children?

Young children may not enjoy this program and would need to be supervised by an adult at all times. Teenagers and young adults will more likely enjoy this program.

May I Explore Other Parts of the Farm?

This program is an indoor program at the Main House located at 2158 Greenbush Road. Please follow the directions of our staff and greeters who will help direct you to the venue.

Please DO NOT explore other parts of the property without being accompanied by a Clemmons Family Farm team member. The other buildings or outdoor areas of the Farm are off-limits.

Where can I make a Donation?

Please check our webpage here for information on how to donate to the 501c3 nonprofit organization Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. that stewards the historic Clemmons farm. You may also send a donation to Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. through Venmo.

How can I Contact the Organizer with any Questions?

Please contact us if you have any questions about the event. Email events@clemmonsfamilyfarm.org or text/call (802) 999-6137.

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About Clemmons Family Farm: Preserve, Empower, Build

Located in Charlotte near beautiful Lake Champlain, the historic Clemmons farm includes 6 historic buildings (circa late 1700s-1800s) and 138 acres of prime farmland and forests, ponds and streams abundant with wildlife.

The elders Jackson and Lydia Clemmons purchased their beloved historic farm in 1962 for $35,000- an astronomical amount of money for a young African-American couple just starting their careers- under a 30-year mortgage. For 60 consecutive years, they never sold a single acre due to their firm belief in land as an important asset for African-Americans to build equity and legacy.

In 2019, a group of Clemmons family members, friends and advisers co-founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- to preserve and steward the farm under a 20-year lease and to continue the community-building work, farming, and celebration of African-American history, art and culture, that Jack and Lydia led on their farm for nearly 60 years.

In 2023, through a private fundraising campaign, Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. purchased the historic Clemmons farm from the Clemmons elders when they were 100 years old. The Farm was purchased at its appraised fair market value and we conserved 122 acres under a land conservation easement to protect the beautiful land and natural resources, and to build a community around cherishing a remarkable African American legacy.

The African Diaspora Foodways Institute of Vermont's culinary Pop Up Lunch artist-in-residency series is closely tied to Clemmons Family Farm's organizational mission to:

• PRESERVE and maintain the historic Clemmons farm in Charlotte, Vermont as an educational prototype, and a model for preserving African-American owned agricultural land, cultural and heritage assets in the U.S.

• EMPOWER a growing network of Vermont's artists, including those who bear the cultures of the African diaspora, with opportunities for professional development, advocacy, visibility, networking, paid engagements, collective healing, and a safe haven for creativity that helps them to thrive;

• BUILD a loving multicultural community around African-American/African diaspora history, arts and culture.

Please support our work. The kind donations we receive from the general public help us steward the Clemmons Farm and make it available for free phenomenal community programs like this one.