MAHOPAC, N.Y.—After 15 years of serving breakfast, lunch, and some of the most popular coffee in town, an iconic Mahopac eatery—the Freight House Café—will serve its last customer on Wednesday, April 30.
Proprietor Donna Massaro, whose family owns the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright house on Petra Island on Lake Mahopac, said her landlord planned to increase the rent, making it cost-prohibitive for her to maintain the restaurant.
“The other night I had a meeting with my landlords and they are raising my rent,” Massaro said. "Everything is going up, so I understand why it has to go up too. But I can’t afford it, and the deal I proposed wouldn’t work for them. So, they rejected it. I gave them my 30-day notice. Now I am so heartbroken to say the Freight House will be closing April 23 I have major gratitude that they allowed me to do this for 15 years.”
The centuries-old building that houses the café is one of Mahopac’s most historic structures.
Built in the spring of 1872, the Freight House was the first building constructed for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad branch. The line serviced freight and passengers from Golden's Bridge to Grand Central Terminal for more than 50 years.
Massaro, who was born in Mahopac and living in Tahoe, Nevada, where she worked at a café, was called home due to a family tragedy.
“I was back in Mahopac trying to figure out what to do with my life when this place kind of fell into my lap,” Massaro recalled.
She said she had no big vision for the café—what it eventually became happened gradually and organically.
“I thought it would turn into a gathering spot for the highway department where I would sell them coffee, but that is not what happened,” she said.
Massaro did the renovations herself, converting what was being used as storage space for Putnam Music Center into the funky little café it eventually became.
“It was just four walls and a ceiling,” she said. “We did it all.”
She said the Freight House’s reputation grew not just because of its coffee but also because of the building’s historic significance.
“So many people would come in and tell us they remember what this used to be,” Massaro said. “They would bring in gifts to hang on the walls—things like railroad artifacts. It became like a little museum with great coffee.”
Massaro said her menu was inspired by eating in other restaurants.
“I thought, I can create this, and that’s what I did,” she said. “And I created sandwiches like we served at the café in Tahoe, and I put a little flair on them.
“I can’t believe how fast it went by. I am so proud of myself and the community, as they made it their place,” she added.
The Freight House eventually became more than a coffeehouse and restaurant. It filled a void in the community by becoming the location for myriad fundraising events, the Coffee With a Cop program, and live music.
“There was a gaping hole and I helped fill it, and here it is again,” she said. “This has been a big staple in the community, and this breaks my heart. I’ve been crying for two days. But it’s been 15 years, and it’s time.”
On social media, fans of the café expressed their sadness over its demise.
“The Freight House gave [our] extended family our first home, for which we are forever grateful. Profound love and gratitude to Donna for her gracious and generous heart,” wrote Laurie Cameron on Facebook.
“I am so heartsick over this,” added Kelly Vardakas. “There is nowhere else in the world [that does] what you do at the Freight House.”
Massaro said plans for a new chapter in her life are already taking shape.
“My short-term plan is I am going to dive into Petra Island tours. I am going to captain the boat and enjoy my summer,” she told Mahopac News. “And I am going to possibly do the Farmers Market on Sundays where I can sell my coffee and my chai [tea] and my banana bread and ease my way out. I don’t want to just close the doors and disappear. I want to see you all and talk with you all and say goodbye in person.”
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