American Flatbread celebrates 40 years with community party
American Flatbread hosted a 40th anniversary party for the community on August 14 featuring food, fun, music and more. It followed a Valley Reporter interview with American Flatbread founders George and Girl George Schenk. The Schenks shared the history and trajectory of how the business grew from once a week at Tucker Hill Lodge in Fayston to twice a week, to weekends at Lareau Farm and more. The business developed into a frozen flatbread operation that ran in tandem with its restaurant business, franchises were developed and sold. Throughout it, as the business expanded and contracted and became what it is today, the Schenks kept their focus local, they kept their eye on their own values and they created one of The Valley’s most well-known attractions.
Over the years and through various iterations, they’ve instituted and maintained programs that give back to the community and feed hungry and sick kids in hospitals. They partnered with local schools, baking pizzas and featuring student artwork on their walls. They’ve pioneered using local and organic ingredients, forging relationships and connections with local farmers and providers, and moving increasingly into their own farming and gardening.
When they exited the frozen and franchising, that freed up energy to reinvest locally. That led to more gardening, farming, and a lifestyle focused on community. American Flatbread regularly hosts community events, holds community benefit bakes, hosts community art shows, Christmas tree sales, a free produce kiosk and more. Weddings are part of the business and are often booked out a year in advance. Local hikers and bikers access recreational trails from the Lareau Farm and Forest.
August 14 , 2025
Waitsfield prepares RFP for new town garage design
In August Waitsfield issued a formal request for proposals (RFP) for plans to replace its highway garage on Tremblay Road, seeking conceptual design and cost estimating services. The draft RFP sought qualified firms or individuals to provide early-stage design services for a new town garage, including a professional conceptual layout and a preliminary construction cost estimate. The existing facility at 761 Tremblay Road is aging and lacks many modern features, and the town has been aware of the need to address the town garage since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A preliminary sketch of a potential building layout envisions a steel-frame garage measuring approximately 146 by 60 feet – or about 8,760 square feet in total. The concept includes eight front-facing equipment bays, a side wash bay, interior storage for equipment, and space for a shop, office, and breakroom. The proposed structure will include heated slab flooring, foam insulation, and a new septic system. The site is currently served by municipal water.
The RFP represents the first formal step in moving toward a new garage. Current thinking is conceptual, to a degree, but is expected to help advance the work.
August 21 , 2025
Mad River Valley selected as partner community for the nonprofit Bee
The Mad River Valley was selected as a pilot community for Bee, a new nonprofit Vermont-focused app that helps people to connect through volunteerism for local actions, causes and events. The Valley’s culture of volunteerism with an existing network of organizations and a strong history of collaboration made The Valley a perfect location for this partnership, explained Eric Friedman, executive director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
To celebrate the partnership, the chamber, the Mad River Valley Rotary, Marci Lutsky and Bee announced plans to host “We Are MRV,” a community festival, block party, and part volunteer fair over September 19-21.
“Bee’s team chose the Mad River Valley because of unique mix of tradition and innovation. Organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary, and the MRV Planning District lean into new solutions and partnerships that have the potential to advance community at large. These regional organizations play an instrumental role in both imagining what the future could look like for their community and leading them there,” Friedman said.
August 21, 2025
Yestermorrow conserves key four-acre parcel in Warren for community use
A four-acre parcel at the corner of East Warren Road and Roxbury Mountain Road is being conserved by the Yestermorrow Design/Build School and a coalition of local conservationists, in what organizers are calling the “Four Corners Project.”
The land, owned by John and Yasmin Landy, is being transferred to Yestermorrow through a “bargain sale,” where the Landys are selling the property for less than its appraised value – over $400,000 – to support the nonprofit’s mission. Yestermorrow is purchasing the land for $290,000, with over $318,000 pledged by donors to cover the sale and initial operating costs.
The land is currently zoned as “rural residential,” with much of it falling under the town’s “meadowland overlay.” Under the town’s updated zoning rules, subdivision is no longer allowed on parcels under five acres in either the rural or residential zone. The parcel will be in the rural zone under the town’s new land use and development regulations. While development isn’t prohibited, any potential projects would be subject to additional review due to the meadowland designation.
Yestermorrow leaders say no final decisions have been made on future uses of the land, but ideas floated include small-scale retail, moderate-cost housing, land conservation, and community event space. One informal idea includes potential coordination with the East Warren Community Market, should the right kind of building be constructed.
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