Our Dining Philosophy

At The Old Tavern at Grafton we feature "Inspired American Cuisine." Head Chef David Smith and his staff strive to provide cuisine that explodes with flavor. It can be either bold or subtle, but is always logical, simple, clean and elegant.  We strive to include as many local items on our menu as possible.

Our service staff is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They are eager to explain ingredients, methods and sources of ingredients. We invite you to come and explore our cuisine with us.

Visit our Dining Events page.

A Kitchen Garden Grows

The Grafton Village Nursery, in conjunction with the inn's Noralee Hall, plants a bountiful kitchen garden on the premises of the Café with the aim to supply all kinds of fresh, organic produce to The Old Tavern. The growing plot is, as Noralee remarks, “pretty as well as practical,” boasting an impressive roster of vegetables such as heirloom tomatoes, summer squash and zucchini, purple beans, French beans, celeriac, kale, radicchio, hot and sweet peppers, heirloom beets, winter squash, herbs, and neighboring Wardsboro's unique Vermont turnip, the “gilfeather.” All of these vegetables are grown organically and closely interplanted between rows and up trellis' to allow for maximum use of space. Though the garden is not large enough to handle all of The Old Tavern’s vegetable needs, it is able to offer delicious diversity and flexibility to the restaurant’s menu; the home-grown produce is often a key feature of The Old Tavern’s Localvore Nights, a dining series which features an all-local, almost always organic menu. The garden is also a spot for education, as each vegetable or plant is marked for visitors with a laminated name card. Clearly, the efforts of the collective team to help provide sustainability and flavor to The Old Tavern and the town of Grafton itself are as laudable as they are delicious.  

Vermont Fresh Network

We are a proud member of the Vermont Fresh Network, which is a farmer-chef partnership program started by the New England Culinary Institute. We are also a member of Chef's Collaborative, which supports local, artisanal and sustainable cuisine. The Chef's Collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community who promote sustainable cuisine by partnering with local farmers, producers and fishermen; finding the best artisanal products; and respecting local economies, traditions and habitats. 

Featured Local Vermont Partners, Farmers and Artisans

Grafton Village Cheese, Grafton

Blythedale Farm Cheeses, Cookeville
Boyden Farms, Cambridge
Cabot Creamery, Cabot
Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Waterbury Center
Dutton Farms, Newfane
Evans Maple Farm, E. Dummerston
Harlow's Farm, Putney
LedgEnd Farms, Middlebury
Dwight Miller Farm, Dummerston
Misty Knoll Chicken, New Haven
Old Athens Farm, Putney
PT Farms, St. Johnsbury
Shuttleworth Farm, Westfield
Taylor Hill Farm, Londonderry
Thomas Dairy, Rutland
Vermont Fresh Pasta, Proctorsville
Vermont Shepherd Cheeses, Putney
Vermont Country Farm, South Burlington
Walker Farm, Dummerston
Bob Wright Maple, Grafton