Four Story Hil Farm

by Chris Baggetta, Head Sommelier

Four Story Hill Farm, located in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, is owned by the husband-and-wife team of Sylvia and Steve Pryzant. They moved to Pennsylvania from New York, where Sylvia worked for a nonprofit and Steve worked in food services for a nursing home. Today, New York chefs know them as purveyors of fine animals like milk–fed chickens and English Berkshire apple–fed baby pigs.
In 2008, they invited the staff of Eleven Madison Park to their farm to see firsthand where the products we prepare and serve come from. It had been about a year since my last visit, so I reached out to Sylvia to chat about what was happening at Four Story Hill Farm.

Chris: Sylvia, tell me the history of Four Story Hill. In the case of your farm, which came first, the chickens or the eggs?
Sylvia: Neither! Four Story Hill Farm was originally a veal farm. Then in 1997, there was a fire, and the barn where we had the veal calves collapsed. Consequently, we were out of a barn and out of veal, and that was all we did at the time. It was devastating. We diversified after this time, so as not to put all our eggs in one basket.

Chris: In one basket, no—but maybe in one coop?
Sylvia: Exactly. We started by building a small wooden chicken coop, about nine-by-seven feet. We had only about 25 chickens at that time. Our first customer was Chef Tom Colicchio, and then Chef Daniel Boulud. That is how it originated, little by little since 1997. For over 12 years, we have slowly been gaining companies and diversifying our products, although we have remained a small operation with only two other full-time employees and one part-time driver.

Chris: Tell me a bit more about the chickens themselves. What types of birds do you raise?
Sylvia: All types. We have capons, poussins, milk-fed poularde, and even free-range, grass-fed poularde, weather permitting. In terms of the breeds, we have Kosher King, which is a signature bird and a favorite for Asian cooking because it is nice and fatty and slow to grow. We raise Cornish chicken, which is a milk-fed, fast-growing bird. The Red-Meat Maker is also very lovely, fed on a combination of grass and corn, and is another slow-growing bird. When a bird is slow to grow, there is more flavor. They are great for chicken soup.

Chris: Chef Daniel Humm has featured your products on his menu for years. Where else are New Yorkers able to enjoy items from your farm?
Sylvia: We have worked with Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern for a long time; also with Per Se, Daniel, and Craft. But most of our business is actually outside of New York, throughout the country. New York is a tough market. Even with a good name and a good reputation, there is so much competition. But our product is a high-end product, and we are very proud of it.

Chris: So what is your secret to compete with the bigger meat purveyors? What can you offer that they are not able to?
Sylvia: Custom products are very hard to produce. When we were thinking that we couldn’t compete with the big guys, we decided to market our products based on the needs of our customers, like Chef Daniel Humm, who also have demanding customers. This is why we are able to have the chefs come to the farm and select the animals, if they wish. This is why we custom slaughter. But we cannot do things of this nature on a large scale. We remain small, but with good planning and good organization. We are very fortunate to have a core of customers who are very loyal to us and who, even if they cut back, still buy from us. And this is because we always stick by our principles, we never look to produce a cheaper product, and we have proper management of the farm. We were always very careful in our finances and reinvesting into the farm.

Chris: Can you explain a bit more about your principles and your philosophy about raising the chickens?
Sylvia: If I am going to put food on your table, it will be the same food that I put on my own table. I never want to cheat the customer, and that is something I feel strongly about. I want to show quality for the money they choose to spend with me. I am grateful when chefs choose to work with me, and I want them to feel that they get their money’s worth. This is a simple principle, but one that is not always adhered to. I want to ensure that my clients always feel confident about the product they receive from us.

A Delectable Dozen

Daniel Dirth, Captain and Bartender
Using an egg to crack the code of a restaurant is not uncommon and has historically stood as a quality marker in our industry. The pleats in a chef’s toque are believed to represent the number of ways a professional should be able to prepare an egg.
In the 1950s, Chef Fernand Point of La Pyramide in Vienne, France, would put fellow three-star Michelin chefs on the spot and have them prove their culinary mastery by frying an egg. Even the famed gastronome James Beard recalls, “There are few things as magnificent as scrambled eggs, pure and simple, perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned.” The care that goes into cooking our eggs at Eleven Madison Park would make these chefs proud, but just as special as their preparation is their source.
Chef Daniel Humm features Knoll Krest Farm eggs, continuing the more than 20-year relationship that Danny Meyer started at his first restaurant, Union Square Cafe. Located in the heart of the Hudson Valley, in Clinton Corners, New York, the farm has been a regular at the Union Square Greenmarket for nearly 25 years. In the farm’s infancy, the Messerich family patriarch declared, “I will never put a bird in a cage.” Thus was born the farm’s 60-year commitment to its flock and customers.
Seeing the farm today is a window into the past, as the chicken coops are some of the oldest remaining upstate. They boast beautiful stone foundations, where chickens roam free–reminiscent of old farms in Tuscany or Provence. The family raises Rhode Island Reds, which produce fewer eggs than commercial breeds. What they lack in quantity is made up for in quality. Their firm egg whites and sturdy, bright yolks are the result of a vegetarian diet free of hormones and antibiotics. The eggs arrive at our doorstep within three days of being laid, continuing the family’s original practice of door-todoor delivery.
The painstaking care and practices of Bob and Alice Messerich produce eggs that are the foundation for Chef Humm’s menu. Diners might not realize that the humble egg can be found throughout the entirety of their meal. Featured as an appetizer, used in many sauces, sabayons, and even cocktails, diners experience Knoll Krest Farm eggs from the first gougère to the last macaron.
Bob and Alice, now in their 80s, have joined forces with Elizabeth Ryan of Breezy Hill Orchard. This union ensures the family’s farming legacy will be preserved well into the future, maintaining their roots and presence at the Greenmarket. After knowingly and unknowingly sampling Knoll Krest eggs at Eleven Madison Park, we hope that you grow to admire, respect, and appreciate Knoll Krest and their product as we do. And the best part is that you can bring a Knoll Krest delectable dozen into your own home, sharing with your friends and family the magic of a perfect egg.