Carol Clark

This interview was conducted by Lucy Segar at Carole Clark’s house in Livingston, NY on June 15th, 2015. Clark grew up in the Bronx, and moved to the Berkshires in the 80s, where she opened a restaurant, take out business, catering an canoe trip business. She later opened a restaurant, Charleston, in Hudson, NY on the 500 Block, which she ran for 19 years. In this interview she discusses what it was like to open an up-scale, early “farm to table" restaurant in Hudson, what Hudson (and Columbia County) was like at the time, and how it has changed. She talks about her artistic practice, love of nature, food, and foraging.

She also speaks about being a female business owner, a female chef and manager. She talks at length about community, education, economic revitalization and development. She discusses buying, historically restoring and starting programs at the Hudson Opera House with a group of other artists, her role in the origins of Hudson’s Winter Walk, and building a community garden and cooking program at The Hudson Opera House. Clark remembers the group of people with whom she worked on community projects and political engagement.  She describes the political and social climate of Hudson in the 80s, 90s and today. She also addresses issues of race, class and invisibility in Hudson. Towards the end of the interview she talks about her life now that she lives outside of Hudson in Livingston, her role as a grandmother and her love of her grandchildren.

This interview might be of interest to people who want to learn about Hudson in the 80s, 90s, and today, community change, and urban development, The Hudson Opera House and its programming, community gardens, education, food and food justice, cooking, restaurants in Hudson, politics in the Hudson area.