The Buffalo Jump Goes Permanent on the Cape With More Than Tasting Menus

The Buffalo Jump, a Cape Cod pop-up series masterminded by chefs Brandon Baltzley and Laura Higgins-Baltzley, will make a permanent home for itself at Coonamessett Farm in East Falmouth, MA, expanding its scope into the farm’s cafe space and debuting a variety of dining options early next spring.

The pair, both alums of Brookline’s now-closed Ribelle, partnered with the Cape Cod farm in the summer of 2016 to host multi-course dinners highlighting local ingredients and the history of the region. Higgins-Baltzley, a 2016 Eater Young Guns Winner, and Baltzley, the founder of a roaming culinary collective called CRUX, previously established the 41-70 in Woods Hole but quickly departed the operation to launch the Buffalo Jump. (Baltzley also recently spent time as executive chef at Cafe ArtScience in Cambridge, joining the team in January 2017 and departing this summer to focus on family, the Buffalo Jump, and other projects, including foraging for Poplar Foods.)

Now, Baltzley and Higgins-Baltzley have made plans to expand the Buffalo Jump at the farm, which will include two distinct areas: a cafe-bakery and an outdoor kitchen for the dinner service. The pair will take over food operations in the cafe and introduce a menu of affordable breakfast, lunch, and dinner items, bringing the new menu to life with ingredients grown on the farm and sourced from the local producer community.

This expansion from the pop-up’s traditional tasting menu format aims to present family-friendly options made with the same care and concern for sourcing locally and highlighting ingredients native to the region, according to a statement from the duo. They will also bring in baked goods from Peck O’ Dirt Bakery, run by Anne Konner-Higgins, which will include vegan and gluten-free options.

The cafe itself seats 28 and an outdoor pavilion can accommodate more than 100. With more space, the Buffalo Jump can expand its dinner services, keeping the tasting menu in the evenings and growing its capacity from 19 to 40, along with introducing family-style take-out options.

“We are thinking about this as an entire food program, rather than a restaurant. Think Eataly, but local,” Baltzley said in the statement. “I want this project to be fun. Food should be fun, and good food...high quality ingredients, should be accessible to everyone in the community. We can provide that here in addition to the tasting menu at night.”

The to-go dinners could include items like fried chicken with potatoes and wild mushroom lasagna with kale caesar salad. Plus, the outdoor kitchen will afford the Buffalo Jump additional opportunities. “We want to do a rotating street food concept,” Higgins-Baltzley said in the statement. “Cheap eats that taste great and are very quickly prepared.”

Renovations at the farm will run through the fall and winter. The pair aims to open the cafe and bakery on April 1, 2018, with the outdoor kitchen following in June.

• Cape & Islands Round-Up: The Buffalo Jump, Garde East, Down Island [EBOS]
• The Buffalo Jump [Official Site]