Beth Daidone

Executive Chef/Owner

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY Beth graduated from Vassar College in 1984. After a brief stint as a graduate student in Environmental Biology at Yale, she took a leave of absence and returned to London, where she had spent her junior year abroad. There she fell into a part-time restaurant job and discovered her passion for food and cooking. Her career as a chef developed as she worked in a number of restaurants in London and Glasgow over a fourteen year period, including The Ivy in central London, for Charles Fontaine at the Quality Chop House, and at Anna’s Place, an established Swedish restaurant where she held her first head chef position.

In the late nineties she returned to Woodstock, NY where her family has always had a weekend home. She worked at the Blue Mountain Bistro and then spent a year in Seattle helping friends with their Sicilian restaurant. Beth moved to Millbrook in 2000 and worked briefly for a local catering company. In 2001 she began working at the Tinhorn, later becoming Executive Chef. One year later she joined with Buffy Arbogast to form Babette’s Kitchen, LLC, launching a new catering and prepared food service at the Millbrook Farmers Market using the kitchen at the Hudson Valley Foodworks in Poughkeepsie, New York. In April 2006 Beth and Buffy opened their gourmet market and coffee shop on Franklin Ave in Millbrook.

Beth is a member of Slow Food USA.

Buffy Arbogast

Manager/Owner

A native of Victoria, Texas, Buffy Arbogast graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree from The Culinary Institute of America. She was selected by her peers to deliver the address on behalf of her class at commencement.

After graduation she served as the culinary demonstrator for the Admissions Department. In this role, Buffy was responsible for culinary demonstrations, both at the CIA’s Hyde Park, NY campus and at off-campus locations. She also organized and oversaw the college’s Career Discovery programs for High School students.

Buffy’s professional experience includes serving as front-of-the-house manager at Tinhorn Restaurant in Millbrook, NY and as a private chef in Rhinebeck, NY while attending the CIA. She has also worked with the Fairmont Hotels in Scottsdale, AZ and owned her own catering company before attending the CIA.

In April 2006, Buffy joined with Beth Daidone to open Babette’s Kitchen, a gourmet market and coffee shop in Millbrook, New York.

Buffy Arbogast is a member of Slow Food USA.

Vicki Pozza

Pastry Chef

Victoria (Vickie) grew up in a small town on the northshore of Long Island, N.Y. called Northport. Since she was young she always gravitated to assisting her family with baking and cooking. From that time she automatically knew she would pursue her dream in the culinary trade. While attending her high school years she worked at several bakeries and area restaurants and clubs.

Upon graduation from high school, Victoria attended The Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.) in Hyde Park, N.Y. in 1987. Victoria graduated at the end of 1988 from the C.I.A. and returned to Long Island. Shortly after she was employed as an assistant chef at a very well known 5 star, family owned Northern Italian restaurant in Glen Cove, N.Y. called Zanghi's. Victoria worked under the Chef-owner for a couple of years which she prepared fresh pasta, fresh vegetables dishes, and meat dishes every day.

Loving the Hudson Valley, Victoria followed her dreams and moved back to the area in 1991. In 1996 she was employed at Calico's Restaurant and Patisserie in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Victoria trained under co-owner Leslie Balassone for 3 years. Learning much more about baking, pastry, and sugar work.

In 1999 Victoria was hired as a Pastry Chef at Allyn's Restaurant in Millbrook, New York. This job allowed Victoria to design daily dessert specials, prepare occasion cakes and wedding cakes, bread preparation, breakfast breads, cookies, and petit fours. While employed at Allyn's Restaurant, Victoria also assisted in their private cooking classes, teaching 8 to 12 guests how to prepare different desserts and also she assisted in banquet events of 120 or more.

In 2006 Victoria decided to return to a culinary corporate company. She was hired by Panera Bread Company to work as a part-time baker and catering assistant.

After several years Victoria discovered she missed showing her creativity side and pastry talents, so she ventured to find this at Babette’s Kitchen in Millbrook, N.Y. as of July 2011.