Bimi’s Story
About
Bimi’s Cheese Shop has been an anchor in the charming village of Chatham since 2014. Now, nearly ten years later, owners Christopher Landy and Ellen Waggett have expanded and are offering customers a place to gather, relax and share a meal or a pint at Bimi’s Canteen and Bar.
Our Team
CHRISTOPHER LANDY AND ELLEN WAGGETT
Co-Owners and Founders
Ellen and Chris are the unlikely founders of Bimi’s Cheese Shop, Canteen and Bar. Theatrical designers by training, the couple designs major television shows and events through their company Vibrant Design. They have raised their two children shuttling between Brooklyn and Columbia County, and have called Austerlitz their home for 18 years. They are robustly committed to both preserving and revitalizing Columbia County through hard work and thoughtful investment in the area. They take on projects others wouldn’t dream of, but their confidence in their on tenacity and creativity have a proven track record of success.
Ellen is currently the production designer of The Amber Ruffin Show and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Her credits include numerous shows for Food Network- most notably Chopped. She designed Colbert’s Christmas Special (for which she was nominated for an Emmy), sitcoms Whoopi, Hope and Faith, and Sherri, and spent years as the art director for movies, sitcoms, and episodic television shows.
Chris is an Emmy award winning lighting designer whose credits and clients include Oprah Winfrey, The Tonight Show, John Oliver, Comedy Central, Food Network, Netflix, and MTV.
Meet the team
We are a team that is passionate about the Hudson Valley and about creating a welcoming restaurant that celebrates the wonderful food produced thoughtfully and ethically in our region.
JESSE CURTIN
Executive Chef
Jesse hails from Hudson. As a child of two chefs, he grew up in professional kitchens and has spent two decades cooking his way across the United States, studying regional cooking styles firsthand. Jesse has had extended stays in San Francisco, Portland, Tucson, and Savannah. He brings a deep respect for food and a mission to create a new, friendly and inclusive kitchen culture.He approaches his menu with equal reverence for both the culinary and agricultural elements in the kitchen. His zen-like focus serves him well, as there is no ego at play- just a dedication to exciting dishes made with the freshest local ingredients.We are thrilled to have this nomad land back home to launch Bimi’s Canteen with us and to offer his sophisticated taste palette to our guests.
ANDREY MATSEYEV
Beverage Director/ Master Bartender
Russian-born Andrey Matseyev immigrated to the US in the late 90’s, and doveimmediately into hospitality. In 2016, he was hired to bartend at NYC’s highly esteemed Restaurant Daniel alongside head bartender Marcie Andersen and chef Daniel Boulud.
With Covid layoffs at the restaurant in 2020, Andrey was given the opportunity to head up the bar program at the Cafe Boulud at the Blantyre Hotel in Lenox, Massachusetts. He fell in love with the Berkshires and its people and in 2021 he and his wife decided to make it their home. Since then, he has been involved with several projects including bar design and the development of a full beverage program for Winbrooke, an events venue mansion in Tyringham, Massachusetts.
CLAIRE RAPOSO
Pastry Chef
Before pastry chef Claire Raposo graduated at top of her class from Le Cordon Bleu Paris (at 19 years old!), she worked in Bimi’s Cheese Shop. In addition to creating beautiful pastries that combine her classic training and youthful creativity for Bimi’s Canteen, Claire also owns and operates The Lost Lamb Patisserie in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts.