Toasted Pecan restaurant closes after a year Clear River Tavern will be back May 31

By Katy Savage

The Toasted Pecan restaurant in Pittsfield closed last month after just over a year since it opened.

A March 27 post on the restaurant’s Facebook page announced it would close on March 30.

“The why is difficult and we have struggled with what to say exactly — so we will leave it with — we wish you ALL the best,” the post read.  The Facebook page and website has since been deleted. Attempts to reach the owners weren’t successful.

Husband and wife team Joseph Hofmann and his wife, Blair, opened their southern-inspired eatery, in December 2023, in the building of the former Clear River Tavern.

The menu featured Southern dishes with a New England twist and included items like jellies, jams and maple syrup, along with apple butter grilled cheese and shrimp and grits.

Some people on the Killington Locals Facebook group praised the restaurant’s service and food, but scoffed at the high prices. Some said they missed the former Clear River Tavern. Another person wondered how long the restaurant would last given its challenging location.   

This was the Hoffmanns’ first time opening a restaurant, they said in a former interview with the Mountain Times. They combined Joseph’s long history of working in restaurants and Blair’s background in event management after they moved to Stockbridge in 2022 to embrace the Vermont lifestyle and  “smaller public schools… more community feel,” Blair had said.

Clear River Inn and Tavern owner Mark Stugart said he plans to spend the next two months preparing for the Tavern to reopen.  “We heard you’ve missed us…” he posted on the Clear River Tavern Facebook page, April 2. “It will take some time for us to get everything back in order, licensing, etc. … If all goes according to plan, we will be open the first weekend of June (5/31) & will be here to stay!”