A legacy restaurant of Northampton, Paul and Elizabeth’s has seen tremendous change and challenges throughout its 45 years of operation. Enduring the ups and downs of any restaurant business and a global pandemic, the restaurant has survived due to the consistency of its simple and delicious food and the teamwork and family feel of the restaurant’s staff.
“It’s always been our focus to create food that makes you feel good and is good for you,” said Nate Sustick, current general manager and head chef. He explained that simple but good food has always been the restaurant's goal since his parents, Paul and Elizabeth Sustick, opened the restaurant in 1978.
The current menu at Paul and Elizabeth’s stays true to its original roots of sourcing local products and reflecting the freshest produce of the current season. The autumn menu brings an abundance of fall harvest produce. Roasted root vegetables fill the vegetable platters and butternut squash soup warms up cool days. The dessert menu offers both pumpkin and apple pies.
“We try to highlight the produce we can get,” said Nate. The restaurant works with Marty’s Local, a Deerfield-based business that distributes food from local farms all over the Pioneer Valley to area restaurants and Berkshire Seafood which brings seafood daily, directly from Boston.
Although the restaurant works with seasonal produce, it does offer popular mainstays throughout the year. Paul and Elizabeth’s offers a wide variety of seafood and noodle dishes, including the cajun sampler and Thai-Style Seitan and Udon Noodle Sauté. The restaurant is well known for its cod and salmon dishes and its homemade vegan chocolate mousse cake. Customers also praise its quick lunch: the soup of the day, a whole-wheat roll, salad and house tea.
“The way we cook our fish is hard to replicate at home,” explained Nate. “Broiling at high temperatures creates a crispy outside while staying tender and succulent on the inside.”
Nate has taken over the operation from his parents in the last few years. While Nate’s parents, Paul and Elizabeth, are technically retired, both are still actively involved in the restaurant. Elizabeth cares for the dining room, while Paul still offers cooking classes. This family involvement now extends to a new generation of the family as Nate’s children have started to become involved in the restaurant.
“It’s a job everyone should do in their life,” said Nate. “You learn a lot about yourself and about people.”
That learning curve became steep over the last few years as the restaurant worked to navigate its business during the pandemic. Shifting to to-go orders until re-opening the dining room in June 2021 allowed the restaurant to stay afloat.
“We survived it and made it through,” said Nate. “We are fortunate to have the support we did during that time.”
Now with a full dining room, the staff is enjoying the noise and energy that come from interactions with customers. It helps to build that family atmosphere that Nate hopes will continue for years to come. Keeping his “staff feeling comfortable and happy and supported” is one of his main priorities. Sustick praises the employees for their incredible teamwork and says many are like family. In fact, many of his employees have children who now work for the restaurant.
“Things naturally change over time,” said Nate, “but if in five years, things were in a similar position, I would be really happy and feel like I had accomplished what I wanted to accomplish.”
Paul and Elizabeth’s is located inside Thornes Marketplace at 150 Main St., Northampton. For menus or more information, call 413-584-4832 or visit www.PaulAndElizabeths.com.
Roasted Garlic and Ginger Sauce
This is great for vegetables, tofu or a noodle saute dish.
Ingredients
¼ cup diced ginger
¼ cup roasted garlic
1 cup water
⅛ cup shoyu
Cornstarch to thicken
Crushed red pepper to desired heat
Preparation
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Roast garlic at 350 degrees in neutral oil until golden brown.
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Remove from oven and strain oil.
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Combine garlic and crushed red pepper. Whisk until it becomes a paste.
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Dice your ginger.
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Bring water to a boil and add ginger and garlic-red pepper paste.
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Add shoyu and bring back to boil.
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While whisking, add cornstarch to thicken.
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Remove from heat.
"It has always been our focus to create food that makes you feel good and is good for you."