“My lifelong goal has always been to own a restaurant,” says Cj Garner, who realized that aspiration in May when he opened Common Table Food & Drink in Cheshire with partner Marcus Lyon. And he really does mean it when he says “lifelong.” Garner received a food processor for his tenth birthday, studied culinary arts at McCann Technical School, and then landed at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. A Cheshire native, Garner honed his craft under the tutelage of Peter Platt at Old Inn on the Green, at Canyon Ranch, Jacob’s Pillow, and The Orchards in Williamstown. But his biggest career step was working for Jared Decoteau at both PUBLIC eat+drink in North Adams and District Kitchen & Bar in Pittsfield.
Garner started as a sous-chef at PUBLIC, helped open District, and floated between the two restaurants in a variety of roles for approximately 10 years. “Working for Jared was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life,” says Garner. “He took me under his wing, taught me how to run two successful restaurants, and I’m so grateful for that.”
When he started casting about for a restaurant home of his own, he looked in Williamstown and North Adams. The space in Cheshire, which had been empty since the pandemic and was previously occupied by a pizza and sub shop, seemed too small. But the “For Lease” sign ultimately pulled him in. He had some history with the place, after all. “It used to be a little neighborhood bar,” says Garner. “I had my first legal beer there.” So in the beginning of 2024, he took a leap of faith, signed a lease, and started renovating the space. With help from his landlord, an electrician, and his father, who took on the role of general contractor, the cozy space took shape in just four months and was ready for a spring opening.
“I think everyone was very excited to have a restaurant in town again,” says Garner. And after some initial local disappointment that Common Table would not be a pizza and sub shop, he says he’s getting lots of enthusiastic support from the Cheshire community for his “modern American comfort food.” Think risotto with local sweet corn, shrimp & grits, and pork chops with chili-lime glaze.
Common Table’s menu is very much driven by what’s grown locally. “Old Inn on the Green is where the concepts of farm-to-table and locally sourced were really driven home for me,” says Garner. So he’ll frequently decide what to cook based on what’s available at local farms such as Full Well, Whitney’s, and Savoy Mountain. “I might be a food dork, but when I look at a head of lettuce, I think of how it started out as a seed that was nurtured and cared for by a farmer who brought it to us so we could feed people,” he says. “And it all came from within a 10-mile radius.” While Cj does the cooking, partner Marcus Lyon, who also has hospitality experience, handles the front of the house, often tending bar as well as managing HR, payroll, bookkeeping. “I’m so fortunate that I met him when I did,” says Garner. “He really hit the ground running with me.”
Common Table Food & Drink
41 South St., Cheshire
413-776-7141
Tu & Wed 4-9pm, Th, Fri,
Sat 11:30am-10pm
common-table.com
