ASHFIELD — Wicked Good Café is bringing new life to the historic Elmer’s Store, with help from both new and familiar faces.

Former Elmer’s owner Nan Parati has returned to 396 Main St. to open a restaurant, this time as a tenant of the Elmer’s Community Steering Committee, with her new business partner Allison Nottingham. The pair opened to the public on March 7.

“It’s been an interesting couple of months figuring out how to put together a restaurant,” Nottingham said. “I’m a baker, but I don’t know much about creating a restaurant. There’s been a learning curve, but it has been a fun couple of months.”

Elmer’s was originally built as a general store in 1835, and served as a beloved breakfast spot in town after Parati bought it when she moved to Ashfield after Hurricane Katrina. Parati sold the business in 2018. The property was then sold again to a group of community members in 2023 who have been working to repair the structure and revitalize the space to be a community hangout and a spot for events.

The steering committee has hosted pop-up cafe hours, concerts and art events, and secured a $381,232 MassDevelopment Underutilized Properties Program grant to fund further repairs, but sought a tenant who could bring a good breakfast and the magic of Elmer’s back to the spot.

“One day a board member said, ‘I just wish you could open Elmer’s again,’ and I just burst out crying,” Parati said. “I put so much into it — heart, soul, years. It was my baby.”

Parati said she was up for the challenge, but wanted help. Luckily, she was introduced to Nottingham, a baker who had just moved to town and was interested in opening a business. Nottingham, a New Hampshire native, moved to Ashfield because her fiance owns a house in town.

Since December, Parati and Nottingham have been working with the steering committee to work out a lease and figure out a vision for their new restaurant. Nottingham said they wanted to balance new and old, celebrating the history of the location while still welcoming new ideas. It was a challenge, particularly as Parati had to travel to New Orleans for work, leaving Nottingham to make some decisions on her own. She hopes community members enjoy the new restaurant.

“We’re trying to create something that honors the history of Elmer’s, but still make it our own,” Nottingham explained. “I’ve never experienced something with a built-in customer base.”

Parati said it was difficult for her to accept change, as she loved Elmer’s and wanted to recreate it, but the committee wanted something new, with a new name. Nottingham came up with the name, and has continued to encourage Parati to welcome change.

“It’s a very New England, Massachusetts name,” Parati said. “And our food is wicked good.”

Operating with five employees and additional assistance from Nottingham’s fiance Luke LaFleur, Wicked Good Café will be open Fridays through Mondays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Nottingham said she and Parati would like to eventually expand their hours to include Tuesdays, but they don’t want to overwhelm their team just yet. They plan to start small and grow over time.

Nottingham added that the menu will start out small, and will expand and change as they settle into the groove of running a restaurant. The menu includes some old Elmer’s staples and some new recipes. There are plenty of eggs, pancakes and syrup from Gray’s Sugarhouse, as well as baked treats from Nottingham such as lemon poppy seed muffins.

“Things are changing so fast right now,” Nottingham said.

Parati will be in New Orleans for a few more months, but she said she is confident the restaurant will flourish under Nottingham’s leadership. She was nervous at first to work with someone new, but they get along great and Parati is pleased with how the restaurant has turned out.

“I’m so happy,” Parati said. “This feels like the best situation.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.