Seven years ago, in the first issue of Discover Concord, we introduced readers to Kristin Canty—entrepreneur, filmmaker, farmer, restaurateur, mother of four, and passionate advocate for changing the way we think about food.
Even then, Canty was thinking big. Today, the ideas she put into practice in West Concord have reached one of the culinary world’s most respected stages. Woods Hill Pier 4, her restaurant overlooking Boston Harbor, has earned a MICHELIN Guide recommendation—an impressive milestone in a journey that began close to home.
Canty’s path into food was deeply personal. When one of her children suffered from severe allergies, the West Concord native began investigating the relationship between food, farming, and health. That search led her to advocate for small farms and inspired Farmageddon, her nationally acclaimed 2011 documentary exploring the challenges facing American family farmers.
Then came the restaurants—and the farm.
Sheep at Woods Hill Farm
| © Stephen Keep PhotographyWhile planning Woods Hill Table around sustainably and humanely raised ingredients, Canty discovered that local suppliers could not consistently provide everything she needed. So, in 2013, she bought The Farm at Woods Hill in Bath, New Hampshire, which has since grown from 265 to 360 acres.
Since opening Woods Hill Table in 2015, Canty has created two restaurant communities. Woods Hill Table and Adelita are just a short walk apart in West Concord, and Woods Hill Pier 4 and The Block at Woods Hill are next-door neighbors in Boston’s Seaport. All four establishments share the same farm-driven philosophy, featuring pasture-raised beef, pork, and poultry, with beef that is 100 percent grass-fed and finished.
Throughout her professional growth, Canty’s principles have remained consistent: Support small farmers, raise animals humanely, source responsibly, minimize waste, care for employees, and create exceptional food. Her success demonstrates how deeply held values can become a powerful foundation for entrepreneurship.
The recognition has followed. WISE Boston named Canty a 2022 Women of Inspiration Award nominee, and in 2023, The Umbrella Arts Center (now called Umbrella Arts) presented her with the Elizabeth Cochary Gross Stewardship of the Arts Award.
Boston magazine named Woods Hill Pier 4 the Seaport’s Best Neighborhood Restaurant in 2025 and 2026, celebrating the connection between Canty’s farm and Chef Charlie Foster’s kitchen. The MICHELIN Guide praised its “hearty, global cuisine” and farm-sourced ingredients.
The Block at Woods Hill
| © Brian Samuels PhotographyCanty’s newest venture is earning accolades of its own. In 2025, Boston magazine ranked The Block at Woods Hill second among Greater Boston’s Top 10 New Restaurants. Modern Luxury Boston Common followed in 2026, naming The Block its Best of the City Farm-to-Table Restaurant.
Canty’s influence reaches beyond her restaurants. A longtime supporter of the Walden Woods Project, she has backed farm-based education and sustainability initiatives. She serves on Umbrella Arts’ Ambassador Council and as secretary of Massachusetts Restaurants United, advocating for independent restaurants and the people who give communities character.
Her career offers an example to other entrepreneurs—particularly women—of what can happen when conviction, creativity, and persistence come together.
Through it all, family remains at the center. Canty’s journey began not with a business plan, but with a mother searching for answers for her child. That search became advocacy, leading to a film, a farm, and four restaurants.
For West Concord, the story is also one of community. Woods Hill Table and Adelita have become part of the village’s fabric—places where neighbors meet, families gather, and visitors discover a thriving neighborhood.
The MICHELIN recommendation may have brought international recognition to Canty’s vision, but its roots remain unmistakably local.
*This article was made possible with support from Woods Hill Table.
