In 2021, pandemic restrictions were lifting, catering was back on, and Tawni Benick needed help. The thriving Brooklyn events company where she worked as executive chef had pivoted to window service during the pandemic, shrinking her staff to a skeleton crew of fewer than a dozen.
She hired Molly Botnick, and they clicked instantly. “It was very clear at the beginning that we were talking the same language,” says Botnick. “There was a huge amount of trust and respect between the two of us.”
Each knew she eventually wanted to build something of her own, and neither wanted to do it alone. In New York, the pressure was high and competition was stiff. Benick knew she didn’t want to go back to the West Coast, where she’s from. Botnick, from Haydenville, knew just where she wanted to be.
“The agricultural community (in the valley) is so strong,” she says. “There’s so many incredible products and makers here, and not as many opportunities for eating out.”
With help and guidance from the Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC) and PVGrows Investment Fund, they closed on the Montague building in October 2025. For months they tweaked the space to realize their shared vision—adding windows and equipment and blonde wood tables, painting the dark wood paneling and installing smooth, serene gray flooring. The dining room is airy and warm, light and bright, and above all, welcoming. When Common Variety Market & Café opened its doors, the community rushed in.
The café serves breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday. “We always knew that we wanted a pastry and bread program to be a big part of our company, says Botnick, and that just kind of lends itself to the daytime.” Local sourcing is central to the vision; all of the flour comes from Ground Up Grain in Holyoke, and local farms drive the ever-changing menu. Benick does most of the baking and pastry, Botnick focuses mostly on savory food, but the partners are in constant communication. “We both really need and respect each other’s opinion, and so everything that we put out, we’ve both tasted and agreed upon or tweaked in some way,” says Benick.
Their close collaboration and mutual respect is apparent in the sandwiches. For instance, an early spring turkey and cheddar sandwich features carrot and cabbage slaw, lightly dressed with cumin and turmeric vinaigrette and mounded onto thin slices of turkey and sharp cheddar. The focaccia—tender, fragrant with fruity olive oil, dotted with flaky salt that provides the merest crunch, and smeared with a thin coat of rich house-made aioli—is sublime. No part of the sandwich vies for top billing. Each ingredient makes the others shine.
Their combined decades of experience honing their craft in fine dining are readily apparent, and dinner, in some form, is not out of the question, but “nights are hard,” says Botnick. “Hard on the spirit and the body.” For now, their focus is on bringing in a wider swath of the community for breakfast and lunch, growing their catering program and the carefully curated selection of grocery items on their shelves. On a spring Tuesday, the partners snack on trout salad and crackers on the covered patio with their laptops. Pea tendrils are just beginning to climb the newly installed trellises. They’re brimming with ideas, but for now, this feels sustainable.
“And we both really like each other’s food,” Botnick adds. “It’s…great. It’s really fun.”
