Exclusive | Into the woods! Big Apple business exodus leaves Upstate brokers scurrying to meet snowballing demand

They’re heading for the hills. Big Apple business owners are fleeing for the bridges and tunnels in search of a better life upstate — taking their unique talents to the charming towns of the Hudson Valley and Catskills.The trend toward city-weary New Yorkers moving up the Hudson River in search of greener pastures gathered real steam during Covid, and has shown no sign of reversing, according to area real estate insiders. More and more, that growing population — estimated to have swelled the regional ranks by well over 100,000 new residents in the Covid-years alone, according to reports — appears to include some of Gotham’s most go-getter entrepreneurs.And they’re finding themselves warmly welcomed by locals both old and new. “It’s amazing how many people I see from the city; they’re like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here!'” veteran NYC restaurateur Daniel Cipriani told The Post.

Last winter he opened up Dandies, a modern BBQ joint in the mountaintop ski town of Windham.The marine-turned-chef — no relation to those other, famous culinary Ciprianis — made his name at the popular Brooklyn restaurant Sea Wolf, which Vogue once called the “epicenter of the hipster universe.”Now, he’s gone from the city to the sticks.“Post-COVID, it just made sense to go ‘all in’ on Upstate,” said Cipriani.“There are so many more people coming up here, from visitors to full-time and weekend residents, who all appreciate good food,” he said. Open for business on the property of Windham’s rustic Eastwind Hotel since last winter (Cipriani also co-founded the mini-hotel chain and serves as its F&B director), Dandies doles out platters piled high with pulled pork, smoked brisket, and succulent chicken.“We’re smoking it all in a 333-gallon smoker we drove here from Texas,” said Cipriani, noting that he’s recently been firing it up, using dried cherrywood from trees downed during a storm.Along with sides like apple cabb...