Stops We Love: Tabora Farms

(2017) An unwelcome participant to training rides is stirring for the season. In the northern hemisphere days are getting longer, nicer, and warmer. Group rides are forming and with remarkable participation. Those lightly attended winter affairs have been quickly forgotten in favor of superlight kits and multiple hour rides. The deeper into the season we go, the more often the unwelcome participant will latch on to a rider’s wheel and constantly nag throughout the ride. That unwelcome participant is the bonk.

Through the winter bonks rarely happened. The goal wasn’t to ride hard in the cold weather; it was simply to get outside and maintain base miles. The hard efforts would come in the form of shivering for multiple hours on end. Perhaps a dance resembling the pee-pee dance was another hard effort to regain feeling in the body. Warmer temperatures mean town signs are in play. There are no longer such things as ‘a quick hour’ ride. Meal preps will be overlooked in order to get out the door sooner. Thus increases the unwelcome participant’s likelihood of joining the ride.

As spring turns to summer riders will be on the lookout for locations to stave off the dreaded bonk. It’s a horrible experience no one should have to go through. But if anyone, including yourself, feels the lights slowly going out in the area, head to Tabora Farms. There is certainly something on the shelves to get you home.

Naturally the first stop at Tabora Farms for any cyclist is the coffee counter. Notice the cold brew tap handles in the back.

On any given weekday it is not a rare site to see several bikes leaning against the wall at Tabora. As the business continues to expand, it is a regularity to see cyclists lounging in the outdoor seating area. Many of them are there as a destination affair, resting at the exact halfway portion of the day’s effort. Mike and I have used Tabora Farms as a meeting spot. Perhaps one or two cyclists hunched over the table each month are there trying to replace the lost gusto from the ride that day. The sun may have become too intense, the second water bottle flew out, or the thought, “I don’t need gels today” was too convincing. Nevertheless, those riders are in the best place possible.

What would one see cyclists eating while sat at the outdoor seating area? For one, Tabora has coffee. They’ve recently added cold brew coffee for those who don’t like to start a summer ride with hot coffee in the gut. Now a refreshing cold brew coffee can convince one to sit for a spell before diving into northern Bucks County back roads. Should a rider have missed breakfast altogether, Tabora offers a made-to-order deli, though most of the menu is lunch items.

But the real stars of Tabora Farms are the baked goods. It is highly possible Phil Gaimon would reroute a ride from his childhood home in Maryland to sample these treats. There are rows and rows of the thickest cookies. The varieties range from ginger snap to espresso chip cookies. If the bonk is in full effect, ten of these cookies should right the ship in due time. Combine the espresso chip cookies with coffee and we’ll just forget about that hour of bonking and call it a planned stop, especially when jet fuel kicks in on the way home.

This was just a small sampling of the cookies available. I didn't want to involve the photo of the empty chocolate chip cookie tray. (There was a second tray of chocolate chip cookies.) 

Should the cyclist on the ropes need a little more variety, Tabora Farms also offers homemade bread. With bread comes the variety of muffins, pies, and cupcakes. Perhaps the chance of getting home will be increased with the addition of fruit in the pastry. Just today I pulled a cheese and strawberry Danish off the shelf. It was next to the Nutella and chocolate Danish. Oh the difficult choices here. Perhaps filling a paper bag with Danish and having a seat outside would increase the likelihood of calling home for a ride and ordering lunch once the team car arrives.

Tabora also has oddities that would probably be considered outside of the cycling realm. They make their own wine. They have their own pints of ice cream. They also have a peanut butter making machine complete with one option of peanuts and chocolate chips. They have a full cooler of sugary drinks to stoke the flames of finishing the ride. If one stands inside Tabora long enough, perhaps the unwelcome participant will get impatient and look for another unsuspecting rouleur. Imagine the weight lifted off the shoulders and directly into the midsection upon realizing the bonk has released its grip. If natural food is your game, Tabora Farms sports a full orchard capable of being harvested starting sometime in the summer.

Along the side wall, one can get a sugar jolt from the cabinet of Danish or stuffed croissants. 

The only problem with Tabora Farms is its residence atop one of the many ridges that wrinkle Bucks County. If the lights have gone out, the cookie tray may be just a mile too far for some who have to hoof it up a climb depending on the approaching direction. Once atop the ridge, it could be a zooming downhill back home if the route is planned correctly.

While one of the goals of bicycle riding is to maintain weight, putting back a few calories from the goods at Tabora Farms could provide an inspirational second wind to get back out there and jump into the next paceline passing through. Perhaps it may not be your fastest second half of the ride, but rest assured, the unwelcome participant will struggle to get back onto your wheel on the way home.

Tabora Farms is located in Chalfont, PA, and is currently open seven days a week from 7am to 7pm.