The operation is deeply and deliberately familial. Alongside Emily at the market and her uncle Mario overseeing agricultural production, her grandfather, Rudy“ Pops” Gagliardi, manages the property. The broader team consists of retail manager Susie Ausman, who runs daily operations; farm manager Kate Malloy tends orchards, blueberries, and flowers; and chef Peter Belmonte, formerly of the Williams Inn, anchors the culinary vision. Belmonte’ s sister runs Woodlife Kitchen at Hancock Shaker Village. It is layered, interdependent, and distinctly human.
What Legacy Really Means
Patten’ s father, Harry, pioneered the model of selling rural land to everyday people through National Land Partners, which he founded over 50 years ago. The company became publicly traded and grew to national scale. Harry, now 90, still lives in the area, but he and Mike aren’ t close, a relationship that shaped Mike in complicated ways and is never far from his thinking.
Emily notes the difference between Patten and his father,“ He’ s a different man,” she says. The lesson she takes from him is equally telling:“ Not sweating the small stuff. And always asking,‘ How can I be better today?’”
What began as a private sanctuary has become a public gift. What began as recovery from economic collapse has become a multigenerational ecosystem. What began as survival is now legacy. Above all, Patten wants Woodlife— the ranch, the market, the brand, the family enterprise— to endure. That’ s his long game.
“ I want it to be sustainable,” he says.“ A business that future generations can run and grow. Something that lasts.” n
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Spring 2026 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 69