July 7, 2025

By Charles Dubow

Litchfield is lucky to have many talented chefs. We are also lucky to have many talented restaurant owners. But there are very few chefs who are also owners. Maybe that explains why this year chef/owner Dennis DeBellis of John’s Café in Woodbury is celebrating his restaurant’s 25th anniversary. 

“It’s a big deal to have a restaurant around for 25 years,” DeBellis says. “I’ve seen the local restaurant landscape change, and become a real foodie destination. I feel honored that people still seem to like our food after all this time—and I’m glad we still keep our customers happy.” 

Best described as New American with an Italian twist, the innovative and well-priced menu always features fresh pastas and pizzas, and entrees that use meats and seasonal produce from area farms. 

A New Milford native and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, DeBellis started working at The Mayflower in Washington as a line cook; he then worked at the old Inn on Lake Waramaug before landing at John’s Café in 2000. In 2015, he bought the place. 

“It was a big risk, but one that I thought worth taking,” he says. “It’s been a great ride and one that I have no plan on stopping. After all this time, I still love what I do.”

John’s Café, 693 Main St. S, Woodbury —johnscafe.com