Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

Southern Hospitality Comes to Town

By Michelle Madden 

The other night at Joseph Yorio’s new high-end barbecue joint in New Milford, I was reminded of the universal pleasure of licking food off your fingers. The Cue has joined the rapidly expanding hipster occupation of Bank Street and delivers down-home, affordable, Southern style cooking––seven days a week.

When you first enter The Cue, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s not what you thought. The upstairs has the vibe of “date night”, subtle blue/gray tones, quiet voices––the kind of place you’d go to escape your kids and their screens. But downstairs is where the soul lives and the South comes alive. As we descend, Honky Tonk Woman is playing, the amber bottles at the bar are glowing, and voices are unrestrained. The room is barnlike with wood plank walls, chicken-wire light fixtures with filament-exposed bulbs, and menus encased in wood. The three large screens over the bar tuned to sports, further the casual vibe, but with the volume off are unobtrusive enough.

The menu has enough to choose from but not enough to overwhelm. The empanadas are crispy and filled with juicy pulled pork. The tacos are ample, and held together by a hard corn shell that strains at the weight of their contents. The blackened shrimp sit on a bed of grits and are Cajun-hot and perfectly messy. At this point, you will likely be wishing you’d worn pants with a looser waistband. Even if you’re not a wings person, don’t skip the wings. The “Dry Rub” is so delicious, you’ll want to slow down the process simply to let the “secret formula” (a proprietary blend of salty, spicy, and sweet) amuse your mouth as long as possible. The creamed spinach was also a surprising pleasure––not too creamy, with a hint of Parmesan.

In a nod to Joseph’s Italian roots, lasagna and fettuccine have snuck in effortlessly as they adopt a Southern accent. The Smoked Lasagna with flame-kissed ricotta in particular feels right at home, and should not be missed. The fettuccine is reimagined with a generous portion of braised pork butt.

As casual as The Cue feels, there is great concern for  authenticity and culinary seriousness. The Chef de Cuisine, Philip Green, is an alumnus of Michelin Star royalty Daniel Boulud and Laurent Tourondel.  Many of the ingredients are handmade––from the margarita mix to the sauces (five different kinds), from the Dry Rub to the smoked meats themselves. Smoking is done at the restaurant’s 24-foot-long smoker––sourced in Georgia, now working in The Cue’s Danbury location. The process is overseen with the kind of care usually reserved for a newborn. The meat is tended to all day; in the middle of the night––3 am to be precise––an attendant comes to check in, and at 6 am a final visit occurs.

You get the feeling that this devotion to the craft and to the customer is something that comes easily at The Cue. Upon hearing us gush about the Dry Rub, when we were leaving, Chef Green gave us a tiny container, hand labeled, to “try out on some meat at home.” I will. And when I do, I will be reminded of why a great restaurant is so much more than its ingredients.

59 Bank Street, New Milford, 860-799-0165, thecuedanbury.com

Upscale Casual Italian in Lakeville
By Charles Dubow
Photo by Sabrina Eberhard

It’s all too rare when a restaurant’s interior is as good as its food. Located at the juncture of Sharon Road and Route 44 in the old firehouse in Lakeville, Fern is a treat for both the eye and the palate.

The fourth and latest restaurant from chef Gianni Scappin and Luciano Valdivia, the team behind Market St. in Rhinebeck and Barbaro in Millbrook, Fern’s interior looks like a combination of Soho and Santa Barbara. Directly opposite the front door, a spacious white horseshoe bar divides the room. On the left is a cozy bar area and to the right the large, white-walled, warmly-lit main dining room’s double-height ceiling creates an atmosphere that is both dramatic and airy. Along the back wall is a domed wood-burning pizza oven that is heated to 800 degrees and delivers pies at, as our waiter put it, “mach speed.” Roomy blonde wood booths line the room surrounding a cluster of smaller tables and underfoot are noise-muffling Persian carpets. Along the front the old firehouse doors have remained in place, giving the whole feeling a hip, post-industrial vibe. It is truly one of the most unique and pleasing layouts in Litchfield County.

“The space had a lot of masculine energy,” says Valdiva, who was the designer. “So we wanted to soften it up. That’s one of the reasons why we chose the name Fern. It’s a feminine name that also reflects the botanical beauty of this part of the state.”

But now about the food. The key to truly great Italian cooking is to use the best ingredients and to keep it simple. There is no better example of this than one of Fern’s appetizers, which consists of warm marinated olives, Marcona almonds, and chunks of Parmesan cheese to be dipped in balsamic vinegar. So simple yet so delicious. Other highlights from the appetizer menu include, but are not limited to, warm Roman bread, Burrata served with roasted tomato and pesto over grilled bread or with Prosciutto di Parma, and grilled octopus with Corona beans. 

The central location of the pizza oven practically dares you not to order a pie and you absolutely should. These are thin-crust and delicate. My favorites include the Monza, made with sausage and broccoli rabe, and the classic Margherita. You should have plenty of room afterwards for one of their pastas. I highly recommend the Cavatelli Bolognese with ricotta cheese and the Rigatoni Butera, but also keep an eye out for daily specials.

The entrees are variations on archetypal Italian dishes but each one is done to perfection. The Braised Pork Ossobuco is fall-off-the-bone tender, the Roasted Chicken Mattone, served with mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and salsa verde is a clever twist on a classic, and the 14 oz. Rib Eye Steak with rosemary fries and aioli is a carnivore’s dream. To wash it all down, the wine list offers some of my personal favorites, including a Rioja from Vina Alberdi and the Sacristie De La Vieille Cure from Bordeaux.

9 Sharon Road, Lakeville, 860-596-1930, fernlakeville.com

Bantam’s Star Chef
By Charles Dubow
Photos by Philip Dutton

Risks seem to have a way of working out for chef David Di Stasi. In 2017 he flew from Australia to Italy hoping to interview for a job at one of Tuscany’s best restaurants. “That was a big risk, a crazy risk,” says the Watertown native. “I didn’t speak Italian and I wasn’t really all that knowledgeable about Italian food. If it didn’t work out, I didn’t know what I’d do.”

That risk was worth it. The 2011 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America ended up working for two years at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Maremma, eventually rising to sous-chef. “It was an incredible experience. I learned about the importance of using beautiful ingredients and keeping everything simple.”

It was this appreciation for the best raw materials that was the inspiration for both the vision and the name of his wonderfully successful restaurant Materia in Bantam. “My dream is to cook true Italian food. Not the Italian-American food that I and so many other people were raised with.”

Opening Materia was Di Stasi’s second big risk, though. “It was the height of Covid. The owner of La Cupola in Bantam was an old family friend. He wanted to retire. So it was now or never. It seemed nuts but we had to go for it.”

Not only did they go for it, they got it. The restaurant is open for dinner six nights a week and good luck getting a reservation. Today Di Stasi is arguably cooking some of the best and most exciting food in Connecticut. His fresh pastas are superb—his tagliatelle al ragu was the best I’ve ever eaten–and, as befitting someone who spent five years working at Le Bernardin in New York City, he does magical things with fish. Most notably, his grilled octopus is always perfectly cooked and his scallops with stuffed artichokes and escarole are sublime. I also highly recommend the Bistecca alla Fiorentina and the Osso Buco with risotto alla Milanese.

In the two years since opening, Di Stasi has garnered numerous awards, not least winning Litchfield Magazine’s 2022 Reader’s Choice for Best New Restaurant. His accolades have since gone statewide. Last year the CT Restaurant Association not only named him “Best Chef of the Year” in their annual CRAzies Awards, it also recognized Materia as the best restaurant in Litchfield County. 

DiStasi has also come to national attention. In October 2022, James Beard Award-winning food writer Alan Richman applauded Materia in long-time Litchfield County resident Graydon Carter’s Air Mail newsletter, calling it  a “hidden gem.” “That brought us a lot of attention from outside the Northwest Corner,” says Di Stasi. “All of a sudden we were getting bookings from all over.” (For those coming from afar, there are a few rooms to rent upstairs at a reasonable rate.)

Sitting at a booth in Materia’s bar, Di Stasi smiles shyly when asked to acknowledge his success. “I mean, it’s nice to have won these awards,” he says. “But that’s not why I come to work. As a chef, I can’t think, ‘Oh well, I’ve won all these things so I can just coast now.’ It actually pushes you to do even better and take more risks.”—Materia Ristorante, 637 Bantam Rd, Bantam   materiaristo.com

Voters Choose Their Favorites
By Charles Dubow
Photo by Ryan Lavine

As the old line goes, “Vox populi, vox Dei.” Or for those whose Latin may be a little rusty: The voice of the people is the voice of God. And once again the people of Litchfield County have spoken when it comes to nominating their favorite restaurants in Litchfield Magazine’s 2024 Reader’s Choice awards.

This year’s Best Restaurant winner is New Milford’s own Lucia Ristorante, and the accolade is very well deserved. I recently reviewed Lucia for Litchfield Magazine and it was one of the best meals of my year. Chef/owner Antonio “Tony” Caldareri’s menu of Northern and Southern Italian food has been delighting his patrons for more than 16 years. “It’s a real honor to be recognized like this,” says Tony. “New Milford is a great community that has supported us since day one. Litchfield County has become a culinary destination and we are happy to be at the top of people’s list to visit.”

The fact that Bantam’s Arethusa al Tavolo was voted second in the Best Restaurant category and first in the Fine Dining category should come as no surprise to any serious food enthusiast in the county. Since opening ten years ago, it has consistently delivered a dining experience on par with high-end restaurants in New York, London, or Rome. Under the leadership of chef Dan Magill, it offers a New American menu—think dishes such as Icelandic cod, beef short ribs, diver’s scallops, and more. Not surprisingly, Community Table and the Mayflower Inn also won in the Fine Dining category.

Good Eats in New Milford makes a return trip to the winner’s circle, rounding out the top three, and also scoring high in the Best Brunch category. This cozy eatery on Kent Road has only been open a year but has quickly become a community favorite. Executive chef Kevin Deluca continues to offer an eclectic menu—think crispy shrimp, roasted lamb, fried chicken, mac & cheese, and miso pasta.

But there were plenty of other winners as well. Two of my favorite restaurants from the past year came in tops in the Best New Restaurant category: Vegas Mexican Restaurant & Bar in New Milford and Geppetto Osteria in Torrington. Vegas, located on Railroad Avenue, is exactly the kind of cheerful and delicious Mexican restaurant that every community needs: authentic and fresh entrees, plenty of tequila, and an overall experience that guarantees a fun night out. Geppetto, helmed by husband and wife team Carlo and Michelle Pulixi, brings a hip, artisanal sensibility to traditional Italian fare. The pasta is always fresh and the cured meats are all hand-made. I highly recommend a visit to both.

Once again the wildly-popular White Horse Country Pub & Restaurant in Marbledale swept many of the individual categories, such as Best Brunch, Best Burger, Best Casual Dining, and Best Outdoor Dining.

And for the pizza lovers out there, Pizzeria Marzano and Sasso’s, both in Torrington, plus The Owl Wine Bar & Restaurant in New Preston, won the category. I am also a fan of the brick oven pizza at Swyft, as well as the pies at KPG Kitchen & Bar and Cozzy’s, all of which are in Kent.

Finally, it’s important to note that several highly respected restaurants in our area—such as Materia, Ore Hill & Swyft, West Street Grill, Winvian, Fern—and numerous others—deserve recognition, in our opinion, but simply didn’t receive enough votes. If you feel that one of your favorites has been overlooked, make sure to cast your vote next year. Remember: Vox populi, vox Dei!

John Bourdeau’s Latest on Bank Street

By Charles Dubow

Photos by Ryan Lavine

What is it that makes a successful restaurateur constantly seek new challenges? Like any creative person, there is always the desire to find something new and fresh, to put behind you your last restaurant, your last book, your last painting, and start all over again. That is the case with one of Litchfield County’s (and Litchfield Magazine’s) favorite restaurateurs, John Bourdeau. Seven years after opening New Preston’s The Owl, he has set off on his next adventure. This time he has returned to his old stomping grounds on New Milford’s Bank Street—where he previously was co-owner of Lucia—and opened his latest, Sparrow.

Sparrow is located in the former Zaragoza and is open seven days a week. Bourdeau has reimagined the once-dark space as light and airy, exposing and smoothing the brick and using bright modern paintings to add energy to the room, a hip aesthetic that his customers will recognize from his previous establishments. “This will be my fifth restaurant. Each time I learn something,” he said. “When the opportunity to have this space came up, I knew I had to grab it.”

“I wanted to try something different,” says Bourdeau. “I’d done pizza. I’d done Italian. I wanted a bigger space where I could offer a wider menu.” To that end, he has teamed up with Mike Sorensen, the former chef at The Foundry Kitchen and Tavern in Newtown. The result is what Bourdeau calls a “world menu,” essentially cherry-picking popular dishes from around the world, such as Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, Chinese bao buns, and Korean fried chicken.

“We want to introduce New Milford to all sorts of new tastes—not only in food but also in wine and spirits,” says Bourdeau. “Our wine list is a mix of traditional, a few organic, and some less familiar varietals. If a customer comes in and asks for a Chardonnay, I’d like to encourage them to try something like a Furmint, which is an amazing Hungarian white wine.” The same philosophy applies to his bar program, which will emphasize rum and tequila. “Rum is under-represented in the U.S.,” he says. “There are some amazing aged Solera rums that taste just like a fine bourbon.” Craft brewery aficionados won’t be disappointed with their selection of drafts from such local gems as Kent Falls and Watson Farmhouse.

What made him choose to name his new place after another bird species? Is he ornithologically inclined? “My father was in the navy and had many tattoos including several sparrows. I was designing a tattoo that included a sparrow encircled by an O to
represent my mothers maiden name of O’Conner when it occurred to me that Sparrow is a good name for the restaurant,” he says, pulling off his shirt. “The tattoo is also the restaurant’s logo.”

31 Bank Street, New Milford,  860-799-7111

Long-time Favorite Italian in New Milford

By: Charles Dubow

Photos by Ryan Lavine

The restaurant business is not known for its longevity so when a restaurant such as New Milford’s Lucia Ristorante has been open for 16 years it’s a sign they are doing something right. Credit is due to chef and owner Antonio “Tony” Caldareri’s clear passion for his craft. Gregarious by nature, he loves working the floor almost as much as he does working the stove. He greets his many regulars by name and will often sit and have a glass of wine with them. A native of Montreal, he embraces both Northern and Southern styles of Italian, ensuring that his menu—many of his recipes come from his grandmother, the eponymous Lucia—always contains both long-time favorites as well as delicious new dishes.

On the night when I was there recently, Tony informed me that he had a new entrée of grilled octopus served over cannellini, roasted red peppers, and a chipotle coulis. Now octopus is not the easiest thing to prepare and it must be cooked perfectly or else it will taste like one is eating a length of garden hose—but the kitchen nailed it. Equally excellent is the blackened sesame seed-encrusted tuna with a ginger sauce. 

Lovers of more traditional Italian dishes will not be disappointed either. Tony’s pastas are all hand-made and he takes his sauces very seriously. “When I go to a restaurant I just ask for a bowl of tomato sauce,” he says. “If it’s good, then I know the chef knows what he’s doing.” His fettuccine alla Bolognese is superb and his gnocchis are as light as air. Pizza lovers will also appreciate his thin crust pies, such as the quattro stagionne, with prosciutto, artichokes, capers, calamata olives, mozzarella, and homemade sauce. Also highly recommended is the beef braciole, which after being braised for six hours with fresh herbs, parmesan cheese and garlic, is served with sautéed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes. Other highlights include scaloppinni saltimbocca—veal medallions with sage, prosciutto, and mozzarella in a white wine sauce—and the pollo scarpiello—chicken breast topped with mushrooms, cherry and sweet peppers, and scallions in a white wine demi-glace. In the mood for something a little different? Try Tony’s homage to his homeland: Montreal-style poutine—french fries, melted mozzarella and Lucia gravy. And one would be remiss to not mention the layer cakes that Tony’s wife Renee bakes every day, so be sure to save some room.

Speaking of rooms, the storefront restaurant itself is tastefully laid-out inside, with a six-person bar anchoring the space, and in summer there is charming outdoor dining where guests can sit and feel as though they might be at some trattoria in Rome or Siena. The second floor houses more tables for overflow or private events. Finally, a word about the excellently trained waitstaff, overseen by manager Stacey Lavoie, all of whom are friendly and knowledgeable. “The restaurant is not about me, it’s about us,” says Tony. “Without my people there’s no restaurant.”

51 Bank Street, New Milford, luciaofnewmilford.com

New Milford’s Newest Mexican Restaurant

BY: Charles Dubow

Photographs by  Jim Henkens

As a transplanted Manhattanite living in Litchfield County for the past nine years, I sometimes miss the rich diversity of cuisine that once had been so readily available to me in my past life. That is why I am always so happy when a new restaurant appears on the local horizon—and doubly so when it is as good as Vegas Mexican Kitchen and Bar. 

Opened just this past Memorial Day in New Milford, Vegas is the kind of Mexican restaurant no town should be without. Walk into this friendly, boisterous space for the first time and you can immediately sense that the margaritas will be top-notch (I highly recommend bartender Dennis Daly’s skinny margarita), the nachos will be piled high, and the enchiladas will be thick and cheesy. 

But what I wasn’t prepared for was that, in addition to making delicious versions of more traditional Mexican fare, chef Roberto Peña has juiced his menu with a few dishes you won’t find everywhere, many of which are family recipes. For example, an absolute must-order is his Cochinita Pibil, a dish from the Yucatán made with pork marinated in citrus juice, spices and achiote leaves, then wrapped in banana leaves and slowly baked until the shredded meat is fall-off-the-bone moist and juicy. Stuff the meat into one of their own corn tortillas and let your mouth go wild.

Two other distinctive entrées worth trying are the rich Alambre, a popular Mexico City dish of pan-seared chicken and sirloin strips with bacon, bell peppers, onions and melted Oaxaca cheese; and the zesty Ceviche de Pescado Sinaloa style, made with white fish cooked in fresh lime juice, with tomato, red onion, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeño and avocado. 

However, if what you are craving are burritos, tacos or chimichangas, you won’t be disappointed. All servings are generous and tasty. Can’t make up your mind? Simply order the Big Papi, which offers one of each—as well as a cheese enchilada. Needless to say, everything comes with sides of bean and rice, and, of course, both the guacamole and the tortillas are hand-made and excellent.

One of the things that may be most impressive about Vegas is that this is owner Ricardo Vega’s first restaurant. The Mexico City-native has lived in the U.S. for years and worked in nearly every other capacity in the restaurant industry. “My father’s done it all,” says his son Richard. “He’s been a busser, a waiter, a manager. Before the pandemic he was banquet supervisor at a hotel.” Vega had been looking for years to open his own place and finally found a location on Railroad Street. “We’ve been incredibly lucky,” says Richard, who is taking time off from college to help his parents get the restaurant up and running. “New Milford’s a beautiful community. Everybody knows everybody else. A party will come in and they’ll know the people at the table across from them. We haven’t been open long but we have already attracted a lot of regulars.”

24 Railroad Street, New Milford, vegasmexican.com

West Shore Seafood Just Keeps Getting Better

By Charles Dubow

Photos by Jim Henkens

Sitting at a table on a beautiful evening at long-time local favorite West Shore Seafood in Bantam, you can close your eyes and almost feel like you are on a beach vacation. Which is precisely what owner Susie Pregno was hoping for when she opened her restaurant 16 years ago. “I’ve always been in the restaurant industry,” says the Litchfield County native. “When I was at business school in Boston I had a second job on the fish pier and later worked at a fish place in Duxbury, Mass., which inspired me to open here. I wanted to have a Cape Cod vibe. Somewhere that wasn’t fancy where you could get a great lobster roll or fried clams.”

She has succeeded beautifully. Drive by West Shore any afternoon or evening Thursday through Sunday between April and Thanksgiving, and you will likely see a throng of people eating or waiting to eat. “It’s first come first serve,” says Susie. “We’re BYOB and regulars know that they come here and tail-gate or spread a blanket. Some people even bring their own table and chairs.”

Over the years the menu has become more sophisticated, evolving from mainly fried foods to incorporate more health-conscious meals. (Although, don’t worry, there are still plenty of fried foods.) This year Susie even took the step of bringing on an executive chef for the first time. Restaurant veteran Rob Thompson and his crew are now offering a range of dishes to satisfy any appetite.

For example, starters still include classics like Cajun Popcorn Fish—seasoned cod battered and fried and served with a lemon dill sauce—shrimp cocktail and chicken wings but now you can also get fried Brussels sprouts made with sriracha and garlic and drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey. 

The lobster rolls, served either hot or cold, are perennial favorites, as are the fried fish sandwich, tacos and fried platters but new innovations like a tuna poke bowl—served with edamame, seaweed salad and avocado—and halibut with ramp pesto are welcome and delicious additions. And a quick word about the desserts: Try them. Insanely good.

449 Bantam Lake Road, Bantam, westshoreseafood.com

Vientiane Thai Cuisine is a Winner
By Charles Dubow

Photos: Jim Henkens

“If we lived closer, we’d come here every week,” says my wife Melinda as we sit in a booth in Vientiane Thai Cuisine in Torrington happily slurping broth and rice noodles. “And the kids would love it.” As with so many things, she is right. The food here is absolutely delicious.

Embarrassingly, this was the first Thai food I had eaten since moving to Washington nine years ago and I forgot how much I loved it. While we are fortunate to have many first-class restaurants in or nearby town, we are a little short on more exotic fare. So many of our best local eateries are rightly focused on creating menus based on seasonal produce and proteins from our excellent farms, and are pushing themselves to serve cutting-edge dishes, that the simple pleasures of authentic pad thai or sear-your-taste buds green curry is sometimes overlooked.

As with many of my favorite restaurants in Litchfield County, such as New Milford’s Greca and Tandoori Flames, diners should not be put off by the location or exterior of Vientiane, which is located in a drab shopping center called Torrington Commons, and sandwiched between a smoke shop and a lumber liquidators. What matters is what comes out of the kitchen.

And what comes out of the kitchen is sheer gastronomic joy. Melinda loves Tom Kar—a soup made of coconut milk, mushrooms, onions, carrots, bell peppers, galangal ginger and lime juice—and this was a prime example: silky, spicy, and altogether satisfying. Equally delicious is the beef Pho (technically Vietnamese but what the heck) and the pork and shrimp wonton soup.

We also loved their crispy spring rolls but the fresh rolls served with their special pineapple sauce were marvelously light. While we enjoyed everything, two real stand-outs were the wonton pad thai, a terrific combination of two classic dishes in one; and the Thai hot pot, a broth bursting with seafood simmered in a piquant pik prow chili sauce. And I would be remiss if I did not recommend the Thai iced tea, which is black tea mixed with sugar and half-and-half. Caloric to be sure but sinfully delightful.

231 High Street, Torrington, torringtonthaicuisine.com

Goshen Native Takes Local to a Whole New Level in Norfolk 

By Hannah Van Sickle 

Ryan Craig’s very first job, secured on the eve of his 15th birthday, was steeped in serendipity. After transferring from the regional public high school, where he was falling through the cracks, Craig enrolled at Marvelwood School; most mornings, on the daily drive from Goshen to Kent, he and his parents stopped at the original Berkshire Country Store in West Cornwall. “It became our spot,” says Craig who was drawn to the jovial guy behind the counter. One day a help wanted sign appeared in the window which ultimately opened a door for Craig. After five years spent serving coffee, making deli sandwiches and running the cash register—plus a decade spent in the corporate world gleaning customer service and communication skills—Craig returned to his roots and revived the very establishment where he cemented his retail footing.

“Building that foundation didn’t happen overnight,” Craig recalls, citing the gift of time and energy the previous owners took to shape him from a punk kid into a small business owner. 

Five years into the venture, Craig and his team aspire to make living in Norfolk—pronounced Nor-fork by a majority of his customers, a colloquialism that ultimately gave rise to a line of hats, t-shirts, and bumper stickers Craig is using to brand his business—a bit more enjoyable and convenient than it would be without the Berkshire Country Store.

“Norfolk is very much trending toward a seasonal town,” says Craig, citing breakfast to-go (plus house-baked cinnamon rolls and donuts) as a big draw among working class locals and tradespeople whose support keeps the lights on. In an effort to serve as a one-stop shop for weekenders’ local needs, Craig stocks an impressive array of regional goods including fair-trade, certified organic coffee (both brewed and bagged) from Coffee-Tea-Etc. in Goshen; Mead’s maple syrup from Canaan; Peter Sadlon’s local honey from Salisbury; and a wide array of local meat—including heritage pork and chicken, pastured lamb, grass-fed beef plus sausage and duck from Tory Hill Marketplace in Lakeville and Birdseye and Tanner Brooks Farm in West Cornwall. Felted wool mittens (lined with cashmere) are handmade in Colebrook and Rolling Rock Farm in Sheffield, Mass. created and bottled a unique-to-the-northwest-corner product: Norfolk ice sea salt which pays homage to the town’s nickname, “The IceBox of Connecticut.” 

Craig, now on the brink of 40, continues to fine tune his model: to provide a gathering place for locals and a welcoming stop for out-of-town visitors. He was initially recruited by the town’s Economic Development Commission and the Norfolk Foundation—which operates the adjacent Norfolk Hub (a central co-working space for nonprofit and community members)—remains his landlord. 

“These types of businesses are not inherently profitable,” Craig says, admitting that he mows a few lawns and offers small-business consulting on the side to make ends meet; still, he’s fueled by a commitment to his community and keeps finding creative ways to stay afloat. He recently found a vintage velvet sofa online (a perfect match for the pair of orange upholstered rockers inherited from a great aunt) and a welcoming lounge, complete with electric fireplace and free wi-fi, making the 3,200 square-foot space feel cozy for winter. 

Craig continues to be fueled by passion over profit. “We try to be a little bit of everything for everybody, which the market has made very challenging, but we’re out here trying.”