Chef Carole Peck Celebrating 25 years at Good News Restaurant and Bar

Award-winning Good News Restaurant and Bar, created and co-owned by Chef Carole Peck and her husband, Bernard Jarrier, is celebrating 25 years since first opening its doors at 694 Main Street South in Woodbury.  To commemorate this milestone, the couple is hosting an anniversary celebration at the restaurant on Friday, November 9th.

“This party is a big thank you to all of the guests, local farmers and entire community for supporting me these past 25 years as well as a celebration of what’s still to come,” says Chef Peck, who continues to evolve and push herself creatively.  “I feel fortunate and happy to share this food journey with so many people — I must be doing something right.”

The anniversary celebration will spotlight Good News Restaurant and Bar’s continued innovation, showcasing its newly renovated space and, as always, Chef Peck’s signature farm-to-table cuisine. The evening will commence at 6:30 p.m. with an elaborate buffet of delicious fall specialties, select wines, beer on tap, birthday cake, and of course, Chef Peck herself, as well as live music for dancing.  Tickets ($80 per person) are available now at Good News Restaurant and Bar (203) 266-4663.  All donations benefit Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, Woodbury Community Services and Woodbury Fire and Ambulance Associations.

“The only place to eat well, from cocktails to dessert, with everything made in-house, organic, delicious and nutritious,” says Michael Olear, who’s been a long-standing customer since the restaurant first opened in 1993.  “I’m never disappointed, only elated.”

New Look 

As part of the anniversary celebration, guests will enjoy the restaurant’s new bar, dining area and much larger outdoor patio accessed by two sets of French doors.  An electric blue wood wall livens up the new, 24-seat, four-sided bar, which also hosts a mix of love seats, booths, and tables around its perimeter.  A copper bar top with LED lighting under its surface illuminates the galvanized metal below, setting the ambiance of the space.  A tree sculpture a top the bar is the perfect piece of decor to cement the space’s modern, yet organic feel.  Also used as a gallery to promote local artists, the restaurant is constantly revitalizing its decor.

Expanded Menu 

An expanded bar menu boasts “zee hamburgers” on baker's brioche bun, lettuce tomato, pickles, Good News’ own slaw and yucca fries with house-made catsup; jumbo Kobe beef hotdogs; an eclectic mix of salads; raw bar and sushi-style appetizers; soups and lobster bisque. Carole Peck’s staples remain on the menu along with longtime favorites — Lots of Lobster Adult Mac & Cheese, Jack's Pecan Crusted Oysters, and Grilled Salmon and Corncake.  The restaurant always offers gluten-free and vegetarian options. 

Farm-to-Table Industry Thought Leader

From the beginning, Chef Peck was at the forefront of the organic and farm-to-table movement, moving her career from Manhattan to Litchfield County, in part to be close to the local and regional farms from which she was sourcing fresh, local and seasonal ingredients.  She opened her first restaurant, Carole Peck’s, in a small, white farmhouse in New Milford in 1988.  A visionary and trendsetter, before farm-to-table became an industry buzzword, she continues to embrace the benefits of farm fresh and natural ingredients, sourcing meat from several organic and grass-fed and range-free farms; milk from Arethusa Farm Dairy in Litchfield; fresh maple syrup processed in Woodbury; and more. Chef Peck is also a successful author, publishing a popular cookbook, “The Buffet Book,” in 1997.

ABOUT Good News Restaurant and Bar

Since first opening its doors in 1993, Good News Restaurant and Bar has won top awards year after year from Zagat's Guide, Connecticut Magazine and The New York Times, to name a few.  Zagat rated the 170-seat restaurant “one of the top restaurants” in the United States.

Open for lunch and dinner Monday and Wednesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Closed Tuesday); and Sunday for lunch and dinner 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Good News Restaurant and Bar is located at 694 Main Street South, Woodbury, CT.  For reservations call or visit: (203) 266-4663 and www.goodnewsrestaurantandbar.com