Sarah & Bernard Bouissou Open À Table, a Gourmet Market in Ridgefield

“One of the things we hear all the time is, ‘We had no idea you were here!’ And once they’re here, they always come back.”

For over 20 years, Ridgefielders and those way further out knew exactly where to find Sarah and Bernard Bouissou—at 20 West Lane, where they not only operated a successful, iconic French restaurant, Bernard’s Restaurant and Sarah’s Wine Bar, but it’s also where they lived and raised a family.

When they sold the property in 2022 to Rob Moss, Dave Studwell, and B.J. Lawless, who would open The Benjamin in its place in 2023, Sarah and Bernard only halfway left Ridgefield.

The couple, who’ve been married nearly 34 years at press time, moved up to Sherman, happily traded in long days and late nights at the restaurant, and almost promptly opened up a gourmet market called À Table.

Aside from just gourmet foods, you’ll find some locally made décor, floral arrangements, and tabletop liners, cloths, aprons and the like, all extras that the market decided to carry after being inspired following a trip to France.

“The guys (Moss, Studewell, and Lawless) fell in love with the place and they’re the kind of people we wanted to sell it to,” Sarah says. “They wanted to make it better.”

Bernard picks up, “They’re doing a good job.”

“À Table (pronounced Ah TAH-bluh) means ‘come to the table,’” Sarah says. “Our hope is that we can make it easier to come to their table by just coming here and picking it up. Everything has heat and serve directions and you can have a beautiful meal in 10 minutes that’s fresh and easy while feeding yourself and your family good products.”

Sarah and Bernard met when they were 21, when both cooked at Le Cirque under Daniel Boulud and have worked together ever since. Approaching 34 years of marriage, Sarah jokes that the key to making it work is, “He does everything I say! Just kidding! We’ve been good at playing to our strengths. I’m more social and in the front, Bernard is a machine in the kitchen and his culinary skills are ridiculous. We have fun.”

And make no mistake, À Table isn’t a deli, even if at first glance it may resemble one. They’re not slicing cold cuts behind the counter or assembling Italian combos. And there are no tables inside or outside anyway.

À Table is prepared foods, imported French goods, homemade pastries and desserts, fresh baked sourdough, homemade pastas, sauces, dressings, chef-driven frozen dinners, homemade sausages, and then some.

“We probably had 15 things in the case when we opened, now we fight to fit more!” Sarah says. “Bernard is constantly doing new things. Porchetta, rabbit porchetta, and all those things that keep us interesting.”

“All the ice cream is made in house, all the sausage, pasta, ravioli, mac and cheese, lasagna, classic French dishes,” Bernard says. “We have three or four different terrines, pate. Even smoked foie gras terrine, spicy lamb merguez sausage, chorizo, porcini and pork sausage.”

What’s in the case really has a range. You’ll find grain salads, chateaubriand, roasted veggies, chicken tenders for the kids (or the adults that also love them!), sesame crusted salmon, paninis that you can press yourself or they’ll gladly do it for you, and Bernard’s popular veal burger that was a big seller at the restaurant years ago. 

“We’ve done porchetta panini, another with coulotte steak with spiring onion and mushrooms, another with leg of lamb with peppers, onions, and Manchego cheese,” Bernard says. “We served this veal burger at the wine bar. Everything lends to taking it to-go and finishing yourself. If you get the burger, heat it to the instructions, it’s a perfect medium rare.”

Sarah chimes in, “We spent a lot of time getting all the reheating instructions right.”

Prepared food aside, you’ll also find fancy vinegars—some aged in Cognac barrels—condiments, truffle oils, honey, and tinned fish, but they’re not forgetting some local goods sprinkled in the mix as well.

“When French people find us, they’re really happy,” Sarah says. “We get a lot of our imported goods from The French Farm, but we also have thoughtful, special, unique local stuff that you won’t find everywhere like décor from Forage & Florals based in Ridgefield and spectacular flowers from Wild Iris in Ridgefield.”

Now over a year in at À Table, Sarah mentioned that people have inquired about them putting tables outside—and they’re not going to do that, nor are they considering selling alcohol. Her and Bernard defer to their neighbor, 109 Cheese & Wine.

And if they do miss the restaurant, they’re scratching that itch by having a full catering business. But one thing they’re possibly open to are classes.

“We were a restaurant for so many years, so we’re not doing tables or table service,” Sarah says. “People have asked about cooking classes. We’re one year in, so I’m sure we’ll do different things. You never know. I like that we close at 6!”

109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield
203.438.8282, atableus.com