This just in from Chef Bill Taibe and Massimo Tullio, the team behind Kawa Ni, The Whelk & Don Memo.
After 12 incredible years of partnership, Bill Taibe and Massimo Tullio are announcing a new chapter in their professional lives as they transition to pursue independent goals. The duo, known for their exceptional contributions to the culinary landscape, will part ways amicably and continue their legacies with individual ventures.
Effective immediately, Bill Taibe will take over the ownership and operations of Kawa Ni Westport and Kawa Ni Denver. At the same time, Massimo Tullio will assume ownership of The Whelk and Don Memo, both located in Westport, CT.
With the start of a new year, many want to incorporate healthy habits into their daily routines, like eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. One way to do so in an ultra-convenient method is by sipping on a cup of delicious fresh-press juice. Rather than go through the hassle of juicing fruits and vegetables yourself, many businesses across Connecticut offer juices that can be prepared and enjoyed in a matter of minutes! Many of these businesses also offer cleanses– multi-day dietary programs aimed at detoxing and reducing inflammation through juice products.
If you’re looking for a juice bar, natural food market, or cafe that offers fresh-pressed juice products, this is the guide for you. This guide is broken up by county so you can quickly locate a business near you that sells an array of juices.
The Connecticut culinary community came together last night to celebrate hard work, passion and excellence in the field. Winners from each of the eight counties around the state and the eight winners were – Materia Ristorante in Bantam (Litchfield County); Bar Rosina’s in Greenwich (Fairfield County); Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford (Hartford County); Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar in New Haven (New Haven County); Monet’s Table in Tolland (Tolland County); The Essex in Old Saybrook (Middlesex County); Trigo Wood Fired Pizza in Willimantic (Windham County); and The Port of Call in Mystic (New London County). The overall winner who was named 2024 Connecticut Restaurant of the Year went to Bar Rosina’s, who earned the award over the other seven county winners and twenty-four total nominees.
If you live in CT, you likely have heard the name, Chef Ashley Flagg. She has been the executive Chef at the iconic Millwright's in Simsbury for five years, and has worked in the industry for over fourteen. Flagg is now getting ready to head out on her own, and has signed a lease for a new spot at 1046 New Britain Ave in West Hartford. The restaurant will be called The Laurel and it is slated to open its doors in early 2025. Are we excited? Heck yeah we are.
The name, The Laurel, is an ode to Flagg’s grandmother who inspired her love of cooking. It is also s a nod to the Connecticut state flower, an appropriate choice, as Flagg is a strong supporter of sourcing close to home. The concept is centered around globally inspired shareable plates utilizing the best local purveyors, farmers, and artisans.
Well, well, well, if it isn’t 2024, the dreaded new year. From the Halloween candy and Thanksgiving pies, to the Christmas cookies and unlimited New Year’s bubbly, I think it’s safe to say we are ready to start anew (I will also be buying a new scale because mine is clearly broken). Now it’s time for us to follow through with those dreaded resolutions. Whether you want to eat better, drink less alcohol, consume more sustainable foods, or treat the mind and spirit, this should be your go-to list. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of committing to goals that are almost impossible to stick with. However, with this caliber of options listed below, there is no goal that cannot be accomplished, and that is coming from me, a true pessimist. Let’s march into February excited about how far we have come with our resolutions, because being healthy does not mean forfeiting fun and creativity. C’mon now, say it with me!
Here are 45 spots for HEALTHY EATING and wellness in Connecticut.
Ask Forrest Pasternack about being back in Ridgefield and he’ll tell you that “there’s nothing quite like home.”
Already well traveled in this area and in New York as a renowned chef at several acclaimed restaurant, Pasternack may be best known to locals from his five-years when he headed up the kitchen at the O.G. farm-to-table restaurant Bailey’s Backyard from 2013 – 2018.
After a handful of years away, Pasternack is back!
But where’s he been all this time?
Well, a bunch of places and one big one at the same time.
Chefs Cycle is a fundraising endurance event featuring award-winning chefs and members of the culinary community-fighting childhood hunger outside the kitchen. Since 2015, the culinary talents who take part in Chefs Cycle raise critical funds, which No Kid Hungry uses to help communities across the country feed kids. Chef Luke Venner of Elm Restaurant in New Canaan, CT, is preparing for his 2nd year in the Chefs Cycle event. We sat down with him to discuss the importance of this fundraiser and the hopefully inspire other chefs to join him in 2024!
Less than a year ago, we introduced readers to Stamford branch of The Taco Project, a fast casual Mexican restaurant whose roots began in Tarrytown in 2014.
Since April of 2022, The Taco Project and its brand grew even more outside of its existing Westchester locations (Tarrytown, Yonkers, Pleasantville, Bronxville) and its High Ridge Road spot in Stamford, as they’ve set their sights on the Florida market and opened up shop in Coral Springs.
Greeting someone in Connecticut with an enthusiastic “Aloha!” or flashing them with a very chill hang loose hand gesture isn’t really our deal in the Nutmeg State. But on Tuesday afternoons at Bar 140, it’s totally rad to let out your inner Hawaiian during Umebroshi Food’s weekly pop-up.
CTbites is very proud to be a media sponsor for year one of the exciting event below, an event that celebrates the culmination of Black History Month. We share that honor with The New Canaanite, where writer, Laura Ault, originally posted this article detailing the Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R)’s Soul-Fête event, going down on March 2nd. Here’s the scoop. Grab your tickets now before they sell out!
With their customary knack for creating connection, Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R) has created an immersive cultural celebration. Soul-Fête, which will explore the culinary journey from Africa to America, will welcome you to the Carriage Barn at New Canaan’s Waveny Park on March 2nd from 7-9 P.M., wrapping up Black History Month in an unforgettable way. Music will be provided by local band The Misfits, and chef Damon Sawyer of Bridgeport’s 29 Markle Ct. will take us through the past, present, and future of Black food. What’s in store for us? Well, for one, there will be a mac ‘n’ cheese tasting.
To celebrate Black History Month 2023, we have updated our guide to black owned restaurants across the state of Connecticut. If you see a place that is missing, please let us know. Big ups and thanks to Molly Alexander for compiling an excellent start to this list with her Google Map posted to Eat in CT. Get out there and support these restaurants.
We did our best to compile a comprehensive list, but if you know of a spot we missed, please contact us here.
If you listen to Marc Taxiera talk about his style at his newly opened Mamaroneck restaurant, Augustine’s Salumeria, he speaks about it passionately.
“It’s born in Italian cooking, but I’m using ingredients from the market, things that turn us on,” he says. “My food was always about taking ingredients that we can get and showcasing them in the best way. Most Italian tends to be heavy on the sauce, fried calamari, chicken parm, but we’re taking the seasons and playing with it, doing it a little differently.”
“Mixing records is very similar to balancing tastes if you can imagine that. The lows of a record are like beets to me. That funk, the color of it. It’s a deep sound. You add shallots, it’s like a string session. That was a major component into my transition to being a chef. I knew what balancing sound was. Same thing as ingredients.”
A quote like that one could only come from a former musician, turned chef.
I’ll be the first to admit that since Rosina’s opened, it has become my toxic trait. And I mean that in the best way possible. I’ve eaten there for dinner, I’ve attended several happy hours and one industry night, and I’ve celebrated a birthday there.
Full transparency, Jared Falco, Rosina’s co-owner and executive chef, is a good friend of mine. I’d like to say I go so often to visit him, and that is partially true, but Jared, I’m sorry, it’s for the pasta. Still love you, bro!
Bottega Italian Kitchen + Bar, Craft Kitchen + Bar, and now, with the very quiet opening of Quattro Osteria in Newtown, we officially have a trio.
The “we” is the partnership between Michael Hayek (Square One Bar & Grill in Danbury) and Jasson Arias, who was the brains behind the popular food truck, Rice & Beans.
Ask any Fairfield County food truck fanatic what their favorite one was over the past handful of years and they’re likely to mention Nosh Hound if they know what they’re talking about.
The stacked sandwiches, the tacos, the burgers, and the bowls, and yes, even the “F” word…FUSION. It all really worked for Nosh Hound. I, for one, sought out Sam and Maycie Ralbovsky’s truck at every Mill River Park event. My final Nosh Hound memory was at Half Full’s Oktoberfest in Downtown Stamford when I obliterated a pork schnitzel sandwich.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All of the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante in Bantam.
In June 2022, Wilton resident Ben Pote opened Wildacre Rotisserie, a new fast casual concept whose signature is an expertly roasted heirloom chicken and an overall menu that’s all about freshness and quality.
This “Cali-style” chicken joint isn’t only bird-focused, though, as it’s got plenty in terms of vegetarian options—including a whole roasted za’atar seasoned cauliflower.
Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAZIES awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic CT.
