The Schoolhouse at Cannondale was built just after the Civil War, in 1872 and has been owned and operated by Chef Tim LaBant, a native of Wilton, since 2006. The setting of this authentic one room schoolhouse along the banks of the rushing Norwalk River, makes for an unusual destination dining experience. The deep chocolate hue on the walls, the comfortably upholstered banquet seating that runs under the windows that frame the river just outside, the simple decor accented by 4-5 framed photos of classes of students and teachers from over 100 years ago, sets the tone. This quintessential New England scene is authentic, inviting and superb.
CRUSTLESS QUINOA AND KALE QUICHE was served and critiqued in elementary school?
That is precisely what happened last month as 200 fourth and fifth graders at Holland Hill Elementary School in Fairfield tasted the dish they had voted to “try” in response to First Lady Michelle Obama’s LET’S MOVE! campaign to combat childhood obesity. Green Gourmet to Go chef and owner, Linda Soper-Kolton jumped on the opportunity to participate in the nation wide contest to create a tasty, highly nutritious, child friendly dish by approaching her own son’s elementary school Principle, Frank Arnone. Lucky for the students and the chef, Mr. Arnone loved the idea of involving his students in the process of discussing ingredients and tasting the contest entry.
Yoga devotees and newcomers alike celebrated when KaiaYoga, a complete wellness center, opened in Westport in June of this year. An offer to explore the new center with a deal called “30 days for $30”, enticed 2500 new students of all ages to take classes and explore this new studio. With 10,000 square feet and two thoughtfully designed levels, this location offers a large selection of yoga classes and wellness services for all members of the community. Now members and non-members alike can rejoice again. Husband and wife duo Stan Woodman and Gina Norman have finally opened KaiaCafe, an organic juice bar that offers a carefully edited selection of salads and wraps, in addition to freshly squeezed juices, boosts, smoothies and remedies. Over 20 organic teas are offered by the cup or pot, as are coffee, espresso and capuccino with any kind of milk you can imagine.
Chocoholics pay attention! Next time you have that hankering for serious chocolate, run over to treat yourself and your best friends to the extraordinary Belgian style, hand filled, preservative free chocolates at Belgique Chocolatier.
Belgique is familiar to some chocolate lovers in Fairfield County who have enjoyed the chocolates, fine pastries and ice cream at Susan and Pierre Gilissen’s first location in Kent, CT. After searching for a storefront in Fairfield County, they landed on a jewel of a space set back from Elm St. in New Canaan. This location opened in mid-September and is 100 % about the chocolate. Before opening in Kent in 2001, Chef Pierre Gilissen served as Executive Chef and Manager at the Residence of the Netherlands Ambassador to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. There, he prepared all meals, receptions and teas for the Ambassadors, their families and up to 1,000 guests. His passion for chocolates began during his years there.
Too early to start planning your Thanksgiving menu? Think again. Stop by the market this Thursday November 4th as BLOODROOT RESTAURANT presents vegetarian stuffing fit for your holiday table or any really any table. Their CHESTNUT STUFFING with shitake mushroom gravy starts with their own bread crumbs (don’t even think of NOT eating their bread when dining there) from the previous day’s choice of house baked potato rye, oatmeal sunflower or whole wheat loaves. They combine those precious crumbs with chopped and roasted chestnuts, bright orange squash, pumpkin seeds and gently sauteed onions and shallots. This combo would be perfect on its own or alongside your holiday entree.
Celeriac apple puree is the base of the luscious filling in BLOODROOT’S FILO PASTRY SHELLS.
Dedicated market shoppers will be treated to a selection of toasty, seasonal dishes at the Westport Farmers’ Market on October 28 between 10-2. Tim LaBant, chef and owner ofSCHOOLHOUSE RESTAURANT in Wilton, will present three preparations using farm fresh, local ingredients from market vendors and his go-to restaurant source, Millstone Farm in Wilton.
To ward off the chill of these late October days, LaBant will offer his Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, a satisfying puree of the namesake’s goofy looking root of the sunflower, onions, garlic, chicken stock, bay leaves. This slightly sweet, nutty puree is lightly finished with cream, contrasting a bit of richness with the earthy flavor of this nutritious tuber. Be sure to ask LaBant about how to handle his favorite fall root.
LaBant will also compose a salad of peppery arugula, shaved crisp radishes, beets, carrots and any other veggies that look salad worthy
Chef Nicole Straight will present two autumnal dishes to shoppers at the Westport Farmers Market on Thursday October 7th, between 10-2. Balsamic macerated figs with sweetened ricotta (recipe below) is a welcome alternative to baked fruit desserts at this time of year. Straight’s simple and flavorful preparation is assembled in two easy steps. She allows plump, glossy figs to be front and center, accented by the creaminess of sweetened, whole milk ricotta. Her second presentation will be a fall twist on bruschetta. Now that tomato season has sadly wained, Straight concocts an equally appetizing combo of eggplant, apples, butternut squash and onions with honey, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, cayenne and paprika. She hits all of the taste buds in this colorful and nutrient packed assemblage of the season’s highlights. The chef will source all of her veggies, onions, honey and figs from the market that morning. She often turns to SONO BAKING CO. for her bread and will use their baguettes to support her veggie laden topping on Thursday.
Restaurant Chefs are a self reliant bunch. Chef Paul Byron reminded me of that fact when I met him in the dining area of the Bridgeport Rescue Mission. Chefs are by nature, creative, resourceful, organized planners. They manage ingredient lists, weekly menus and schedules of all kinds. These details and more, factor into the efficiency of a restaurant kitchen and ultimately into the presentation of tempting plates to restaurant patrons.
Now, imagine for a moment, the opposite. Imagine a chef that prepares three meals a day including five seatings for dinner. He rarely orders or chooses his ingredients, rather he cooks with what is available to him.
Given the "Worth It" rating from the NY Times, it was easy to rally a group of hungry enthusiasts to join me at Navaratna for lunch last week. Navaratna is the newest Indian restaurant in the ever expanding dining scene in downtown Stamford. This packed lunch spot is unique in that it features Southern Indian cuisine that is strictly vegetarian (and certified Kosher). As a lover of Indian food, I was intrigued, and we descended upon Navaratna to explore its distinctive menu.
Lisa Storch and Glen Colello, chef/owners of Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe in Fairfield, will present samples of their fare at the Westport Farmers’ Market on September 2. If you are interested in learning more about organic, vegan, raw or gluten free preparations you don’t want to miss tasting their offerings.
Boston Lettuce Salad will be presented in bite size wraps to hungry shoppers. They source crisp, freshly picked lettuce from Two Guys From Woodbridge and combine with raw, finely grated, fuchsia beets from Riverbank or Fort Hill Farms. A sweet and simple dressing of honey (Red Bee Apiary) with mustard and herbs, moisten this salad. Candied pecans and nut “cheese,” made with a base of ground cashew nuts, rounds out the filling of these crunchy and delicious wraps.
For those seeking a densely nutritious liquid punch, taste the Green-Ya-Colada. The blenders will be whirling as deep green,local and organic spinach is combined with banana, orange, pineapple juices and coconut oil.
Summer Comfort Food was the theme of the class I recently attended at Aux Delices’ Cooking School in their commissary kitchen in Stamford. As we are smack in the middle of this steaming season, I was happy to be invited to relax, observe and learn something new about how to prepare summer dishes, utilizing the season’s bounty. Aux Delices has retail store locations, all with seating, in Darien, Riverside and Greenwich. The shops offer owner/Chef Debra Ponzek’s culinary creations of prepared foods and a unique collection of specialty food items. Their name translates as “all the delicious food in life,” and considering their choices of scrumptious take out items, private and corporate catering offerings, and classes at their cooking school, the name is certainly apt.
Chef Cecily Gans, Main Course Catering, will present arugula salad with fresh fruit vinaigrette on August 19 between 10-2, at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
Always the communicative and generous instructor, she will provide hand outs of her recipe and tips on composing summer salads. As a chef who has touched so many young hearts in Westport, she will surely be greeting lots of her former students and their parents as they stop by to taste and visit.
Ask a sampling of student at Staples High School in Westport, which class they loved the most, or hoped to enroll in but couldn’t get into because it was oversubscribed, and many will say it was CULINARY ARTS, taught by Cecily Gans.
A taste of the Mediterranean will arrive at the Westport Farmers’ Market on August 12 when Chef Pedro Garzon steps away from Cafe Manolo to present chilled gazpacho to shoppers. As the summer’s steamy weather continues, we welcome the opportunity to eat our soups chilled and avoid turning on the stoves.
Chef Garzon will be demonstrating his method of preparing this summer treat on the spot. He will use a simple, traditional, Andalusian recipe, sourcing perfectly ripe tomatoes, firm cucumbers, brightly colored peppers, mild onions and garlic from the vendors that morning. SONO bakery will provide the bread which will be blended into the raw vegetable soup.
Chef Pietro Scotti of DaPietro’s, Westport, will be the guest chef at the Westport Farmers’ Market on July 29.
In advance of his appearance, Pietro will be making fresh mozzarella for shoppers, as he regularly does for his restaurant patrons. He sources his dairy from Calabro Cheese, a 43 year old family owned and operated company in East Haven. He will slice, season and plate luscious, ripe, heirloom tomatoes with herbs and his homemade mozzarella that morning. Using just a few, super fresh, high quality ingredients is a great way to highlight these outstanding ingredients.
Mark Sharon, Head Chef of Collyer Catering in Westport, will be offering 2 summer dishes at the Westport Market on July 15 between 10-2.
Moorefield Herb Farm in Trumbull was the inspiration for Mark Sharon’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls, which he will be preparing fresh at the market. These veggie packed rolls are the perfect summer dish as the only cooking required is the hot water needed to soften the rice wrappers. The fragile wrappers will be demystified for shoppers on Thursday, as Mark will lay out his ingredients and demonstrate how to work with the delicate rolls. Hot water softens the wrappers and allows them to be rolled with a wide variety of fillings. Inside you will find Vietnamese coriander providing a bright citrus flavor combined with the raw veggies from Riverbank Farm. Bean sprouts, sweet peppers, carrots and snow peas are finely chopped and simply flavored with the bright coriander.
Chef Sharon will also be presenting his own version of “HUMMOOSE”,
On July 8, from 10-2, Bill Taibe, executive chef and owner of LeFarm in Westport, will be offering some special dishes at the market.
Taibe’s commitment to local growers and artisans is the concept upon which LeFarm is built. This 30 seat, cleaned up barn-like dining room in Colonial Green offers its diners meticulously sourced, deceptively simple, always exceptionally excellent fare.
Taibe will be wow’ing visitors to the market with Nasturtium Honey Blunts. You got it! Taibe cleverly refers to rolled cigars here. For this preparation, Taibe sources the largest leaves of the Nasturtium flower (no more than 2-3 inches across), rolls them around a filling of chopped black olives, La Quercia prosciutto, Red Bee honey and Beltane Farms goat cheese. The variegated, bright green leaf has a peppery, arugula -like flavor which contrasts unexpectedly against the creamy cheese and the sweet honey. How’s that for finger food?
Taibe will also offer pickled veal tongue served with bright, local tomatoes.
Kausik Roy, Executive Chef and owner of TAWA, Stamford, will be the guest chef at the Westport Farmers’ Market on Thurs. July 1st, from10-2
Roy will offer two of his restaurant patrons’ favorite dishes. This self described “rule breaker” seeks to present authentic ethnic cuisine while incorporating an abundance of locally grown veggies, which are not commonly found on menus in Indian restaurants. His desire to alter how his customers think about Indian cuisine is evidenced in his re-creating many traditional dishes.
A bright and crisp chilled native corn and asparagus salad will highlight the tail end of the asparagus crop
Executive Chef, Erin Hunt, of Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurant in Fairfield, is the guest chef at the Westport Farmers’ Market on June 24 between 10-2.
Chef Hunt will be offering shoppers cups filled with two chilled Spanish soups: tomatillo gazpacho and Valencia gazpacho. During the warm summer months when local tomatoes are easily accessible and reliably flavorful, this summer staple often reappears as a refreshing, seasonal favorite. Highlighting the creative variations on this traditional dish, Chef Hunt will blister the tomatillos to bring out the slightly tart flavors of this tomato variety. These charred, bright green beauties are then combined with Spanish onion, garlic, shallots, cilantro, a drop of hot sesame oil and a splash of mild, rice vinegar.
June 17: Guest chef, Bryan Malcarney of Blue Lemon, Westport.
Bryan Malcarney of Blue Lemon, Westport will be offering his cold, cucumber dill soup to shoppers at the Westport Farmers Market on Thursday, June 17. He has sourced firm, sweet cukes from Roses's Berry Farm in South Glastonbury and plucked his dill from another farmer's stall. His soup is composed of these local cucumbers supported by a few white potatoes, some stalks of celery, a splash of tarragon vinegar, fresh dill and squeezed lemon juice.
Malcarney loves to roam this market. In response to what he finds there, he creates a weekly market special at Blue Lemon every Thursday evening.
June 10, Guest Chef: Prasad Chirnomula, Executive Chef/ Owner, Thali
Westport Farmers Market, Imperial Avenue, 10-2
Throughout the Summer, shoppers at the Westport Farmers Market will have the opportunity to sample multiple dishes prepared by an outstanding group of guest chefs. As part of this exciting new program, every week a different chef will shop the market and prepare 2-4 dishes using vendors' ingredients and products. This is a tremendous opportunity for chefs, farmers and enthusiastic eaters alike.
On June 10, hungry shoppers will have the opportunity to sample three creative dishes prepared by Thali of Westport's Executive Chef /Owner, Prasad Chirnomula. His quest for inspiring ingredients at this market prompted him to create three exciting dishes.
