Julie Messina had a problem to solve. What could she do to proactively combat the cold and flu season when it inevitably hit her own home? As a Kindergarten teacher and a new mom, she knew she would be a vector for viruses for her family and wanted to get ahead of the inevitable sniffles, or worse, influenza. When she discussed her concerns with her pediatrician, she learned about elderberry syrup, which some studies have shown can shorten the severity and duration of flu in adults. Drawn to its properties as a natural food, she wanted to give it a try but she hit her first roadblock when trying store brands. She didn’t like the taste or price of the elderberry syrups readily available, so she decided to try making her own. Although Julie wouldn’t officially sell her first bottle of elderberry syrup for several months, J’s Homemade was born on that fateful day at the pediatrician’s office. Like many entrepreneurs solving a problem, what followed wasn’t a straight path, but a lot of trial and error, perseverance and support from her wife Alicia and her (now) two children.
Each bottle of J’s Homemade elderberry syrup reflects its natural products and represents her own ongoing research and development.
New Haven can now claim a Michelin-starred chef among its culinary denizens. New Zealand native and Chef Matt Lambert, along with Barbara Lambert and Jennifer Vitagliano, are the team behind Hamilton Park, the city’s newest restaurant. A self-described “neo bistro” with a seafood emphasis, the menu also features house-made pastas, house-cured charcuterie, and a memorable cocktail program by Eben Freeman (formerly of wd~50).
The world lost its original culinary badass and gifted storyteller. CNN reports that Anthony Bourdain was found dead. He was 61 years old.
He taught us that the culinary world and its kitchens were not all polite white tablecloth 12-course tasting menu affairs but were sometimes a drug-fueled f-bomb filled pressure cooker that would happily fill your Sunday brunch menu with questionable weekend leftovers.
The newly reopened Bedford Playhouse will host an event featuring exclusive footage and select scenes of "Right to Harm" followed by a Q&A and reception with Mark Bittman, legendary New York Times food author and activist, on June 14.
Battle of the Chefs returns to Founders Hall on Sunday, June 3, 4 – 7 pm. In a culinary showdown similar to those featured on television shows such as Top Chef and Chopped, three seasoned chefs will match sharp knives and quick wits for the benefit of Founders Hall. Chefs Brian Bender (David’s Soundview Catering in Stamford, formerly of Cutting Board Café in Ridgefield), Zachariah Campion (Bailey’s Backyard, Ridgefield), and André Gainer (Luna Rossa, Ridgefield), will compete to create an entree from a basket of surprise ingredients, in just sixty minutes, in front of a live audience. A panel of food experts, including Brendan Walsh (Dean of Culinary Arts, the Culinary Institute of America) and Amy Kundrat (executive editor, CT Bites) will judge the chefs on their creativity, craftsmanship and culinary results as the crowd cheers the chefs on. Ken Tuccio, host of CTbites new Food & Drink podcast, will emcee the action.
What should I make for dinner? This daily lament is the million billion dollar question fueling a booming meal kit industry. Weekly deliveries of fresh ingredients with easy-to-follow recipes offer the promise of an easy weeknight dinner. However, a growing segment of this audience such as young professionals and busy families is seeking something even simpler, less time consuming, and healthier.
Swyft, historic Kent’s new restaurant featuring wood-fired pizza, is now open offering creative small plates, pastas, rustic entrees, and a large selection of craft beers and natural wines.
Swyft is the brainchild of chef-owner Joel Viehland, formerly of the award-winning Community Table in Litchfield County. The historic 18th-century building is divided to house both a modern tavern and a fine dining restaurant. Swyft, a 40-seat tavern and bar, will offer seasonal comfort fare, with ingredients largely coming from nearby Rock Cobble Farm. Through a separate entrance is Ore Hill, where eventually Viehland will serve a tasting menu that draws upon his experience cooking at Noma, Gramercy Tavern, and other renowned restaurants.
At Swyft, the focus is on adventurous comfort food. Small plates include baby back pork ribs with guanciale-spiked XO sauce, a salad of lightly charred brassicas with crispy grains and pomegranate, and pickled wild mussels on saffron aioli toast, while entrees range from wood-fired chicken for two to rabbit milanese with cardoon gribiche or a burger with old-school tallow fries. Swyft will offer a selection of seasonal pizzas, wood-fired in a Pavesi oven from Naples, Italy. In addition to classics like margherita, Viehland will offer a kale and potato pie, with both the greens and the milk for the housemade ricotta coming from Rock Cobble Farm just minutes away.
In a letter to friends, Joel and Audra Viehland announced the November opening of a new restaurant, Ore Hill & Swyft in Kent, Connecticut. Formerly of Community Table, Chef Joel Viehland is opening the restaurant in two stages, accommodating two distinct dining experiences. We eagerly await their return!
Within its pages, the almanac honors the dedication, hard work and contributions farms make to the world and society. The Farmer of the Year award was created in an effort to recognize the farmers who do the hard work.
“The judging was tough,” Sandi Duncan Philom, managing editor, said.“We didn’t realize how genuinely inspired we would be by the stories of people who not only dedicate their lives to an occupation that’s often overlooked and overworked, but who also have such passion for growing and taking care of the animals and the land that feed the world.
Taproot is one of Fairfield County’s newest chef-driven restaurants. Jeff Taibe (Kawa Ni) and Steph Sweeney (Whelk, Jesup Hall) have teamed up to open the doors to a dining experience that combines a hyper local menu in a charming and down-to-earth setting. If you’re close, it's almost guaranteed to become a contender for a regular hangout spot. If not (but hey, Westport to Bethel is only 30 minutes), it is worth the drive. Thanks to a creative and seasonal menu, it's one of our new favorite spots. And here are just a few reasons why.
Do good with great beer. TIckets are now on sale for Hops for Hope, a Connecticut brewfest to benefit the Smith Magenis Research Foundation. The event will take place on Saturday, September 2 in New Britain.
Opening this week, Taproot will bring a true taste of Connecticut to the plate punctuated with Southern and global influences in a down-to-earth setting. Nearby farms, producers, and foragers will be the source of ingredients for a hyper-local and evolving menu—an unpretentious chef-driven dining experience soon to be situated in the quaint northern Fairfield County town of Bethel.
Why this focus on local? It’s not a trend to chase for Jeff Taibe and Steph Sweeney, Taproot’s partners who live in Bethel and are raising their family there.
Born in Spain, Chef Manuel Romero of Olea in New Haven, was raised in a family that loved cooking traditional and tasty food. When he was a child, his family moved to the United States, and he developed a passion for cooking by watching, helping, and learning alongside his mother. He moved up the culinary ladder, and in 2014, Chef Romero opened Olea restaurant offering guests his innovative interpretation of Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine. His menu is masterful and his dishes are stunning. We spoke with Chef Romero about his hobbies, worst kitchen nightmare, and his guilty pleasures.
Since first experiencing Tommy Juliano's pastry program at Community Table, we have been enamored with his bold and edgy approach to dessert. We are thrilled to hear that the chef has returned to the Connecticut culinary scene as Executive Pastry Chef at ON20 in Hartford.
The Food Network sent CTbites' Amy Kundrat on a mission to select the quintessential dishes throughout the state of CT. Here are her picks for classic CT eats.
Though its New York neighbor gets more culinary street cred, Connecticut is a hotbed of local flavors, including a local take on the lobster roll, collegiate-level ice cream and coal-fired, clam-topped pizzas that lure fans from around the world to the Nutmeg State.
I'd like to introduce you to the best, shittiest beer in Connecticut.
No, it’s not a slam. In fact, it’s exactly what chef Marcel Davidsen and brewmaster Tyler Jones set out to create when developing Black Hog Brewing Co.'s newest beer, Yes Chef.
“Marcel came to me wanting to make a beer for the guys who work hard in his kitchen. After their shifts, they usually drink PBR. So we thought, let’s make a craft beer but keep it simple with just hops and malt, and no additives,” explained Tyler Jones, a chemical engineer and the brewmaster at Black Hog Brewing Co.
