Connecticut Food & Farm Magazine, Winter 2018, Volume 11

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REFRESH FOR THE NEW YEAR. Connecticut Food and Farm captures iconic photos that can be used by farm, food, and handcraft businesses to attract customers and build a more professional and profitable brand. Be ready with product photos when the media calls! My photos have been featured in Country Living, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Aerlingus Inflight Magazine, and Edible Manhattan!

Now scheduling product photography and maker-at-work sessions from Jan 22 forward, rates begin at $150.

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in this issue

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6 CONNECTICUT CHEESEMONGER’S FONDUE

Laura Downey, ACS CCP 16 CHASING THE HOLIDAYS Hilary Adorno

34 BARN CATS

Amy Vaillencourt Smith

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42 VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE EDUCATION: THE ORIGINAL SCHOOL CHOICE Jennifer LaVoie

58 TAKING STOCK OF THE WINTER WITH GRASS & BONE

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Allena Tillman-Brown

70 LIVIN’ MUDDY: POTTER TO THE CHEFS Gena Golas

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Lisa Nichols photo

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WINTER 2018 | VOLUME 11 92

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FEED YOUR ART & SOUL 80 Winter Caplanson

CHALK ART NEW ENGLAND 92 ART FOR RESTAURANTS Winter Caplanson

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AQUAPIONEERS 104 FARMING FOR THE FUTURE Amy Holomakoff

AN ODE TO IMMIGRANTS: 126 HIDDEN GEMS OF NEW LONDON &NORWICH Amelia Lord

TASTE THE WORLD 144 AT TANGIERS INTERNATIONAL Amy S. White

EAT YOUR VEGGIES 154

Lyndsay Meiklem Dean

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YOUR VEGAN KITCHEN 164

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Lyndsay Meiklem Dean

12 DON’T MISS 176 CT VEGAN RESTAURANTS Rebecca Hansen

176 CTFOODANDFARM.COM

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s ’ r e g n cheesemo

e u d n fo

by Laura Downey, ACS CCP Jim O’Connor photos

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Who isn’t a fan of fondue?

On a cold winter night, there are few things more comforting than melted cheese, especially when friends and family are gathered around to share the experience. Originally a peasant food, fondue evolved as a way for farmers to feed their families at the end of a long winter. Legend has it that farmers would use whatever was on hand, usually cheese, bread, and wine, to sustain their families when fresh foods were less available.

The word “fondue” comes from the French word “fondre” which means to melt, and its origin is the Jura Mountain range between France and Switzerland. As Switzerland industrialized, cheese producers and a powerful cheese marketing board encouraged the dish’s popularity worldwide.

Different parts of Switzerland and the French Alps adapted local cheeses and wines to suit local tastes.

The dish was hugely popular in the United States

through the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

The classic Swiss fondue calls for Gruyère, Emmentaler, and sometimes Vacherin Fribourgeois, but any good melting cheese will work. It is a great way to use up leftover pieces of cheese and if you vary the cheeses used, each time will be a new eating experience. As convenient as it may seem, those premade fondue boxes available in supermarkets don’t compare to a real fondue made with great quality cheese.

Here is Fairfield Cheese Company’s “house” recipe.

We switched up the classic Swiss cheeses and instead opted for cheese made right here in Connecticut. It is straightforward! Use it as a guide, experiment with the cheeses and gather your friends and family for a cozy evening.

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On a cold winter night, there are 10

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e few things more comforting than melted cheese.

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Fairfield Cheese Company’s Fondue

Ingredients: • ½ lb Mystic Cheese Company’s Twain, grated • ½ lb Arethusa Farm Dairy’s Tapping Reeve, grated • 1 clove of garlic • 1 TB lemon juice • 1 ½ C of dry white wine • 1 TB cornstarch • 2-3 TB Kirsch • Nutmeg to taste

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Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring wine to a low boil. Turn heat to medium-low and slowly add cheese by the handful, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until cheese is melted. Allow fondue to come to a simmer.

In a separate bowl, mix together Kirsch and corn starch. Add to fondue while stirring, simmer for another 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice. If mixture is too thick, add a bit of white wine; if too thin, add a bit more cheese. Add nutmeg to taste.

Rub fondue pot with garlic. Pour fondue into fondue pot and light fuel. Dip bread, apples, veggies, sausage, potatoes, or whatever you’d like!

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Check out these cheese shops in Connecticut for a huge variety of origins and flavors and an all-encompassing knowledge of every cheese in the case:

109 Cheese and Wine, Ridgefield Caseus Fromagerie and Bistro, New Haven The Cheese Shop of Centerbrook Darien Cheese and Fine Foods Dom’s Cheese Shop, Avon Fairfield Cheese Company Fromage Fine Foods, Old Saybrook Greenwich Cheese Company

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CHASING TH 16

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HE HOLIDAYS

WITH HOMEMADE IRISH CREAM

BY HILARY ADORNO PHOTOS BY JAKE SNYDER, RED SKIES PHOTOGRAPHY CTFOODANDFARM.COM

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WE START EACH WINTER OPTIMISTICALLY

,

welcoming the snow to cover our barren landscape with gorgeous blankets of twinkling white flakes.

With the same enthusiasm we prepare for the holiday season, attempting to bring Norman Rockwell paintings to life: joyful gatherings around a perfectly plucked pine-scented tree, teeming with gifts, in front of roaring fire. We welcome the New Year with friends and family, celebrating all that we are grateful for.

When all holiday dust settles, we reflect on the reality of our holiday experience, which included, but was not limited to: carefully scrutinizing store shelves and endless catalogs to procure perfect gifts, finding the best seat possible for our obnoxious relative at the expense of another, putting forth a Herculean effort to curate and produce a flawless feast‌ all while kicking our way through never-ending dirty snowbanks and driving in circles trying to find available parking.

AND FOR THESE REASONS, WE DESERVE A DRINK. CTFOODANDFARM.COM

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WILLING TO FACE MY DEMONS FOR THE READERS OF Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine, I CONTACTED THE COCKTAIL CHEMIST, ALSO KNOWN AS DIMITRIOS ZAHARIADIS...

May I suggest something festive, seasonal, and often overlooked?

How about homemade Irish Cream? This drink is delicious on its own, but can be used in combination with other ingredients to make some killer cocktails.

Since I’m not an adventurous drinker, I needed a pro to guide me down this precarious path. Thanks to youthful experimentation gone wrong, I quickly learned any intoxicant with over 20% alcohol by volume only looked good going down.

Willing to face my demons for the readers of Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine, I contacted The Cocktail Chemist, also known as Dimitrios Zahariadis (Dimitri or Dim depending on how close your bond).

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Dimitri’s family hails from Drama, Greece and immigrated to Waterbury, Connecticut, in the early 1960’s, where Dimitri was born and raised. The Zahariadis clan is a multi-generational assemblage of restaurateurs, and their respective establishments provided an important education during Dimitri’s formative years.

It was at his parent’s restaurant in Southington, Spartan II, when the scheduled bartender failed appear. 18-year-old Dimitri got behind the bar and that’s where he has stayed.

These days, Dimitri owns and operates a bar and beverage consulting service called The Cocktail Chemist, assisting establishments develop and refine their drink menu, staff training, and bar design. He

offers cocktail catering and event planning. He is also the Brand Ambassador for Litchfield Distillery*, and a partner/owner of Highland Brass Co., a cocktail bar featuring a full roster of cleverly crafted, swanky drinks in the Town Plot section of Waterbury, also referred to as Waterbury’s Little Italy.

Irish Cream is often judged to be less-than-refined, syrupy and sweet. I challenged Dimitri to concoct a homemade Irish Cream recipe and corresponding elevated cocktails, meant to help us recover from our holiday hangover... a proverbial ‘hair of the holiday dog.’

Here’s what we came up with (by we, I mean he, I was merely a taste-tester):

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CONNECTICUT CREAM Ingredients:  1 cup Half & Half (recommended brand: Arethusa)  1-14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk  1 1/2 cups Vanilla Bourbon (recommended brand: Litchfield Distillery Batchers’ Vanilla Bourbon)  1/2 cup Coffee Bourbon (recommended brand: Litchfield Distillery Batchers’ Coffee Bourbon)  1 oz. Chocolate Syrup  1 tsp. Almond Extract  1 oz. Fresh-brewed Espresso

Directions: Combine all ingredients, mix well, bottle, refrigerate immediately (shelf-life 7-10 days)

Serve: On the Rocks (in our case – it was one boulder) Glass: Old Fashioned Glass or Short Tumbler Author’s Notes: This was simply divine. Not too sweet,

not too strong, but you can taste the notes of rich cream and just the right hint of the smooth as silk bourbon (which I traditionally dislike, rather passionately).

Either drink your Connecticut Cream as is, or use it to create the following stunning cocktails...

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CONNECTIUT CREAM ESPRESSO MARTINI Ingredients:  3/4 oz. Connecticut Cream  2 oz. Aged Rum (recommended brand: Zacapa Rum)  1/2 oz. Crème de Cacao  1 oz. Fresh-Brewed Espresso

Directions: Shake & stir all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker

Serve: Straight up Glass: Chilled martini or stemmed glass Garnish: 3 roasted coffee beans Author’s Notes: I also hate martinis, but found

myself gleefully sipping (and trying not to share) this delicious drink. Also, not too strong, and the individual flavors were all easy to detect, without overpowering.

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DIM’S BRANDY ALEXANDER Ingredients:  1/2 oz. Connecticut Cream  1 oz. Brandy (recommended brand: Metaxa Amphora 7 Star Brandy)  1 oz. Crème de Cacao  1/2 oz. Half & Half (recommended brand: Arethusa)

Directions: Shake & stir all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker

Serve: Straight up Glass: Old Fashioned Glass or Short Tumbler Garnish: Freshly-grated Nutmeg Author’s Notes: What a refreshing take on an

early 20th century classic. The nutmeg was just the right touch to add a little something special to the flavor profile.

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BETTER THAN BOEING’S B-52 Ingredients:  1/2 oz. Coffee Liqueur  1/2 oz. Connecticut Cream  1/2 oz. Grand Marnier

Directions: Ingredients must be slowly poured in

order as listed above to achieve the layered beauty of this pousse-café (a layered drink using liqueurs of different densities, which is why the order of the pour is essential).

Serve: Straight up Glass: Shot glass or if you want to be super fancy, there is a pousse-café short-stemmed glass

Author’s Notes: I had to drive – I sipped the top, but that was straight Grand Marnier and then I lost my nerve to take the whole shot. Regardless, this is a gorgeous presentation and a crowd-pleaser.

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LITCHFIELD DISTILLERY is a small-batch fine craft spirit company, focused on sourcing ingredients from local farmers, in Litchfield, Connecticut. They carry a wide range of traditional and uniquely-flavored Bourbon, Vodka and Gin. They also provide tastings and tours of their beautiful facility located at 599 Bantam Road, Litchfield. This is a trip worth taking. Tell David and Jack Baker Connecticut Food and Farm sent you. ď Ž

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Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.

- Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

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photo by Laura Mahon in Pomfret

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cinations. At Cedars of Lebanon Farm, we work to tame the cats for as long as three months, then rehome them to local farms in need. Ready to welcome a working cat to your farm? Contact us, inquire at other farms that may have barn kittens available, or call cat rescue organizations and ask to be put on their list for unadoptable cats.

Barn Cats PURR-FECT PEST PATROL

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rt Smith u o c n e l l i a V

by Amy

otos h p y o r cEl Carla M

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The gray cat freezes

as the flashlight beam catches her in mid-stalk, front paw arrested in mid-air. She stares unblinking into the light, every muscle tense, waiting for the next move. The sound of scurrying in the hay brings her attention back around to the interior of the barn and she slinks away to investigate. The sight of a barn cat while checking

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on the livestock, one last time in the evening, is a comfort.

Barn cats serve many purposes on the farm, most notably as catchers of rodents. Mice have the uncanny ability to get into very small spaces and wreak havoc. They chew through wires, make nests in engine compartments, and consume grain. They also spread diseases and even smaller vermin like

fleas, ticks, and mites which negatively impact both animals and humans.

Some cats are friendly and accustomed to people. These domesticated barn cats bring companionship to their bag of benefits. They can be a calming distraction while waiting for the vet to arrive and will curl up with you on a hay bale while you wait for a cow to calve. Barn cats greet

you with an eager meow as you approach the barn and the sound of a banging milk pail will bring them running.

Cats that are not domesticated, also known as feral, will avoid human contact. You will occasionally catch a glimpse of them lurking in the shadows as they dispassionately observe your activities. Feral cats that have been spayed or neutered

will have their ear “notched” or “tipped”. This provides caregivers an easy to identify mark should one be accidentally caught and brought to a rescue organization or veterinarian.

Most animal rescue organizations will screen against rehoming cats to a barn. Occasionally a group will take in a cat that cannot be tamed and they label them as unadoptable. They will,

in those instances, rehome them to an outdoor situation. This can be an ideal arrangement for feral cats who, on a farm, can be both cared for and “free.”

Once you take in your new cat, special care must be given so that they learn that your barn is now their home. Most organizations will suggest that three weeks in a crate or closed stall will be enough time. Many have

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Barn cats greet you with an eager meow as you approach the barn and the sound of a banging milk pail will bring them running. found that six weeks has a greater success rate. Be sure to use a crate that is big enough to contain the cat, a litter box, food dish, and water dish. To release the cat after six weeks, simply open the door to the crate, but leave everything else in its place. In another week you can remove the litter box and the crate, leaving the food and water dishes.

Continue to feed your barn cat. It is a misconception that barn cats do not need food.

Access to water is also necessary, but most farms already have water available yearround in various troughs and buckets. Barn cats will also need a place to curl up out of the elements. The most common place is the hay loft where the hay is dry and provides insulation. Another option is to create a simple cat shelter using two plastic totes. Directions can be found here.

It has been said that outdoor cats don’t live for as long as indoor cats. While this may be true of city dwellers, anecdotally, barn cats live quite long and fulfilling lives.

Many farmers will tell of barn cats that have surpassed the fifteen-year mark, still in excellent health. To give your barn cats a greater chance at longevity, only breakaway collars should be used. These will unsnap if a

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cat’s collar becomes snagged on an obstacle, thereby preventing them from choking. Keep their rabies vaccination current and have them spayed or neutered. Worming and flea/ tick control is also recommended, but can be difficult to apply if the cats are feral.

Barn cats are hardworking creatures whose benefits far surpass the costs involved in their care. Our farm takes in feral/unadoptable

cats. They are spayed or neutered and given their first vaccinations. At Cedars of Lebanon Farm, we work to tame the cats for as long as three months, then rehome them to local farms in need. Ready to welcome a working cat to your farm? Contact us, inquire at other farms that may have barn kittens available, or call cat rescue organizations and ask to be put on their list for unadoptable cats. ď Ž

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VOCATIONAL

AGRICULTURE

EDUCATION: the Original School Choice

by Jennifer La

Carla McElro

Voie

y photos

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S

ome kids thrive in an educational environment offering hands-on work and problem solving in the real world. They seek leadership skills and public speaking experience and preparation for work directly after high school, or for entrepreneurship…all the while keeping their options open for pursuing a college education.

There is a school choice option open to every Connecticut student who has completed eighth grade that offers exactly this: Vocational Agriculture Education…but it’s not just farming anymore. Areas of program concentration at the state’s Agricultural Science and Technology Education (ASTE) centers include: agricultural strands of Animal Systems; Aquaculture Systems; Marine and

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Technology Systems; Food Products and Processing Systems; Natural Resources and Environmental Systems; Plant Systems; Power, Structural and Technical Systems; and Biotechnology Science.

Any school district that does not provide agricultural instruction has designated a school or schools for its students to attend at no cost.

Transportation is provided. Special education students have the same opportunities there as their non-special education peers.

Connecticut’s first Vocational Agriculture program began in 1920 at Nonnewaug High School in

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Woodbury. Until 1969, only boys were accepted into the state’s Vo-Ag programs. Now, nineteen regional ASTE centers, with a twentieth opening soon, have more than 3500 young men and women enrolled. The programs include classroom instruction, laboratory experience, leadership training, and supervised work experience.

Students are likely to be learning from teachers who have worked in the field in which they teach.

It’s a systems approach that encompasses agricultural production and services, business management, career and leadership skills, scientific inquiry, use and conservation of land

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and water resources, career and environmental safety and security, global economics and the sociological and political aspects of the agricultural industry.

ASTE centers across Connecticut are achieving a notable success rate and producing students that are in demand. In the state’s most recent survey, five years after completing the program: 75% of students have postsecondary degrees; 46% have graduated from a four-year college; 78% of those who started a four-year college degree program earned a degree (the national average is 59%); 9% own businesses (70% of which are agricultural); and 93% are employed.

Those statistics thrill Harold Mackin, consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education, “Agricultural education produces tremendous students who are going out and leading the world.”

Although students can opt to return to their home high school for a traditional course of study if they have a change of heart, few do.

The ASTE programs lose less than 5% of their students over four years.

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“You are out in the world, participating. It’s a great way to learn!”

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I joined Brenda Wildes, department head at Lebanon’s ASTE program, and its animal science teacher, on a brisk, sunny morning at the Cushman Farm in Lebanon where eight of her students were halter training calves.

Brenda herself grew up on a 170 cow dairy farm that she managed for five years before getting her teaching degree.

I met Michael Wolf, a junior, who is confident and well-spoken. Standing alongside Hop, the calf he has been working with, Michael told of his plans for attending college to study communications, with a minor in agricultural business or large animal science. The ASTE program offers a variety of hands-on experiences that Michael said are preparing him for a career in journalism or broadcasting.

He has been practicing his sales pitch in an upcoming competition in agricultural sales. He’s been given a product to “sell”– in this case he must pitch calf warmers for baby calves to a room full of judges. He’s already got his sales voice queued up – assuredly he began, “For example, in North Dakota it gets really, really cold in the winter and you’ve got these spring calves for show season, and you want them to be warm, so you’ll need one of these calf warmers for sure!”

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Marina Megson, a senior, explained her perspective: “The ASTE program completely applies to life. You are out in the world, participating. It’s a great way to learn!”

Brenda proudly quipped, “Our kids are well rounded. They can stand up in front of anyone and talk about what they do in this program. They are prepared to go into a job interview and have the confidence to sell themselves.”

If this practical and action-oriented way of learning appeals, prospective students and parents can find more information about the ASTE program at the Connecticut Department of Education web page, attend open houses at

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the centers, and set up group or personal visits.

The ASTE program selection process is competitive and generally starts in mid-October of the student’s eighth grade year. The state’s common application must be accompanied by academic records including attendance, academic, and behavioral records, standardized assessment scores, and a recommendation from a teacher, a counselor, and non-relative personal recommendation. Involvement with agriculture is favorably viewed, and young people may prepare themselves by joining 4-H or Grange or participating in extracurricular activities related to agriculture or aquaculture.

Click here for more information about Connecticut’s Agricultural Science and Technology Education Centers or ask your child’s guidance counselor about the agricultural education high school options offered by your district. 

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Photo by Winter Caplanson at Cold Spring Farm 56

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If snow begins at mid of day,

expect to lay. it a

foot of

- The Old Farmer’s Almanac

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Taking Stock OF Winter 2 with

Grass & Bone

by Allena Tillman-Brown Anna Sawin photos

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Mystic’s Grass & Bone is a casual, locally-sourcing restaurant within a whole animal custom butcher shop, and the newest venture of James Wayman and Dan Meiser of Oyster Club and Engine Room Connecticut restaurant fame. At Grass & Bone, you can dine in on rotisserie chicken with sauces like fermented honey mustard and green chili and tahini; soup made with farm fresh ingredients; seasonal salads including Rough Cut Caesar with chicken fat croutons and Roasted Winter Squash Salad with wheat berries, arugula pesto, and smoked ricotta; and delectable sandwiches featuring hand-carved roast beef, house pastrami, and caramelized onion and rosemary sausage.

You can also pick out a beautiful cut of meat from any number of farms to bring home for dinner. The mission of Grass & Bone is similar to that of the pair’s other award winning: to connect the diner to food

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from local farms. But this neighborhood butcher shop goes further, serving as a direct pass-through for product, increasing accessibility of local meats not otherwise available outside of farmers’ markets or food coops.

Executive chef James Wayman says sustainablyfarmed local meat tastes better. “We know the farmers, we have seen the farms, understand how their animals are cared for and what they’re fed.

These are products we believe in. It is about quality.”

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We know the farmers, we have seen the farms, understand how their animals are cared for and what they’re fed.

Grass & Bone’s pork, chicken, and eggs come from Wild Harmony Farm (Exeter, RI). Beriah Lewis Farm (North Stonington) raises their beef. Grass & Bone’s veal comes from Soeltl Farm (Salem). Local sourcing goes beyond meats, too. Vegetables are grown at Provider Farm (Farmington) and Stone Acres (Stonington), and breads and buns are baked at SIFT (Mystic) Farm to Hearth (Haddam). This commitment to local sourcing is good for the region’s economy, too, pumping essential food dollars back to small farms and artisan bakeries.

Grass & Bone’s menu changes seasonally. Chef Wayman’s current favorite item on the menu is the Buffalo Rotisserie chicken. “It is just so good!” he exclaims, “Also the Sesame Roasted Mushroom Sandwich with oyster mushrooms

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This commitment to local sourcing is good for the region’s economy, too, pu from Seacoast Mushroom (Stonington), gochujang mayo, and quick cabbage kimchi. There is no meat in it, but it is just delicious.” (I’m giving a shout out to the Roasted Pork Sandwich with smoked ricotta, pickled red onion and apple butter, too!) Happy Hour from 3-6 pm offers $8 half chickens and $8 pitchers of beer. Grass & Bone’s dinner series “The Butcher’s Table” launches in January and “The 64

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Butcher’s Kitchen” classes, begun last month, teach people how to cook different cuts of meat.

Grass & Bone’s butcher shop stocks fresh cut steaks and roasts, house ground burger and sausage, and a diverse selection of locally raised and heritage breed meat. You can also purchase the beef bones needed to make stock

umping essential food dollars back to small farms and artisan bakeries. from scratch. Buy ahead and tuck into your freezer for the perfect snow-day culinary project!

When the weathermen are predicting the next snowpocalypse before the first flakes have even hit the ground, you’ll be ready to make stock! Homemade stock tastes delicious, is healthier for you than store-bought,

and allows you to be part of the nose-to-tail-use-everypart cooking movement! Reward your family after hours of shoveling snow with a steaming cup of homemade soup, a grilled cheese, and some hot chocolate‌ the perfect accompaniments to any snow day.

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Basic Beef Stock Half sheet tray with lip / Medium stock pot

Ingredients • 5 lbs. beef bones, a mix of shin and knuckle bones • 2 white onions, cut up in large pieces, leaving skin on • 4 medium sized carrots, cut in large pieces check to see if skin is bitter and if so peel • 3 stalks celery, cut into large pieces • Small bunch of thyme • 2 TB whole black pepper • 1 tsp salt Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roast bones on a sheet tray with a lip for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove carefully because some fat will have rendered from the bones. Pour off fat and reserve for cooking. There should be some brown bits stuck to the pan, while the pan is still hot pour about a cup of water onto it and scrape off the brown bits, called ‘fond’ in French. Pour off this flavorful liquid and reserve for the stock.

To a medium stock pot, add roasted bones, chopped vegetables, and all of the rest of the ingredients including the liquid from the pan. Cover with cold water just to cover the ingredients. Too much water will result in a bland stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce heat so bubbles are just gently rising to the surface. Cook the stock this way, skimming as necessary, for six to eight hours. Then turn off heat and strain stock. It then can be reduced for sauce making or used for soups and broths.

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French Onion Soup SERVES FOUR

Medium soup pot / Oven proof crocks or bowls

Ingredients • 6 large white onions thinly sliced • 1/4 c beef fat • 1/4 c butter • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary • 2 qts beef stock • 1 c dry sherry • 1/4 c brandy • 2 TB sherry vinegar • 4 slices hearty country bread, preferably sourdough, left out to stale a bit while soup cooks • 4 thick slices Gruyere or Emmenthaler Swiss cheese Melt the beef fat and butter in a medium soup pot with a thick bottom on medium heat. Add the rosemary, and lower heat and gently cook in the fat for three minutes. Then add the sliced onions and season with salt. Proceed to cook the onions very, very slowly stirring often until deeply caramelized and soft, about two hours. Add sherry and turn up the heat until it reduces into the onions. Add beef stock and bring to a hard simmer and cook slowly for 45 minutes. At the end, season with salt and pepper to your liking and add brandy and sherry vinegar. Cook for another five minutes and then shut off the heat. Fill four crocks with soup almost to the top leaving enough room for the bread and a slice of cheese to just cover the top. Broil in oven until cheese is golden brown. Enjoy! 

Recipes shared by James Wayman, Grass & Bone Executive Chef Grass & Bone 24 East Main Street / Mystic, CT 06355 Butcher shop, open daily, 9am to 9pm Kitchen, op en daily, 11am to 9pm

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“They were the ugliest plates

Lauren DeMaio laughed as she remembered the dinner plates she first made five years ago at the request of Tyler Anderson, owner and executive chef of Millwright’s Restaurant and Tavern in Simsbury.

Back then, Lauren was splitting her time bartending at Millwright’s and working at Livin Muddy, the ceramics business she operates out of her Bristol studio. When Millwright’s maître d’ asked her to make some flower pots for the dining room tables, her work caught Tyler’s attention, and he requested she make something for him to use in his kitchen.

But Lauren did not deliver the plates to Millwright’s that year. In fact, it would be three more years until she 72

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tried again. “I did not have enough practice to make the gorgeous plates I wanted to make,” she said.

Fast forward five years and Lauren now has her custom, hand-thrown wares not just at Millwright’s, but also in some of Connecticut’s most notable restaurants, including Firebox in Hartford, Osa in Middletown, Grano Arso in Chester, and Caseus in New Haven. She has found new confidence in her work, fueled by the connections she has made with the chefs who are using her creations in their restaurants.

After her first attempt at plates for Millwright’s, Lauren took some time to hone her craft and, thanks to a serendipitous Craigslist find, invested in a new kiln

I’ve made in my entire life.”

to improve the consistency of her work. The chefs at Millwright’s, eager to begin using her work in their kitchen, would “harass me all the time,” she said, but she found herself paralyzed by indecision in the final step of the process—glazing. “I had 30 unglazed bowls sitting on a shelf. I just couldn’t decide on a glaze.”

Glaze firing takes 28 to 30 hours—a lot of time and work potentially wasted if a batch doesn’t turn out as hoped—and Lauren wanted her bowls to be perfect. It wasn’t until she ran into Niles Talbot, then sous chef and now chef de cuisine at Millwright’s, that she got the push she needed. She asked Niles to pick a glaze for her, but he refused. “You have to decide,” he told her, and

those few words of encouragement were what she needed to move forward. She selected an eggplant-hued glaze for those bowls, now found, finally, on the dining room tables at Millwright’s.

A skilled production potter, Lauren can make a batch of handmade plates look effortlessly consistent. To end up with an 8-inch round plate, she needs to start with two and a quarter pounds of clay, but the rest is muscle memory. “I have a way of pulling my hand across the plate,” she said, in order to keep each plate the same width. She then uses a sponge to compress the bottom, maintaining a uniform weight as the plate spins on the wheel.

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It takes her about 15 minutes to throw a plate, from weighing and wedging through washing her hands and cutting it off the wheel. From there, she will let it dry for about two days, depending on humidity. Once the clay is “leather hard,” where enough moisture is removed so that it is dried but still pliable, the plate goes back on the wheel for a trim of the bottom and sides, also called the foot, then sits to dry completely.

Next comes the bisque fire in the kiln, which vitrifies the clay body to remove any remaining moisture, using heat to connect the molecules of the clay and strengthen the plate. A glaze is then applied to the surface, and the plate returns to the kiln for a glaze fire at Cone 6, or 2232 degrees. All told, Lauren actively spends about an hour on each plate, spread over the course of two weeks.

Lauren knew her chef friends wanted “something with a better feel” than the industry-standard glossy white plates that can be found by the caseload on the lines of many restaurants. They wanted dinnerware that “would not stand out” or detract from the chefs’ food, “but interact well with what they’re trying to do. As an artist going out to eat, you see more about the whole experience—the lighting, the interaction of colors in the dining room,” and yes, even the plates and bowls the food is served on.

With Livin Muddy, Lauren has set out to “create something you can use” at a price accessible to chefs who own small businesses. “I want you to be able to afford it because I want my work in your restaurant,” she said. Because she produces each piece by hand, restaurants can order only what they need, rather than committing to quantities by the dozen, as is the case with larger dinnerware producers. She may have a “no bus tubs” rule about how to use her plates, platters, and bowls, but the pottery from Livin Muddy can go through a commercial dishwasher and is otherwise just as functional for chefs, servers, and diners as any other standard dinnerware.

Nationwide, the use of handcrafted pottery in restaurants is nothing new.

Renowned potters like Jono Pandolfi have had their work at restaurants such as New York City’s Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern for the better

She has found new confidence in her work, fueled by the connections she has made with the chefs who are using her creations in their restaurants. part of this decade. But the trend of Connecticut chefs choosing handmade pottery as art for their restaurants is just beginning, and it’s one more way chefs are fostering a deeper connection with the food they serve.

Going beyond visiting farms or docks to source their ingredients, chefs like Matt Wick at Osa and Joel Gargano at Grano Arso have come to Livin Muddy Studio to watch Lauren on the wheel and pick out the shapes they want. “These chefs care that much about their food,” Lauren said.

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While Lauren’s pottery reflects her own creativity, she knows that the “food is the most important thing.” The pottery from Livin Muddy Studio is art that can stand on its own while also allowing a chef’s signature dish to shine.

Chefs, are you interested in handmade pottery for your restaurant? Lauren invites you to come visit Livin Muddy Studio to see the space and take home a sample plate. She can be reached at (860) 803-1940 or at livinmuddy@gmail.com. 

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“Just come up to my studio and we’re going to throw some plates. You tell me what you want and we’ll see which you like.”

So began Chef Joel Gargano’s process, with potter Lauren DeMaio of Livin Muddy Studio, of obtaining handmade ceramics for the restaurant he had dreamed of for six years.

Last month, Joel and his wife Lani opened Grano Arso in the iconic 1902 savings bank building on Main Street in Chester. The menu of locallysourced, seasonally-inspired dishes offers an updated take on classic Italian in an eclectic, casual setting. Joel and Lani relied on the work of both Lauren and artist Jaime LaDucer of Chalk Art New England to help frame diner expectations.

Jaime’s vibrant mural of wheat stalks greets guests in the restaurant’s entryway—a fitting welcome to an eatery where each morning begins with the grinding of New England wheat for the day’s batches of bread and pasta. It establishes, immediately, a different feel from the restaurant that had previously occupied the space, reminding guests that they are in for a different caliber of Italian cuisine than they might be used to.

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“Jaime’s work is stunning and unique. It makes a vivid impression right when you walk through the door,” Joel said. The choice of large-scale, custom art also conveys to the community that Grano Arso enters the scene at a similar level of exceptional quality as the established and respected group of high-end restaurants already in Chester.

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When one creative hires another, there is a sense of respect for the process and a desire to set the stage for the artist to have enough freedom to do their best work. “With Jaime, we talked about the space, and discussed color palette. Then we set her free to do what she thought was best. Let the artist work. Was it risky? Ahhh…a little bit. But we trusted her.”

A mural is not a plate, though. In designing Grano Arso’s dinnerware, Joel and Lauren had to consider function. “I wanted a bowl in which guests could scoop with a spoon along the side and the very curve of the bowl would help them

settling on a more compact design without a rim that would take up less space on the table, allowing diners to have more “share plates” served without the tabletop becoming crowded.

Where all white plates risked being boring, Joel and Lani opted for color and variety among the five types of dinnerware Lauren threw for them.

“Here the guests may have different color plates on the same course. They don’t match. We find that interesting. Some of the dishes even have a rough texture on the outside, and even though diners would not normally touch a plate, if they were to move it, they would feel that texture.

That gives a totally different tactile experience.

Diners do take note, asking where these plates come from, who did this work? to twirl spaghetti with a fork against the dish.”

Just looking at the pottery, it has weight, you don’t have to pick it up to know that, and it

Joel and Lauren were not relying on traditional

speaks to a handmade quality.”

to pick up a small, shaped pasta like gnocchi, or

dish shapes, nor recreating Italian shapes. They were making something original. “We’ve called that one the ‘Parenthesis Bowl’ because of the arch of the sides. It is form and function, and it looks pretty badass.”

Several versions of plates were thrown before

Diners do take note, asking where these plates come from and who did this work? Once plates have been emptied, they are invited to turn the plate over to see the maker’s mark where Lauren’s name joins a special “LM” stamp noting that this was a collaboration in the Livin Muddy Studio between chef and potter.

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For Joel Gargano, simply making delicious food is not difficult—nor is it enough. His challenge to himself is to make great dishes and a wonderful dining experience using what’s here in Connecticut. “Not only do I get to source the flour locally to make the pasta here in house. I also get the experience of walking by Jaime’s mural of wheat, and to plate my food onto Lauren’s plate, which she crafted herself.

This brings the world right in close. We’re not stretching to import these elements from afar. If I can do a little something extra to support my state and my friends, I want to do it. We’re doing better together.” 

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for the presence of wonder.”

White

PHOTO BY JAKE SNYDER RED SKIES PHOTOGRAPHY CTFOODANDFARM.COM

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Grand total investment in launching a creative career: ninety-nine cents for a box of white chalk at CVS. It was all Jaime LaDucer needed to make good on her offer to chefs all over New England: “Let me make over your restaurant chalkboards in exchange for dinner.” She ended up not only being well-fed, but also with the business that would become her full-time freelance work: Chalk Art New England.

Jaime’s formal art training concluded in high school. “I was never a great student but had the most amazing and patient AP art teacher in high school, Karen Recor, who encouraged

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and supported me and let me use her classroom during lunchtime, and every other opportunity, for non-class-related art projects and general respite from the high school experience,” Jaime recalled.

After graduating, Jaime took up residence in Northampton and then Providence and met influential artists and musicians. “They became my community and family and completely exploded my brain in the best ways possible.”

Later making her way to New Haven to work as a waitress at Miya’s Sushi,

Chef Bun Lai handed Jaime her first freelance job when he asked her to create a chalk mural around the top of the sushi bar. “He wanted me to draw whatever inspired me and paid me for the work. I felt like such a bigshot!”

Despite praise and support from this prominent and inspiring chef, Jaime didn’t think she had what it took to launch her own creative business.

Moving forward nonetheless toward a creative career, Jaime landed the position of “Store Graphic Artist/ Signmaker” at Whole Foods Market.

“It was a job I basically fudged my way into, as I had never really used any

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computer programs until my first day on the job. Thank god for YouTube videos!”

A few years and hundreds of chalkboards later, Jaime had honed her craft. She knew the marketing value of beautiful chalkboard menus. And so, as a restaurant-frequenting food lover, she was distressed by prominently-placed chalkboard menus with haphazard, uninspired, and illegible handwriting scrawled out in neon chalk by a busy bartender or server. “I had to do something. I couldn’t stand by while the work of my favorite chefs at some of the region’s most beautiful restaurants was being displayed this way!”

“I emailed every one of my favorite restaurants in New England asking them to let me make-over their chalkboards in return for dinner.” Many not only took her up on it, they also expressed interest in continued work. At Whole Foods Market, Jaime had met store artists from all over the east coast with varying degrees of art education, or lack thereof, who were getting their first steady paid freelance artist gigs. She began to envision herself doing the same. It was time to launch Chalk Art New England as her own business, targeted at providing artwork for restaurants.

“When I started getting steady work, two years ago, I quit my part-time job at Whole Foods Market. I’d explain to folks what I do for a living and 80% of the time I’d be met with, “So… you write on chalkboards? And it pays the bills?

Really?” I was as surprised as anyone.

A painter by nature, Jaime’s offerings have expanded to include sign and mural painting, logo design, wedding chalkboards, custom-stenciled faux-wallpaper, illustration, lettering for poster and web advertisements, and window painting. She loves it all. Her work is heavily inspired by the hand-painted sign era and the ninety-nine cent pack of

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chalk has been set aside for fancier supplies. “My love Ed got me my first fancy laptop for Christmas a couple of years back. I think that is the day when I really felt like a business lady.”

There is no end in sight to her creative journey. “I take solace in the fact that I will never master it - no one ever can, really. Like cooking, being an athlete, a musician, whatever - you can be really good and even at the top of your field but still have everything to learn. I love that. Also there is a very Buddhist quality to making a big intricate chalk mural. I take as much pleasure in the painstaking detail as I do in the fact that it is impermanent and will be washed away eventually. It’s really quite liberating.”

Jaime’s restaurant art seeks to harmonize with the stories of the people that created each eatery and what they bring to the table literally and figuratively. “Every job I do, be it a chalkboard mural, menu board, logo, sign or painted mural - I like to think it represents something special. People opt for custom-made instead of vinyl garbage or something off the shelf because they want something that shows they care about what they are doing and want their diners to experience that.”

When planning for Chalk Art New England commissioned work, some clients define a direction for design. “Others offer a blank slate

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and want me to take over direction completely. I welcome both ends of the spectrum and do my best at creative problem solving to make their aesthetic dreams come true!

I love meeting with restaurant owners, managers, and chefs and learning about their ethos, food, clientele and being able to tell their story aesthetically. It’s an amazing and humbling experience being trusted with that task and I don’t take it lightly! When I finish, and my vision aligns with theirs,

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or exceeds expectation, and my client is stoked, it is the best feeling in the world!”

The restaurant security camera footage of Jaime at work is likely to catch her singing to the latest Charles Bradley album and dancing as painting or chalking is underway.

“Music is a must, although volume depends on whether I have the place to myself or not,” she laughs. “Generally I’ll

move between something heavy like Neurosis/Shellac/ Lungfish, something not so heavy like Bluegrass or Neil Young. Bach cello suites and jazz sound really good really loud on a good restaurant sound system, or SOUL!”

In an era where the work of more creatives is making its way into restaurants, Jaime is enthusiastic about helping other artists find their own path here. “I love to talk shop and help artists emerge into this crazy world. We need each other.

The world is less cool without working artists.” 

Large-scale painted murals have emerged as her favorite type of work. Although she has yet to do a big outdoor mural that requires lifts or scaffolding, this is on her wish list!

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neers:

arming for the Future

By Amy Holomakoff John Shyloski photos

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he sun spills through the windows of an industrial building in Meriden.

The relaxing sounds of sitars and Indian music are playing, echoing throughout the oversized room.

Fish are swimming around in their tanks. Lush, green plants fill the room. Is this a yoga class? No! It’s the Trifecta Ecosystems aquaponics farm, currently the largest

aquaponics system in Connecticut!

Here, up to 1,300 plants are harvested each week from 3 - 8’ x 48’ row beds within a 2,500 square foot system.

The newest trend in soil-less farming, aquaponics is just starting to make its mark on the Connecticut agricultural scene. But what is it? Aquaponics is a method of farming that grows fish

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Eric Francis, Chief Development Officer; Kieran Foran, Co-founder, Chief of Marketing, Farm Manager; Anne St. Hilaire, Director of Branding + Marketing; Spencer Curry, CEO and Co-founder; Andrew Ingalls, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Research

and plants together in one selfcontained ecosystem. Fish waste provides a food source for the plants and the plants naturally filter the water to make it clean again for the fish. The process all begins in the fish tanks. As the fish swim, they produce ammonia in the water through their gills and their waste.

The ammonia-rich water is pumped

through a series of filters filled with healthy bacteria in order to remove the bigger waste particles and convert the waste into food for the plants. The first strain of bacteria snacks on the ammonia in the water and converts it into nitrites. The secondary bacteria then turn the nitrites into nitrates – which are the good stuff that leafy greens love to

eat. The water is pumped into the plant beds where the plants (which have been sprouted in a coconutbased bedding mixed with perlite vermiculite) absorb all the nitrates and other nutrients in the water.

The clean water then gets pumped back into the fish tanks thereby starting the process all over again.

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Why is aquaponics the cool, eco-friendly cousin to hydroponics? Hydroponics currently uses expensive, non-sustainable petroleum-based fertilizers, whereas aquaponics uses fish feed and other nutrients to create a natural fish-waste based fertilizer. Hydroponics farms need to carefully drain their chemical-laden systems due to salt and chemical buildups every couple of months.

That regular discharge is a blight on an otherwise very water-efficient method of growing. With aquaponics, there is no need to change the water in the system, only to add more clean water to adjust for evaporation and what the plants use to grow. Aquaponics farms are also more energy-efficient than their counterpart.

They cleverly heat the water the plants float in, giving them warmth from the “ground� up and mimicking being tucked snugly into the earth. This expends much less energy than trying to warm the air in a room surrounding the plants from the outside-in.

CEO and co-founder of Trifecta, Spencer Curry, believes aquaponics can work synergistically with traditional farms. Traditional soil-based farms can use the excess fish waste from aquaponics farms as a nutrientdense fertilizer. Aquaponics farms also have the ability to be built in urban areas - converting empty factories and warehouses into full-functioning farms that benefit the community. If soil and aquaponics growers work in tandem, aquaponics can grow the leafy greens, herbs and small fruiting crops and field growers can grow the large vegetables, fruits, trees, and other crops that are not practical to grow indoors in cities.

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And there are benefits to aquaponics over traditional soil-based farming. First, there are obvious advantages to being indoors: no storms to ruin your crop, no deer or other animals to eat your plants, no weeding, and the ability to operate year ‘round.

Aquaponics produce can have a better, fuller flavor and grow faster than most traditional soil-grown produce due to the high concentration of nutrients in the water. With aquaponics, the plants can all thrive in the nutrient-dense water as opposed to competing for the limited nutrients in soil, yielding more than double the produce than the same amount of traditionally farmed space.

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Aquaponics also lends itself well to growing more flavorful heirloom vegetable varieties. While hybrids were developed, in part, for disease resistance, the more tender heirloom varieties can thrive in the balanced, protected atmosphere of aquaponics. Similarly, GMO plants were designed to withstand harsher climate conditions. With the cozy, controlled environment of aquaponics there is no need for GMO crops.

Insect pests do damage to all farmers’ crops. Aquaponics farmers turn to beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and praying mantises for help. Some farmers even go so far as to build them tiny bug houses to coax them

to stay - encouraging a self-sustaining ecosystem known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Aquaponics farms can be run by a small staff doing both farming and business tasks. Trifecta Ecosystems is currently a staff of five. Founded five years ago by Kieran Foran (Farm Manager and Chief of Marketing) and Spencer Curry (CEO), two years ago they added Eric Francis, now their Chief Development Officer and a year ago brought on Andrew Ingalls, their Chief Operating Officer and Head of Research. Their newest team member is Anne St. Hilaire, Director of Branding and Marketing.

Trifecta also sells aquaponics systems sized for home use up to full scale farms. They have helped set up systems for elderly, disabled, and special needs individuals – all groups for whom this kind of growing system have proven therapeutic. According to Spencer, “It takes five minutes a day to take care of the system. One minute to feed the fish and four minutes to enjoy the system.”

Looking around Trifecta, you’ll see a plethora of different lush, full-flavored greens: twelve different types of lettuces as well as dwarf Siberian kale, Genovese basil, rainbow Swiss chard, and Malabar spinach. These varieties will be available for sale in their “WeeklyHarvest”

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subscription beginning in 2018. Soon microgreens will be added, with varieties being suggested by local chefs. Catfish, sourced as fry from New Haven’s aquaculture program, The Sound School, and grown at Trifecta, will also be available for purchase.

In 2018, Trifecta will be building a commercial kitchen and pairing up with the non-profit My City Kitchen to create a farm-to-table program for children from low income and single-family households.

In the program, Trifecta will teach the children aquaponics farming skills while My City Kitchen will give cooking lessons. According to Spencer Curry, Trifecta’s main mission is to create “the city that feeds itself” by encouraging the synergy between traditional soil farmers, aquaponics farms, and home gardeners.

Follow along on social media as Trifecta Ecosystems nurtures this “seed of change” and for news on WeeklyHarvest availability and upcoming farm-to-table dinners held at the facility.

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Pan-Seared Catfish iBlack-Eyed Pea Salad FROM CHEF ARIK BENSIMON MAKES 2 SERVINGS

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BLACK-EYED PEAS i HAM HOCK THE EVENING BEFORE: Sort 1/2 cup dry black-eyed peas, making sure to remove any small stones, and soak overnight in water to cover.

INGREDIENTS  Soaked black-eyed peas from above  1 ½ c (about) chicken broth or water  1 small ham hock  1 onion peeled but left whole  5 whole cloves  1 bay leaf  salt to taste Stud the onion with cloves. Add the black-eyed peas and ham hock to a pot, cover with chicken broth or water, and add the bay leaf and studded onion. Bring to a simmer on the stove top, skimming with a ladle any scum that rises to the top of the pot. Reduce to a low simmer and cover the pot. Check every so often until tender (45-60 mins). Season the beans with salt to taste. Once cooked, let the beans cool in the liquid. Remove the ham hock, once cool enough to handle, dice the meat and set aside.

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CATFISH INGREDIENTS  1 whole catfish, filleted with skin removed  ¼ c flour  ¼ c corn meal  pinch salt  pinch cayenne  ½ c milk  2-3 TB clarified butter or ghee  1 TB fresh butter Combine the flour and cornmeal and season with salt and cayenne.

Dip the fillets into the milk, let any excess drip off, then dredge in flour mixture coating both sides. Gently shake off any excess flour.

Heat a skillet to hot, add and melt clarified butter or ghee. Add the fish fillets, cook 2-3 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Carefully flip over the fillets with a spatula, add the fresh butter. Gently tip pan from side to side, everything should be sizzling in the pan, as you move the pan around you are basting fish.

Cook for 1-2 minutes, remove the fillets from the pan onto a plate with paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt.

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BRAISED KALE INGREDIENTS  3 TB butter  2 bunches kale (about 12 oz)  2 shallots, minced  1 slice of slab bacon, diced  pinch of red pepper flake  1 qt. chicken broth or water  diced ham hock (from Black-Eyed Peas recipe)  black-eyed peas in their liquid (from Black-Eyed Peas recipe)  1 Roma tomato, blanched, peeled, seeded and diced  Salt  Black pepper Tear the kale leaves from their ribs. Discard the ribs and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Wash well. Add butter to a large, medium-hot skillet and melt, being careful not to burn the butter. Add shallots, begin to sweat them, and after a few minutes add the diced bacon and continue to cook until both shallots and bacon are golden in color. Add red pepper flakes, then add the kale in batches.

As the kale wilts down, add more kale and continue to keep folding the kale into the shallot and bacon. Once all the kale has been added to the skillet and has cooked down a bit, add either chicken broth or water to barely cover. Keep adding liquid to moisten as it cooks down. When the kale is tender, strain the beans from their cooking liquid and add them to the kale skillet along with the diced ham hock, and tomato. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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LEMON SOUR CREAM INGREDIENTS  2 TB sour cream  ½ lemon  pinch of salt Grate the zest of the lemon into the sour cream and squeeze in the juice, fold together, add a pinch of salt.

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g f o bed

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AN ODE

TO IMMIGRANTS:

Hidden Gems of New London & Norwich

by AMELIA LORD CARLA MCELROY & WINTER CAPLANSON photos

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128 CT FOOD & FARM / WINTER 2018 CANGGIO RESTAURANT

BY CARLA MCELROY

I LOVE NEW LONDON.

It is a city that beats and throbs with life, sometimes a cacophony of coastal city sounds: the loeing of a fog horn, screech of train whistles, the click click click of the railroad crossing bar, and blistering peels of fire trucks and ambulances and police sirens. It has always been a place that felt charmingly historic, gritty, vibrant and quirky enough to allow people who don’t seem to fit elsewhere feel right at home. Norwich is New London’s sibling city in some ways, isolated in this region of southeastern Connecticut.

Similarly burdened at times by bad press and prejudice, both cities have a stalwart group of fans who are deeply affectionate of the individualist spirit and continue to love New London and Norwich through the ups and downs.

There are many places to eat in New London and Norwich and my list is in no way definitive. Do a quick search for restaurants in either and you will be rewarded with scads of options but it’s possible that none of my selections will be anywhere on those lists. These are the secret places I tell visitors about… the spots that veer away from traditional and well-trod New England fare (no clam strips or lobster rolls here) because my personal history has instilled in me a deep and abiding love of cuisines from all over the world.

To celebrate the food of the region and ignore the immigrant communities that contribute to this area’s complex and wonderful makeup would be to miss out on a good portion of what New London and Norwich have to offer. And most importantly the food is just good. These are the types of places chefs like to eat: unfrilly and honest. These are hidden gems with great food, made well by people who care and share their piece of history and culture with everyone who comes through the door.

I have a special place in my heart and stomach for Caribbean food. While dishes vary from island to island there is a general consistency in ingredients and preparation. Puerto Rican, Jamaican, and Haitian all have rice, yuca, plantains, pork, goat and oxtail, usually in the form of some deliciously braised meat over a pile of starch. The seasonings vary depending on the island and the influence but the techniques are largely the same.

Oxtail is one of those foods that one cannot eat with any kind of decorum. Don’t bother with a knife and fork.

The only way is to use your fingers, snake your tongue out for bits of tender meat, nibble on the bone and suck out the marrow. It’s indelicate and bordering on indecent.

Leaving a piece of oxtail that

has not been thoroughly scoured for every bit of wonderfulness should be a punishable offense. It’s messy and wonderful and you will need to use your napkin to clean up afterward.

Plantains are an amazingly versatile fruit. They are treated like a vegetable, a starch, and fruit all in one.

Green, unripe plantains are sliced and fried, smashed flat and then fried again until they become golden discs with crisp edges. In my house those were called tostones and for me they were an acquired taste mostly because I so loved their sweet, sweet, ripe counterparts. Now that I am a grown woman I am an enthusiastic participant in appreciating the salty, starchy, slightly soft-in-the middle fried green plantain.

I let them soak up the gravy from any number of lovingly stewed meats or beans and I’m almost giddy while doing it. Plantains are never eaten at the point where most of us would consider a banana perfect. They are used at either extreme of green and super ripe. When ripe, sliced on the diagonal and fried until they almost collapse. Those are called Amarillos (yellows), and are, my friends, a delight!

In my grandparents’ house they accompanied every meal of the day. Fried eggs with sweet fried plantains and avocado was one of my most favorite breakfasts. So let’s dig into my list, where such specialties await!

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THE HOT FOOD COUNTER

at NSA Market

332 SOUTH FRONTAGE RD, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT

One of my favorite spots for excellent Caribbean food is in the most unlikely place: the hot food counter inside NSA supermarket. But this recommendation is a poorly kept secret, visit around lunchtime during the week and be prepared for a long line. The steam tables are loaded up with piles of my favorite things: select a starch (boiled green bananas, white rice, mashed green plantain or boiled yuca with pickled red onion) and a meat to accompany it. The stewed oxtail (rabo) is incredible with yuca and a few sweet fried plantains (amarillos). Stewed goat (cabrito), roast pork shoulder (pernil), blood sausage (morcilla) and barbecued ribs (costillos) are all

delicious and made in house. The selection has a few constants but special items rotate through and you never know what they will be serving. There aren’t any signs so if you are unfamiliar with Dominican food and don’t speak Spanish pointing and smiling will reap excellent results. Pricing is extraordinarily reasonable and $5.99 will get you enough food for two meals. NSA is a full service grocery store so browse the aisles after picking up your food for a drink or some snacks. There is a tiny counter next to the deli case but you must pay for your food at the cashiers in the front of the store before eating (they will give you plasticware when you check out).

PHOTOS BY WINTER CAPLANSON

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Island Touch

78 BROAD ST, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT Not far from NSA is Island Touch. My exposure to Jamaican food was twofold and occurred around the same time. My Jamaican-Panamanian step mother occasionally made Jamaican food at home (although Persian food was truly her specialty) and my best friend in middle school was a first generation JamaicanAmerican and it was in her house that I first tried Jamaican food. Her mother’s jerk chicken was so spicy it seemed like my face might melt off. Island Touch manages to bring all of those food memories back into full color. Their food is amazing: oxtail, curried goat, plantains, rice and peas, buttery sweet cabbage, and jerk chicken.

Prices are reasonable and vary according to the type of meat.

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There is one small table in this slim restaurant, so take-out is the best option but eating out of styrofoam containers while perched on a curb or the closest bench never seems to diminish the enjoyment.

My family moved to Connecticut from Haiti around the time I turned five years old. Even though I was quite young I still remember it well. I loved the food, the sounds and the smells. The oranges on a neighbor’s tree were hard and brown skinned but so sweet and intensely juicy. My father taught me to cook scrambled eggs while we were there so it is also where I first got to learn the mysterious alchemy of heat and food (even if sometimes I

contented myself with snacking on the crunchy stems of uncooked spaghetti from the cupboard). Everything seemed to taste different in Haiti…better. When we moved to Connecticut, I remember my fondness for tomatoes, and all vegetables, actually, quickly evaporating. The mealy, tart, and oddly pink fruits I encountered here just didn’t strike me as appealing or even as recognizably the same.

My favorite Haitian dish is a famous one, the national dish actually. Soup Joumou is pumpkin soup and it has a

history.

When Haiti was still a French colony, slaves were made to prepare the soup for their slavers but were never allowed to eat it themselves. After the rebellion (the world’s first successful slave revolt), on January 1st, the day of Haiti’s independence, the newly liberated people claimed the dish as their own and now Soup Joumou is enjoyed on New Year’s Day in Haitian households

all over the world. The pumpkins used are specific to the island nation, most similar to kabocha. The soup is absolutely savory, beef bones and leeks and turnips and rice all underpinned by a rich and satisfying sweetness from the squash. It is elegant and

complex and delicious.

A word of warning: Island Touch is so small the chef is also the delivery person. Call ahead!

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Mommy’s Delicious Food

595 WEST MAIN STREET, NORWICH CONNECTICUT In Connecticut, we are lucky to have such a large population of Haitian immigrants. Although Haitian restaurants have cropped up now and then in the southeastern part of the state, most haven’t stayed very long. But every time I’ve spotted one, something deep inside shouts for joy at a chance to have my earliest food is appropriately named; the food is excellent. At Mommy’s Delicious Food, choose from the offerings in the steam table and ask if there are any specials. Try the Griot (fried pork) with Pikliz and fried plantains with black rice. You will have to ask for Pikliz, and everyone who works there will be quietly pleased that you do. Haitian food isn’t quite complete without the zingy bite from this condiment made from pickled cabbage, carrots and scotch bonnet.

Veering away from the food of the Caribbean are my other favorites: Mexican, Peruvian, and some amazing Dim Sum. PHOTO BY WINTER CAPLANSON

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Mi Casa 2

31 GOLDEN STREET, NORWICH CONNECTICUT

Mi Casa 2 sits tucked on Golden St, right off Bank Street in downtown New London. The building it inhabits is a pretty typical New London faรงade, all verdigris and historic charm. The family that operates Mi Casa 2 also operates the original Mi Casa in Norwich and a new taqueria in Groton.

This place is the closest you will find to authentic Mexican food in the area. Their chips and salsa are made in house from corn tortillas they press by hand in the kitchen. The salsa is bright, and not so spicy that the average New England palate would find it intolerably hot. Tacos come three 136

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PHOTOS BY WINTER CAPLANSON

to a plate and are served with lime wedges, sliced radishes, and garnished with mild white onion and cilantro, each taco wrapped snuggly in parchment paper to keep them warm and steaming until I dig in. They have the usual meat offerings: chicken, chorizo, dried beef, and carnitas but I always ask for Lengua.

Tender chunks of beef tongue slow cooked and then cubed and fried, lengua tacos are wholly delicious and make me so happy. The huarache is a huge freshly made, plate-sized corn tortilla much thicker than those used for tacos. It’s

soft and topped with layers of refried beans, avocado, lettuce, sour cream and meat of your choice. I don’t know that I’ve ever managed to eat the whole thing in a single sitting. I often overlook quesadillas when eating out but at Mi Casa 2 they take particular pride in their quesadillas, the corn tortillas made to order, grilled and filled with cheese and your choice of meat. They take joy in the food here and you can feel it. My Mexican friends say it is the only place in the area to get authentic Mexican food outside of their own kitchens.

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Pollos a la Brasa C.J. 255 BROAD STREET, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT

Pollos a la Brasa C.J. is a family run Peruvian restaurant in a space that was formerly a West Indian restaurant and before that a longtime breakfast joint where I had my first restaurant job as a dishwasher after leaving my snazzy liberal arts college. Its current iteration is best known for the rotisserie chicken (a specialty in Peru) but I will admit I’ve never tried theirs. It sells out quickly and there are so many other delicious things to choose from I’ve never minded terribly. My favorites are the anticuchos, skewers of garlicky grilled beef heart served with a side of tripe (if you feel adventurous), half of a potato, and some “choclo,” enormous nibs of starchy corn native to Peru that more resemble a lima bean in texture than any corn grown around here. Diners may joke about genetically modified foods when seeing these large bits but Peru banned GMOs in 2011. The Aguadito de Pollo is another of my favorites and formerly only available on the weekends. Aguadito is a large delicious bowl of cilantro and chicken soup, just the thing if I’m starting to feel under the weather or need that warm, immersive feel that I can only get from an enormous bowl of brothy soup.

Pollos a la Brasa C.J. has delicious beans, large white ones I used to serve my little son one by one when he was delighted a toddler. The Lomo Saltado C.J. is an amazing combination of sautéed onions and tomatoes and French fries (sautéed French fries!) topped with sweet fried plantains, white rice, and a fried egg. Share with a friend or count on having leftovers for the next day. I don’t think I have ever visited Pollos without ordering ensalada criolla, a salad consisting of very thinly sliced red onion that has been rinsed to remove the harsh bite tossed with some tomato and cilantro and dressed with lime juice. It is so fresh and crisp and brightly flavored! Any selections are easy to make from the menu’s photographs and the staff is always friendly and quick to answer questions.

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Canggio

20 LAFAYETTE ST, NORWICH, CONNECTICUT New restaurant Canggio in Norwich brings PeruvianAmercian food a little farther north. The menus are somewhat different so it is worth visiting both terrific places. I spent some time in Peru in 2008, following a massive earthquake. My husband at the time and I went to help rebuild the coastal city of Pisco and while I think I offered little practical assistance I came away with a love of Peruvian food and culture. We ate a lot of causa which you will find on the menu at Canggio, a very popular Peruvian dish of mashed potatoes seasoned with lime juice and stuffed with chicken or shrimp salad (at Canggio you get both!). Chef Julio Cancho Viggio’s ceviche is fresh and plentiful and my friends swoon over his chicken francese. Try the creme brûlée for dessert and be sure to have a glass of chicha morada, the sweet purple corn drink spiced with cinnamon.

PHOTOS BY CARLA MCELROY

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Golden Palace

2173 NORWICH-NEW LONDON TPKE, UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT

My last selection is very near the casino, Golden Palace in Uncasville has been in the same location for 32 years. I remember visiting with my family soon after they opened, “cooking” beef teriyaki over the blue flame of the pu pu platter’s Sterno. Golden Palace now offers dim sum every day of the week from 10 until 4, and that is the real reason to visit (I am not certain if they even have pu pu platters any more). The great joy of dim sum is watching the plates pile up! Go with hungry friends and make use of the lazy susans in the center of the large tables.

They have chicken feet and pork belly and tripe but there are also tamer options like wide, rolled rice noodles with flecks of salted shrimp swimming in a pool of dark soy sauce, small green bell peppers stuffed with pork, and steamed buns. The dining room is bright and super modern after a recent renovation and it hums with activity during the dim sum rush. Service is efficient and speedy but if you need some help and a walk through of how ordering dim sum works the staff is happy to explain.

Amelia Lord is a chef and cooking teacher in southeastern Connecticut. She is an intuitive and ingredient-guided cook and enthusiastic instructor.

PHOTO BY WINTER CAPLANSON

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TASTE THE WORLD AT TA

BY AMY S. WHITE

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D

ates from Jordan.

Cheese from Bulgaria. Olive oil from Lebanon.

Feta from Greece.

Throughout history, peoples from around the Mediterranean Sea shared their regional cuisines through trade. Since 1995, Tangiers International Market in Hartford’s West End has brought these flavors to Connecticut, offering hard-tofind ingredients, high-quality prepared foods and other specialty products from twentyfive Middle Eastern, European, Asian and African countries.

With the store motto of “Specialty Foods for All People,” Tangiers epitomizes the essence of global food.

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Part market, part café, Tangiers is a family-owned and operated shop that began at the intersection of Prospect and Farmington Avenues when the Latif family – Edward and Nancy, who are of Lebanese descent, and their eleven children (eight boys and three girls) – moved to the area. Son Dwight Latif jokes, “To feed all us kids, our father needed to open up a food store.”

Three years ago, the powers that be decided to tear down the building in which Tangiers was housed to make room for a Walgreen’s. The family had no intention to close and wanted to remain nearby, because, Latif says, “The area treated us well.

We love the locals and we have a large local following.” They found a new home a few blocks

away with a larger space, better parking, and even a place for outdoor seating in nice weather.

Five of the Latif brothers now own and operate the new Tangiers, a bright, open and inviting place. Fresh produce lines one wall, and in summer and early fall, much of it is Connecticut-grown by places such as Sweet Acre Farm in Lebanon. Along the back wall are the freezer and dairy sections. The dairy case boasts an extensive selection of imported cheeses. There’s halloumi, an unripened brined cheese that is nice for slicing and grilling. There’s also a jarred cream cheese spread from Saudi Arabian brand “Puck” which is perfect in a

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variety of sandwich and appetizer recipes. Fans of feta will find plenty of different types here, whether one prefers it crumbly or creamy, salty or low in sodium. The frozen foods section yields easy heat-and-eat goodies such as spanakopita (spinach and cheese in phyllo dough), a variety of pita and flatbreads, pastitsio, also known as Greek lasagna, and much more.

Some of the more interesting products carried by the store are found in the center of the market. These are the things one doesn’t find at a typical grocery store - grains such as farro and Israeli couscous, orange blossom water, pomegranate molasses, Turkish coffees and teas, halvah candy made from sesame seeds, and preserved lemons (essential to making Moroccan-style chicken).

One of Tangiers’ bestselling ingredients is tahini paste, which is a major component of hummus and baba ghanoush. Then there’s a variety of jewel-colored spices unique to the Mediterranean like sumac, which is purple in color and offers dishes a tart flavor resembling lemon and vinegar, and the distinct blend known as za’atar, which is a Middle Eastern staple made from seven different spices that is used to flavor olive oil, marinades, dressings and dips.

The best section of Tangiers International Market, however, is not the market itself but the ever-popular café. Latif says this idea of his father’s is one of the things that makes Tangiers

special: “My father was a pioneer in thinking of having an eating area as well as a market.

While people wait for their food, they can shop for ingredients from all over the Mediterranean and Middle East.” At the lunch counter and a few small tables, customers can enjoy a variety of house-made items from a small but varied menu. Entrees entice, like chicken curry with chickpeas, Mediterranean lima bean stew and baked stuffed eggplant, all of which are served over rice pilaf. There are numerous small plates, like hummus with pita bread, tabbouli salad, and grape leaves stuffed with lamb or vegetarian style.

Sandwich choices include gyros made with lamb, chicken or beef, as well as chicken kebabs served in a pita with tzatziki sauce.

Many options are already vegetarian or vegan or can be made so.

But the one thing not to be missed here is Tangiers’ famous falafel, still handmade by mother Nancy “Samia” Latif.

Lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil, these warm, soft and flavorful chickpea balls are gorgeously spiced, crisp and not at all greasy. Served in a pita with crunchy lettuce, fresh tomato, and creamy tahini sauce, this house specialty makes one realize they’ve never have decent falafel anywhere else. Loyal customers rave over it and people come from all over to try it.

Those with a sweet tooth need not worry for the bakery section brings baklava, also made by the Latif family matriarch, which son Dwight says “complements our falafel sandwich like

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nothing else.” Light, flaky phyllo dough soaked with honey and filled with walnuts - sweet, crunchy, salty, savory - this treat is everything in one. A dozen other types of pastries and cookies can be purchased by the piece or by the tray-full as well.

Tangiers also carries chocolates imported from Europe, and as part of local smallbusiness partnerships, NoRA cupcakes and Hartford Baking Company breads.

The Market is a great place to source the hard-to-find or discover something new.

The Latif family takes great pride in their family’s culinary heritage, and this is evident in every visit. The brothers running the shop are the consummate hosts – friendly, knowledgeable, outrageously good-looking, and always willing to answer questions or make suggestions on how to use the products they carry. Says Latif, “We love what we do. We’re happy to be serving the community by feeding them. Every day we invite our customers to come in and be a part of the family.”

Tangiers International Market is located at 550 Farmington Avenue in Hartford. They are open Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anything on the café menu can be purchased to go, and Tangiers also does catering for larger groups or parties. More information can be found on their website tangiersmarket.com; @TangiersMarket on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; or by calling 860.233.8168. 

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PHOTO BY WINTER CAPLANSON AT FAT STONE FARM 152

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“

I always enjoyed the hearty society of a snowstorm.

”

JOHN MUIR

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by Lyndsay Meiklem Dean Lisa Nichols photos

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Imagine an enormous spread of homemade Italian favorites: pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce,

bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, meatballs in hearty tomato sauce, lasagna with grated Parmesan, zesty sausage and peppers, and a luscious array of aged cheeses‌all vegan. This is the scene at Three Girls Vegan Creamery in Guilford, one of several new restaurants in Connecticut that are transforming our perception of vegan cuisine. Every Sunday, omnivores and vegans alike line up and wait eagerly to savor the abundant and hearty fare, all of it made from plant based ingredients without any meat or animal products.

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This Italian-themed vegan creamery is a family run

The women would talk through their ideas for

endeavor, the brainchild of mom Tracy Vitale and

cheese toppings and recipes, then begin testing

her two daughters Brittany Costin and Taylor Jazz

them. Tracy recalls, “I knew that I wanted to

Costin. Tracy has always cooked, but her mother’s

use cashews for the cheese because they would

cancer diagnosis triggered a strong desire in

provide a creamy, smooth texture, but the rest of

Tracy to seek out a plant based, nutrient rich diet

the recipe developed over many hours of trial and

for her own better health. When Tracy began

error until the consistency and the flavor are as

experimenting with vegan versions of Italian

accurate as possible to the dairy version.”

favorites, she heard constant encouragement from family to begin a food business.

Twenty years ago, vegan restaurants were far

...omnivores and vegans alike line up and wait eagerly to savor the abundant and hearty fare...

The three women have adapted their families’ Italian dishes to their vegan lifestyle and spent countless hours perfecting these age-old recipes’ texture and depth of flavor using only whole food and organic plant based ingredients. The women estimate that 85% of their clients are omnivores.

and few between. The word ‘vegan’ had not been popularized and there were certainly no meat or dairy alternatives readily available in mainstream grocery markets. Health food stores were just beginning to pop up and the concept of “bulk food bins” was foreign to most shoppers. Today,

There are no signs of vegan activism in this

people choose veganism for a myriad of reasons,

quaint take-out style location, just the delicious

including health and social consciousness, and

aroma of marinara and fresh basil and glass

many studies show a steady growth in interest

display cases filled with artisan, aged nut cheeses;

nationwide. According to research compiled

decadent desserts; and maple “bacon” bits. “My

by GlobalData in a report titled Top Trends in

niche is to vegan-ize Italian dishes because that’s

Prepared Foods in 2017, it is estimated that 6% of

what I know. It’s the food I want to eat. It feels like

Americans now identify as vegan as compared to

a hug to me,” says Tracy.

just 1% in 2014.

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New plant-based restaurants in the Nutmeg

Mexico to develop vegan recipes for this cozy café

State build on the foundations laid by pioneer

located in Old Saybrook. The fall menu featured

vegan restaurant ION (It’s Only Natural) in

Mac and Cheese, Chickpea Veggie Soup, Spinach

Middletown and vegetarian restaurant Bloodroot

Pesto Pizza, Burrito Bowls, Seaside Salad with

in Bridgeport established over 30 and 40 years

Pineapple Salsa, Apple Crisp, and Blueberry

ago, respectively. As Three Girls Vegan Creamery

Ginger Parfait just to name a few of the ever-

follows in their footsteps, so does just-opened

changing daily items available. Shayna B’s serves

Shayna B’s By The Sea where owner Christine

up “Good Food with Conscience” in a friendly

Reed is working hard to dispel the common

and warm atmosphere where you can sit and sip

Shayna B’s bases its menu largely off of what can be locally sourced and uses only whole food ingredients, resulting in nutrient rich food. misconceptions that vegan food is bland, lacks protein, and is only comprised of vegetables.

tea or coffee roasted in-state and everyone is welcome.

The restaurant is also 100% gluten-free. Christine developed her first gluten free recipe named after a dear friend who had been diagnosed with celiac disease.

“Wendy Bites” are crunchy, chewy deliciousness made with chocolate chips, almonds, organic

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Here, head Chef Stephanie Asher borrows from

coconut and garbanzo bean flour…and one of

vegetarian and vegan-friendly food traditions

Christine’s most popular items. Baked goods are

in cultures like those of the Middle East and

always a lure for omnivores with a sweet tooth

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who may not otherwise be curious enough to try vegan or gluten free foods. Let’s face it, it’s hard to resist a warm cinnamon roll drizzled with just the right amount of icing.

Or how about Christine’s chocolate cake?

Christine says, “It’s moist and full of organic ingredients and inspired by my mom.”

Shayna B’s bases its menu largely off of what can be locally sourced and uses only whole food ingredients, resulting in nutrient rich food. Christine developed relationships with many farmers while vending at farmers’ markets in Coventry and Stonington. Customer demand for a brick and mortar has buoyed this new business development. “They’ve told me many times over the years that they are looking for a safe environment that acknowledges their food allergies and provides delicious food. My customers made this happen,” shares Christine.

Ditch any preconceived notions you might have about the word “vegan” and choose from one of several amazing plant based eateries in Connecticut! One thing is for sure, Three Girls Vegan Creamery and Shayna B’s By the Sea share a passion for feeding anyone who appreciates delicious, freshly prepared food no matter what their dietary restrictions or lifestyle choices! 

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Your Vegan Kitchen

BY LYNDSAY MEIKLEM DEAN PHOTOS BY AMMA RHEA

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Lyndsay Meiklem Dean, a.k.a., The Vegan Potter, has had her hands in clay and her stomach full of veggies for more than two decades. She’s obsessed with creating functional stoneware pottery and filling it with delicious vegan food to feed those she loves. Here, she offers two of her favorite vegan recipes.

Find more at her website!

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Pasta with Cashew Cream Sauce Serves 6

Ingredients: • 2 ½ cups raw cashews • 2 cups water • ¼ cup plain unsweetened almond milk • ¼ tsp garlic powder • ¼ tsp onion powder • ¼ tsp ground mustard • ¼ tsp turmeric • ½ tsp salt • 1 TB olive oil Method: Add cashews and water to a sealable container and soak overnight. Add the soaked cashews, water and the rest of the ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Warm over low heat and pour over your choice of cooked pasta.

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The Vegan Potter has had her h

...and her stomach full of veg

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hands in clay...

ggies for more than two decades.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts Serves 4-6

Ingredients: • 5 cups Brussels sprouts • 1 tsp kosher salt • fresh pepper to taste • 4-5 TB olive oil Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Method: Chop stem ends off sprouts and halve. Drizzle 2 TB olive oil on the surface of sheet pan, nonstick or lined with parchment paper. Spread the sprouts in a single layer onto the pan and drizzle with remaining oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 15 min. Flip and toss sprouts and roast for an additional 10-15 min or until outer layer is slightly singed and sprouts are softened.

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D

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i

s i s r e e r n v ed in .

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12 Don’t Miss Connecticut

Vegan

Restaurants

By Rebecca Hansen

Photos by J.Koteen Photography, Lisa Nichols & Winter Caplanson

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W

ith “clean eating” becoming a popular social media hashtag, having a plant-based diet is more than just

a fad. It’s a way of living holistically, mindfully, and deliciously.

While 10 years ago, “vegan” was a relatively new idea, it’s become a focus of culinary exploration and innovation. And much of that is happening right here in Connecticut. We rounded up a selection of vegan restaurants and chefs making their mark in our small state.

These 12 spots are demonstrating all the wonderful, delicious

THE SWEET BEAT BY J. KOTEEN PHOTOGRAPHY

things you can do with plants.

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Vegan Fine Dining G-Zen

2 EAST MAIN STREET, BRANFORD G-Zen has been named by publications like Travel + Leisure, Huffington Post and Shape Magazine as one of the top 10 vegan restaurants in America. Chefs Marc and Amy Beach Shadle are known pioneers in the upscale vegan food scene and are on a mission to spread their passion for a plant-based lifestyle, one perfectly crafted plate of Feisty Monkey at a time. Open for dinner service and take-out, G-Zen is a can’t miss place to dine -- vegan or not. Check out their restaurant or scout for the Gmonkey mobile -- the Shadle’s roaming food truck.

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21 Oak

21 OAK STREET, MANCHESTER Manchester usually gets overlooked when discussing the Connecticut foodie scene.

The looming chain restaurants of the mall overshadow the vibrant culinary revolution happening in neighborhoods outside of Buckland. 21 Oak is one of these foodie havens that is a must-visit for any trip to Hartford County. An unassuming exterior opens into a delightfully rustic and elegant interior. Start your night with the Butternut Hummus to share then savor the Portabella Steak or Gnocchi in a black garlic “cream” sauce.

Whatever your ethos around food, these spots are adding to the vibrant food scene in the Nutmeg State and can’t be missed. 

IT’S ONLY NATURAL BY WINTER CAPLANSON

Vegan Casual Dining It’s Only Natural

606 MAIN STREET, MIDDLETOWN No list of vegan restaurants in CT would be complete without ION. A mainstay for over 30 years, this restaurant lives by its ethos of remaining cruelty-free, organic, and 100% vegan.

Try the Buffalo Cauliflower followed by the Yam Quesadilla for a winning combo of spice and sweet. And don’t miss out on their organic cocktails. The Ginger Blossom is a pleasing combo of vodka, rose liqueur, ginger beer and lime that is like a tonic for your soul.

Ninth Square Market Too Caribbean Style

89 GEORGE STREET, NEW HAVEN Whoever said vegan food couldn’t have a little “flava” clearly never went to Ninth Street. Using a pan-Caribbean culinary style, this vegan restaurant serves up hot dishes with spice.

See their take on traditional foods like “Fish” Cakes and Jerk seasoned dishes and sides like Yam with Green Plantains. However, it’s their vegan Mac and Cheese that’s the renowned crowd-pleaser. Made with cashew cheese, it’s everything you love about the iconic comfort food without the heaviness of dairy.

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SHAYNA B’S BY THE SEA BY LISA NICHOLS 182 CT FOOD & FARM / WINTER 2018

Vegan Cafes & Juice Bars Right Path

140 STATE STREET, NEW LONDON Get ready for some truly inventive juices. Right Path is a great stop to pick up a smoothie or juice on the go, but they also offer a variety of snacks, salads, “sun burgers,” soups, and Buddha bowls. Try a Seawich with “tuna” salad served on a homemade onion roll with a side of kale chips.

The Stand Juice Company

87 MILL PLAIN ROAD, FAIRFIELD & 1 NORTH WATER STREET, NORWALK Every juice you buy at The Stand gives back.

Owner Carissa Dellicicchi also operates The Hideaway Farm with 15 acres of land on the Connecticut River. There, she cares for rescued farm animals and sources much of The Stand’s fresh, organic produce from her gardens. Carissa’s passion for making this earth better day-by-day is felt in her simple but satisfying dishes. Start your morning off right with a BOC: avocado toast with sea salt and cayenne pepper, loaded with tomato, basil and olive oil.

Shayna B’s

By The Sea

247 MAIN STREET, OLD SAYBROOK This vegan and gluten-free cafe is brand new to Connecticut, even though its owner, Christine Reed, has been on the farmers’ market circuit for a decade. Opened in November 2017, Christine took her passion for producing gluten-free and vegan baked goods to opening her own vegan cafe. Shayna B’s serves lunch fare like soups, salads and sandwiches, but the real knockouts are the desserts. Test any of her “cream”-filled cupcakes -- like the raspberry-infused Josie’s Berries & Cream Chocolate Bliss -- and you’ll be back for more.

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Pure Alchemy Juice Bar & Cafe

236 NORTH COLONY ROAD, WALLI When you need a quick fix of food th you, Pure Alchemy is your stop. Perfe choose from a list of smoothies, juice elixirs. Order the Lavenberry Dream s a combination you won’t find anywhe made with dried lavender, nut milk, b banana, and maple syrup for a cream go for something a bit more substan Alchemy serves up light entrees like t Salad made with walnut meat.

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THE SWEET BEAT BY J. KOTEEN PHOTOGRAPHY CT FOOD & FARM / WINTER 2018

INGFORD hat will fuel ect for lunch, es, tonics and smoothie for ere else. It’s blueberries, my treat. Or, ntial. Pure their Taco

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe

39 UNQUOWA ROAD, FAIRFIELD Even though Catch a Healthy Habit is a cafe, its menu is extensive and diverse. Try the Lo Mein Noodles & Ginger Salad or their Spaghetti and “Meatballs.” There are also juices, smoothies, elixirs and a vegan kids menu. And, true to their name, they’re not just about serving up delicious, healthy, plant-based food but also about educating their community to create healthy habits around mindful eating and nutrition. With a documentary series and weekly round tables, owner Glen Colello makes it his mission to open up dialogue on what we put into our bodies.

The Sweet Beet

498 SALMON BROOK STREET, GRANBY This grab-and-go spot is great for a quick fix.

They are 100% vegan, gluten free, organic/non GMO, soy and peanut free. If you look at that and think “so, what’s there left to eat,” the Sweet Beet lives to show you! Rich savory soups, sandwiches that feature the season’s best flavors, and even mini cupcakes for a sweet treat make this a perfect stop for a bite. Take a moment, too, to explore their little market stocked with vegan and gluten free food options, books, and fun t-shirts.

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Vegan Goodies Three Girls Vegan Creamery

350 STEPSTONE HILL ROAD, GUILFORD As their website proudly states, Three Girls produces “Artisan Nut Milk Cheese.” Creamy, rich and flavorful, they make some of the best nondairy milks, creams and cheeses around. While their Almond Ricotta and Cream Cheeses are great for every day, it’s the Cannoli Dip that’s the true show-stopper. Buy online or see their stock at Foodworks (Old Saybrook, Guilford), Fiddleheads Food Co-op (New London) or Edge of the Woods Market (New Haven).

Amor Plant Based

HARTFORD You loved the Amor truck at your favorite local farmer’s market, festival or fair. Although the truck no longer makes its rounds, Amor lives on as a custom vegan catering service. Check out Amor’s social feeds to see what they are creating for their catering customers. Drool over Gabriella’s passion fruit cheesecakes, carrot cakes, s’mores celebration cake, and lemon drop wedding cake.

THREE GIRLS VEGAN CREAMERY BY LISA NICHOLS

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“Whatever your ethos around food, these spots are adding to the vibrant food scene in the Nutmeg State and can’t be missed.”

IT’S ONLY NATURAL BY WINTER CAPLANSON

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HILARY ADORNO Spent the better

part of 40 years terrified of scary movies.

Thanks to recently applied, self-inflicted aversion therapy, she can’t get enough of Zombies, remote cabins full of impossibly naive teenagers with remarkably bad cell service, and people who can’t run away from the bad guy without falling.

ARIK BENSIMON An accomplished

chef and wood turner, he began his career in New York at renowned haunts such as Le Cirque, and Picholine. After moving to Connecticut, he was the executive chef at Napa & Co. in Stamford, The Spread in Norwalk, Le Farm in Westport, and now cooks in Greenwich, CT.

WINTER CAPLANSON, editor-in-chief

and lead photographer, looks forward this winter to following every snow covered lane in her surefooted Subaru to continue her Farmer Portrait Project.

LAURA DOWNEY’s Fairfield Cheese

Company was named by Food & Wine Magazine as a top 5 place to buy cheese in the US. Her newest venture, Cheesemonger Box, is a subscription cheese box service that curates small batch, artisan and traditional cheeses and delivers them, freshly cut, to the doorsteps of food lovers across the nation.

GENA GOLAS is a chef and mom to

two terrific kids. She has always been passionate about entrepreneurship. She finds Lauren, the subject of her story this issue, particularly inspiring…another woman following her passion and making things happen!

REBECCA HANSEN is thoroughly

exhausted from the holidays and ready to settle down for a long winter’s nap.

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AMY HOLOMAKOFF

(@theroadiechef) is a fledgling food blogger with a love for plant-based recipes, holistic remedies, and curling up with a cup of tea on a chilly night to watch a movie w/her horror-director boyfriend @ kurtisspieler.

JENNIFER LAVOIE has a penchant for

any and all irreverent humor, enjoying fully the saucy absurdity of most things. Despite almost epically making a fool of herself navigating the Cushman farm in slippery, protective booties, she hopes that her piece in this issue will convey the remarkable nature of the Agricultural Science

and Technology Educa Connecticut Food and F

AMELIA LORD is a C

teacher in southeaster is terrified of ticks but when thigh deep in ma for clams. Mom to a bo refined palate, sometim but often to her deligh

CARLA MCELROY i

based photographer th stories with her camera things are her family (i feathered members) p

ation Program to Farm readers.

Chef and cooking rn Connecticut. She is never happier than arsh muck searching oy who has a very mes to her dismay ht.

is a Connecticut hat loves to tell a. Her favorite including fuzzy and pizza and travel.

LYNDSAY MEIKLEM DEAN aka,

The Vegan Potter has been living a vegan lifestyle for over 20yrs. She is the owner of Meiklem Kiln Works, Bozrah, CT and when she’s not playing in clay she can be found developing new recipes in her tiny apt kitchen in Stonington, CT.

LISA NICHOLS is a photographer and

designer originally from East Brookfield, Vermont who now lives and works in the New Haven area. Growing up in Vermont in the 1970’s, winter was really a wonderland.

Sugaring, snowshoeing, and sledding the days away made for great memories. Visit Right Click Photo + Design to learn more about Lisa and her work.

JIM O’CONNOR is a documentary

filmmaker from the New Haven area whose inspirations come from culinary creations.

Recently moving back from LA left him looking for a warm fondue recipe, perfect for those winter woes.

AMMA RHEA is a wedding photographer and shopkeeper at Mystic Supply Co. When she’s not documenting sweet love she’s helping feature USA-made products at her shop in Mystic, Connecticut.

RITA RIVERA is a graphic designer that eats way too much. She’s finally getting to go to Disney World this year.

ANNA SAWIN put the wraps on her

tenth season as a wedding and portrait photographer in 2017, but what may be

more exciting to report is the creation of a new family favorite, Well-Received Kale Salad, miraculously eaten enthusiastically by all members of the family. Get in touch with her for the recipe!

JOHN SHYLOSKI is a photographer/

videographer and Grammy-nominated engineer who loves to travel, stay active, and search new restaurants for the perfect meal. During the cold weather, he prefers to be elsewhere, sipping margaritas on a beach.

AMY SMITH struggles to write

captivating bio-shorts, but enjoys writing about the events and activities that take place on their Cedars of Lebanon Farm

JAKE SNYDER recently finished his

Masters in Oceanography, and is currently searching for a career. In his spare time he regularly photographs landscapes for himself and architecture for his clients.

ALLENA TILLMAN-BROWN is

happiest cooking in the kitchen or behind a camera taking photos of snowy farm animals. Heading up Marketing for Firefly Farms allows her to do both as she has yet to figure out how to make a living being a full time Chicken Wrangler.

AMY S. WHITE is a writer who teaches Latin for a living. She loves cooking with unique ingredients, her two cats and snow days. Find out more about Amy at amyswhite.com.

Our Contributors CTFOODANDFARM.COM

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PHOTO BY WINTER CAPLANSON AT NORA CUPCAKE CO.