Volume 22, Number 38
Thursday, November 19, 2020
www.berlincitizen.com
NATURAL BEAUTY
RESTAURANT OPENS
Meet the new Boss By Nadya Korytnikova The Citizen
The Berlin Turnpike is home to a new familyowned restaurant. The Boss Grill held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 6 to celebrate its debut in the community. The eatery, located at 224 Berlin Turnpike, serves customers morning to night, and its sizable menu includes burgers, hot dogs, Ken Robitaille prepares food at The Boss Grill. salads, sandwiches, milkshakes, and more. Photos by Nadya Korytnikova,
Food drives step up holiday efforts By Devin Leith-Yessian Record-Journal staff
Area food pantry officials see demand spiking with more families caring for children quarantining from schools or facing financial hardship amid the pandemic, just as the annual food drives they rely on are having difficulty continuing safely.
“Things are tough right now for a lot of folks, so we’re seeing our numbers increase again,” said Sue Heald, food pantry manager for Master’s Manna in Wallingford. “… It’s a combination of everything. For some people they’re unemployed and their unemployment benefits are running out.”
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After a successful fiveyear run in the Statehouse Square food court, the restaurant shut down during the pandemic and the Robitailles decided to reopen in a
The Citizen
more convenient spot, with outdoor seating and accessible parking. For the new location, Ken Robitaille personally assembled most decor and furniture pieces. The restaurant’s concept was inspired by his wife’s Sicilian heritage. The dining room has a vintage mobster-themed design and a speakeasy entrance. “My family has no association with any mob, but because the word ‘boss’ refers to mobsters and mobsters evolved over centuries in See Restaurant, A12
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For this photograph, titled Natural Mask, Berlin High School student Madelyn Lazzara was recognized as one of the top participants in the ASAP! Celebration of Young Photographers contest. ASAP! is a cultural arts organization out of Northwestern Connecticut whose mission is to foster creative, hands-on learning through the arts. Read more on Page 2.
The restaurant's history goes back to 2008 when owners Ken and Roberta Robitaille began dishing out food from their Blanche’s Roadside Grill lunch truck in Newington. In just a year and half they grew a large customer base that motivated them to expand and open The Boss Grill in Hartford.