The Connecticut culinary community came together last night to celebrate hard work, passion and excellence in the field. Winners from each of the eight counties around the state and the eight winners were – Materia Ristorante in Bantam (Litchfield County); Bar Rosina’s in Greenwich (Fairfield County); Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford (Hartford County); Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar in New Haven (New Haven County); Monet’s Table in Tolland (Tolland County); The Essex in Old Saybrook (Middlesex County); Trigo Wood Fired Pizza in Willimantic (Windham County); and The Port of Call in Mystic (New London County). The overall winner who was named 2024 Connecticut Restaurant of the Year went to Bar Rosina’s, who earned the award over the other seven county winners and twenty-four total nominees.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) announced today the award winners and nominees for the 2024 CRAzies Awards Gala. Each year, the CRAzies recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community at this prestigious awards gala. Restaurant owners, operators, chefs, vendors and more will come together to celebrate the success of the industry at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Monday, December 9. VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES HERE.
On Monday, December 9, hospitality owners, operators, chefs, servers, and vendors from across the state will come together at Foxwoods Resort Casino to celebrate the success of their industry and honor winners across more than 20 award categories. Last year’s CRAZIES gala had more than 1,400 guests and generated more than 25,000 online public votes for award winners.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) announced yesterday the award winners and finalists for the 2023 CRAZIES Awards Gala. On Monday, December 4, hospitality owners, operators, chefs, servers, and vendors from across the state will come together at Foxwoods Resort Casino to celebrate the success of their industry and honor winners across more than 20 award categories.
The public can now vote by CLICKING HERE through the end of November for each category: Chef of the Year, Baker of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Server of the Year, Caterer of the Year, People’s Choice, Restaurant Newcomer, County Restaurants of the Year and Overall Restaurant of the Year. Winners will be selected from not only the public vote, but also from our nominating panel members.
The CRAZIES selection process began in August with an online public nomination process and state-wide chef panel. Subsequently, nearly 40 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers held multiple meeting to finalize the list of honorees and nominees for 2023. The nominees for Restaurateur of the Year and CT Hospitality Hall of Fame were brought to the CRA Board of Directors, where the overall award winners were selected in each of these two categories.
A posh five-star inn located in “the country” of Connecticut may be the last place you’d expect to stumble upon a former two-time Michelin star chef doing her thing in the kitchen.
Expect it. And expect to run into April Bloomfield.
Yeah, THAT April Bloomfield. The April Bloomfield who won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: New York City in 2014. The April Bloomfield who owns the British gastropub The Breslin. And the same April Bloomfield of the now shuttered, but acclaimed West Village haunt, The Spotted Pig.
And since mid-September she’s been spending her time away from the concrete jungle as the chef-in-residence at the Mayflower Inn & Spa where she’s firing up the refined pub fare that she is so lauded for and marrying that style with the bounty from local farms.
If you visit—and you absolutely should—there are a few dining experiences to be aware of.
There’s a seasonal, constantly changing four-course dinner tasting in the brightly lit, plant enshrined Garden Room. The $150 tasting’s polar opposite has been the occasionally offered bonfire experience where Bloomfield comes out to chat over cocktails, savory snacks, and gooey s’mores.
Then there’s the meal I elected to have, a lunch in The Tap Room. If the weather obeys, it’s a great idea to dine out on the back deck that overlooks the Shakespeare Garden, equal parts beautiful and haunting on an overcast autumn day.
