Filtering by Tag: Farm To Table,Bethel

It’s A Woman’s World: Genee Habansky of Herbaceous Catering Co.

Ingredients Interview It's A Woman's World Caterer Catering Farm To Table Interview

Andrew Dominick May 13, 2025

Since 2014, Genee Habansky’s Herbaceous Catering Co. has made the rounds all over. Catering, sure, but you’ve most likely come across her, if not at a private party, then it’s been at an event somewhere in Fairfield County (and beyond). If not there, then maybe you’ve picked up her food at the Westport Farmers Market where Herbaceous is a steady vendor. Habansky’s philosophy when it comes to her catering business is all about caring for the environment, plus, seasonality, locality, and super fresh as it pertains to ingredients she uses, something she became passionate about, first, at culinary school, then at Paul Newman’s The Dressing Room and her other stints at places like Pagano’s Seafood, Heirloom, Walrus + Carpenter, and Centro.

Ore Hill Offers Elevated Micro Seasonal Dining in Kent

Restaurant Kent Litchfield County Fine Dining Opening WIne Farm To Table New American

Erik Ofgang January 01, 2025

Somewhere between the main course and dessert round during a recent tasting at Ore Hill the palette cleansers arrive in the form of a sorbet. The secret ingredient in the dish is habanada peppers a selectively bred variant of the better-known habanero peppers that Executive Chef Ryan Carbone explains retain the flavors of a habanero without the spice. So you get all these green vegetal notes and it feels like it’s about to get spicy but the heat never comes, Carbone says.

The sensation, which Carbone describes perfectly, is one of a kind and exactly the kind of flavor that makes dining at Ore Hill such a treat. The ultra-select, ultra-high-end fine dining experience offers a multicourse immersion in local ingredients and chef-driven cuisine and the kind of big-city tasting menu rarely found in Connecticut. This is accompanied by high-end cocktails and a natural wine-driven wine list that doesn’t shy away from bringing some intriguing and intentional funk.

Soulber Kitchen & Market Expands from Bowl Delivery Business to Full Service Café in Bethel

Features Interview Restaurant Healthy Eats Interview Bethel Vegan Gluten-Free Openings

Andrew Dominick July 03, 2024

Sara Oberhammer recalls the day she got her driver’s license at 16. The first thing she did was cruise around her hometown of Bethel to apply to jobs in the hospitality industry. She even quit high school softball so she could waitress.

In February of 2024, just a mere three-minute walk away from where she got her foot in door at Greenwood’s Grille & Ale House, Oberhammer, who’s mostly been a bartender later in her restaurant career, now has a spot of her very own. And it has nothing to do with mixing cocktails, pouring drafts, or serving pub food.

Broken Symmetry Introduces New Chef, New Menu, and Teases Expansion

Brewery Interview Restaurant Brewery Broken Symmetry Bethel Interview Beer chef

Andrew Dominick September 13, 2023

It wasn’t all that long ago that we covered Bethel’s own Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery and some of the changes that were happening at the time.

Chef Forrest Pasternack Returns to Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield CT

Features Ingredients Interview Restaurant Bailey's Backyard Farm To Table Interview Chef Talk Ridgefield

Andrew Dominick August 27, 2023

Ask Forrest Pasternack about being back in Ridgefield and he’ll tell you that “there’s nothing quite like home.”

Already well traveled in this area and in New York as a renowned chef at several acclaimed restaurant, Pasternack may be best known to locals from his five-years when he headed up the kitchen at the O.G. farm-to-table restaurant Bailey’s Backyard from 2013 – 2018.

After a handful of years away, Pasternack is back!

But where’s he been all this time?

Well, a bunch of places and one big one at the same time.

Max Chef to Farm 2023 Summer Dining Series at Rosedale Farms

Features Events Pop-Up Dinner Farm Dinner Farm To Table Dinner Series Local Farm Cocktails

Khalid Williams June 22, 2023

Hartford County's premier restaurant group and Farmington Valley's century-old farm and vineyard partnered for the 15th year of Max Chef to Farm. The culinary acumen is Max Level (through the roof) with the added benefit of having beverages curated MH by Sommelier and Beverage Director Brian Mitchell.

The owners of Rosedale Farms and Vineyards have been providing apples that are redder, corn that's sweeter and berries that make the juiciest cocktails to CT restaurants for decades, and Max Hospitality has always been obsessed with fresh, local and organic. To culinary Hunter Morton, these are more than buzzwords-they're a way of life. Max Chef to Farm grew out of a desire to take the "farm to table" movement one step further and bring the culinary talent right to the source of their best ingredients.

I attest that great farm produce is available all over the state- but how often with a vineyard attached? Max gives a nod to Rosedale Farms winemaker Morgan Wilson's selections and Brian Mitchell, Max's beverage director, sommelier and a decorated wine and spirits professional and President of the New England Wine Academy

Former Nosh Hound Food Truck Owner Maycie Ralbovsky Joins Broken Symmetry as Executive Chef

Brewery Features Interview Restaurant Brewery Chef Talk Tasting Tasting Menu Tacos Mexican Craft Beer beer Homepage Broken Symmetry Bethel

Andrew Dominick November 18, 2022

Ask any Fairfield County food truck fanatic what their favorite one was over the past handful of years and they’re likely to mention Nosh Hound if they know what they’re talking about.

The stacked sandwiches, the tacos, the burgers, and the bowls, and yes, even the “F” word…FUSION. It all really worked for Nosh Hound. I, for one, sought out Sam and Maycie Ralbovsky’s truck at every Mill River Park event. My final Nosh Hound memory was at Half Full’s Oktoberfest in Downtown Stamford when I obliterated a pork schnitzel sandwich.

2022 Farm Dinners in Connecticut: Grab Your Rez NOW!

Features Farm Dinner Pop-Up Dinner Farm To Table Local Farm Farm to Table Homepage

Oliver Clachko May 25, 2022

As summer rolls around, Connecticut’s food lovers look to take advantage of the seasonal ambience and garden produce in order to experience unforgettable meals. And nothing epitomizes the combination of beautiful sights and fresh food more than field-to-table dinners. This summer, a handful of Connecticut’s most beloved farms are offering outstanding on-site prix fixe meals made with locally-sourced ingredients. So that you don’t miss out on these special experiences, we’ve rounded up the best that Connecticut has to offer.

Allium Eatery Rotisserie & Buvette Opens in Westport From Chef Michelle Greenfield

Restaurant Openings Westport Farm To Table French American Vegetarian

Jessica Ryan December 03, 2021

Named after the stunning bulbous flower, Allium Eatery’s name is as impeccably cultivated as the plant. The name sets the tone for what’s inside – the décor, the food’s preparation and presentation, every little detail is deliberate, delicate.

When The Schoolhouse at Cannondale shut its doors for the last time at the onset of the pandemic, Chef Michelle Greenfield had some time to think about her next move.

Greenfield describes her dishes as refined American cuisine with French undertones, and that’s exactly what you can expect to find here. (Classically trained in French cuisine, her recent experiences also include the esteemed Bernard’s restaurant in Ridgefield, and, briefly, Jessup Hall in Westport.)

The Wheel Opens at The Village in Stamford

Features Restaurant The Village Stamford The Village Farm To Table Stamford Cocktails Dessert Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick August 07, 2021

Chances are that by now you’ve heard at least a little something about The Village, located in Stamford’s South End. If you haven’t heard a peep about one of Fairfield County’s most buzzworthy openings in a while, you must be totally cut off from civilization aka social media.

The CliffsNotes explanation of The Village is simple. It’s a multi-purpose space. Think offices, pop-up events, an outdoor patio that’s exclusive to Cisco Brewers from Nantucket, a rooftop garden, private event spaces, a tequila bar, and a New American anchor restaurant in The Wheel.

The Village, as a whole, is financed by media mogul and Greenwich resident Brent Montgomery who with Jimmy Kimmel, founded Wheelhouse and all of its umbrella companies. Brent’s wife, Courtney, who founded Wheelhouse Properties, oversaw the development of The Village.

That ends your crash course on The Village. But this is a food site and we’re here to talk about The Wheel and what it offers to quench your thirst and fill your bellies.

“Let’s start at the bar” seems typical for one of these articles but we have to in the case of The Wheel. There’s a team of heavy hitters in the industry that are on board here, including beverage director Kyle Tran. Tran’s resume includes stints at Grant Achatz’s molecular gastronomy-based bar, The Aviary, and the Los Angeles branch of Employees Only. The current lineup of cocktails leans toward refreshing for summer with spritzy, ice cold, tiki type drinks. Expect fresh squeezed juices, house-made syrups, infused liquors, and for each beverage to be made with precision and care.

Much like the cocktails, The Wheel’s menu is as farm fresh and seasonal as it gets. Chief food curator Mike Geller, owner of Mike’s Organic, is using his connections to local and semi-local farmers and purveyors to get the highest quality ingredients right to The Wheel’s kitchen. To boot, Geller and the culinary team are even growing produce and herbs in The Village’s rooftop garden to use in the restaurant and at the bar.

In said “kitchen” is executive chef Chris Shea. Shea is the culinary director for APICII, a hospitality management and development company. He’s also headed the pass at The Wayfarer and David Burke Kitchen, to name a few.

The Westport Farmers' Market Is Back for the 2021 Summer Season with 50+ Vendors

Features Ingredients Farmers Market Westport Healthy Eats Farm To Table Farm Fresh Ingredients Farm Stand Local Artisan Bread Bakery Food Truck

CTbites Team May 25, 2021

The need to eat strikes in many different forms. Craving something healthy? At The Westport Farmers’ Market, you can grab some freshly grown produce to satisfy that yearning. Want something refreshing? Stop by the handmade popsicle stand to cool down. How about something sweet? Head to the various artisan bakers selling freshly baked pastries and bread.

After a brief intermission from the end of their winter season back in March, the Westport Farmers Market has reopened to serve the community fresh produce, baked goods and everything in between. Open Thursdays from 10-2 on Imperial Avenue in Westport, the market is something you will not want to miss.

With over 50 vendors determined to provide market-goers with healthy and fresh products, Westport residents can look forward to grabbing organic, local ingredients to prepare a healthy meal, or even a pre-made breakfast or lunch… after visiting all the other vendors…of course.

Visit the Westport Farmers Market to enjoy goods from any of their over 50 vendors or check out a few of our favorites below!

Roasted Spring-Dug Carrots with Pistachio Dukkah & Crème Fraîche from Lauren Braun Costello

Features Recipe Recipe Farm Fresh Farm To Table Healthy Eats

CTbites Team April 16, 2021

This recipe can be made with regular, conventional orange carrots, but spring-dug rainbow carrots from the farmer’s market are a colorful celebration of time and place like no other. Seasoned with a pistachio dukkah (an Egyptian nut-herb-spice blend traditionally made instead with hazelnuts, plus sesame seeds, coriander, mint, cumin, and salt and pepper), the flavors are both unexpected and familiar. Crème fraîche, with its creamy, sour finish is the icing on this proverbial carrot cake. Fresh microgreens complete the dish, offering more visual and textural contrast.—Lauren Braun Costello

Berkshires Direct: Farm-to-Consumer Delivery To Your Doorstep

Features Ingredients Subscription Box Farm to Table Farm Fresh Farm To Table Delivery Service

Stephanie Webster March 17, 2021

Chefs realized a long time ago that “farm to table” was more than a phrase, it was a healthier way to eat, tasted better and improved the diversity of local economies by helping make farming economically viable. In addition, this growing trend has another major benefit, increasing access to a wide range of different food options across our community.

We, in Connecticut, are incredibly lucky with access to a large and growing number of farms and farmers’ markets, but sometimes a visit to that local farm stand during its business hours is difficult. For people who are not members of a CSA (community supported agriculture) program and would still like to incorporate ultra-fresh products into their everyday lives, CT based Berkshires Direct now gives customers greater access to the resources of farm-fresh products delivered to your home. They are based in Connecticut and currently making deliveries in Connecticut and NYC (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens).

CTBites Readers USE CODE CTFriends10 for 10% off your first order!

Taproot 2.0: Chef Jeff Taibe Launches Southeast Asian Menu...And It's Delicious

Restaurant Bethel Openings Asian Southeast Asian Chef Talk New Menu Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe March 14, 2021

“It was like having a sparkler in your mouth,” says beloved Connecticut Chef Jeff Taibe on his early food experiences in Singapore.

Many of us regular CT diners are familiar with his passion and talent for cooking, and his following is testament enough to know that his food….well, sings. There’s even been pomp and accolades from the big whigs, and “Best Ofs,” and yet, he’s been holding out on us. Joking aside, he has flung his flair for Southeast Asian cuisine our way for some time through Kawa Ni, in Westport and, more recently at the original Taproot, and, even more recently, from the On the Fly food truck. BUT, after twenty years-ish, he’s ready to pull out all the stops and bring us his love affair with Singapore on a plate, every single day. Well, the days they are open.

Having spent time in Singapore first as a teen baseball player, then again as a serious cook, you can imagine how that “sparkler” left a lasting impression. Chef Taibe says, he just had to have that depth of flavor on the new menu. “I remember the Miang Kum (which is actually Thai); or The Mee Goreng that he’d have three times a week for lunch. He’d have dosa and chai tea most mornings in Little India or the chicken murtabak, “at 2 in the morning, while a bit tipsy; it woke me right up with how perfect of a bite of food it was.”

Rice & Beans Food Truck Owner Opens Bottega Italian Kitchen + Bar in Bethel

Features Restaurant Italian Pizza Cocktails Bethel Homepage

Andrew Dominick October 18, 2020

About a year ago, while having a few beers at Decadent Ales, I was formally introduced to Jasson Arias, the owner of the popular Rice & Beans food truck. It was there that I got in on a conversation between he and Chris Gonzalez of Hapa Food Truck. Arias talked about wanting to take that next step in the food industry and open a physical restaurant.

Fast forward to now. Arias has graduated from food truck to brick-and-mortar with his newest venture, Bottega Wood Fired Kitchen + Bar.

Bottega, though, is a completely different concept than the delicious, photogenic bowls Arias has become known for. Bottega, translated from Italian to English, means shop, and at this “shop” they’re firing up Neapolitan style pizza along with reimagined Italian classics, and they made damn sure the bar program wouldn’t be an afterthought.

How Arias got here from that chat at a brewery all those months ago isn’t that crazy of a story. “It’s not as complicated as it might seem,” he says. “The space was open. It used to be a wood-fired concept as well, but it was more traditional.”

The space he’s talking about used to be the Rizzuto’s Italian Restaurant & Bar in Bethel.

Taproot & Redding Roadhouse Owners Take Over The Holbrook Farm Business

Features CT Farms Farm Fresh Local Farm CSA Bethel Farm Stand

Maddie Phelps May 22, 2019

More than 40 years ago, John and Lynn Holbrook purchased 12 acres of land in Bethel, Connecticut to open their very own family farm. With a mere 2 acres available for farming, the Holbrooks were tasked with maximizing space while remaining environmentally friendly. The rest is history.

While the Holbrooks still own the spectacular farmland, as of this past March, four new faces have joined the farming family. Jeff Taibe, Stephanie Sweeney, and Sean and Erin Reilly decided to tackle the business side of things when the previous tenant opted not to renew her lease. With Taibe and Sweeney owning their restaurant, Taproot, and the Reilly’s owning the Redding Roadhouse, the four decided to merge the Bethel and Redding communities with Holbrook Farm as their link.

Don't Miss Chef Jeff Taibe's Monthly Bushido Pop-Up Dinner at Taproot in Bethel

Restaurant Bethel Japanese Organic Local Artisan Sushi Pop-Up Dinner Homepage

Andrew Dominick March 17, 2019

When Jeff Taibe opened Taproot in the second half of 2017, our Amy Kundrat summed up this Fairfield County gem beautifully. “Creative, seasonal, down-to-Earth, and hyper-local” (because damn near every ingredient comes from Connecticut farms) are all words she used. That summation is dead-on accurate.

And yeah, you should run there. I wish I listened to her closing sentence and didn’t wait so long for a stellar culinary experience. Bethel isn’t THAT far, and Taproot is worth the drive. When I did go, I deserved the ribbing. “Hey, man! It only took you a f*cking year to get here!” Taibe joked.

From the shareable, addictive apps, to carefully crafted cocktails, and braised pork cheeks that flaked apart with a slight twist of my fork, it was my favorite meal in Connecticut in 2018.

All of the above is a well-deserved shout-out, but I’m not giving you a Taproot update. I’m dishing on the restaurant’s one-Sunday-per-month mood swing called “Bushido.”

Bushido, as you can probably surmise, is a Japanese pop-up concept. The birth of Bushido is a story in itself.

Mecha & Mézon Launch Eat Justice Food Truck

Restaurant Food Truck Bethel Noodles Asian Breakfast Brunch American Latin American Catering Homepage Local Farm

Stephanie Webster June 14, 2018

Mecha Noodle Bar & Mézon owners, Tony Pham and Richard Reyes, are excited to announce the launch of their new food truck, Eat Justice. The truck will open its window to the public on Friday, June 15th, at Holbrook Farm in Bethel. The Eat Justice food truck rolls into the CT food scene with some pre-existing street cred, and we're not just talking about our beloved noodle slurping shop founders. Beneath the new pink origami pig exterior resides the bones of the EGGZ food truck, purchased from Matt Stanziato. Lucky us, the truck will continue to feature EGGZ' killer breakfast sandwiches, but Pham and Reyes will expand the menu to include "Daily Inspirations" ranging from Banh Mi to a classic Cubano. Bonus... you don't need to hunt down the Eat Justice truck. It will reside at Holbrook Farm every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 8am-1pm, like clockwork. This is a great reason to head to Bethel.

Bethel’s Broken Symmetry Offers San Diego-Inspired Burritos in Brewery Setting

Restaurant Brewery Mexican Bethel Openings Beer CT Beer

Connecticut Magazine June 06, 2018

We are happy to share this exciting burrito news from Connecticut Magazine.

The opening-night crowd filed into the postcard-worthy red building that was once a railroad station but had just officially become Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery. Eight-hundred pints of beer were poured as people thronged around tables, overflowing into the aisles and then outside onto a patio area.

Many, like me, were intrigued that a new brewery had opened in the Greater Danbury area. But that wasn’t the only reason we left work early and endured long lines and unintentional, mosh pit-like jostling.

We were there for the burritos.

Lebanese Market & Cuisine in Bethel: A One-of-a-Kind Find

Restaurant Bethel Middle Eastern Lunch Comfort Food Delicious Dives

Connecticut Magazine January 24, 2018

Connecticut Magazine shares a unique Middle Eastern find in Bethel, Lebanese Market & Cuisine.

Restaurants have so overused the word “fresh” when describing their ingredients that it has been stripped of most of its meaning. But when chef Hassan Bou Hodiv of Lebanese Cuisine in Bethel says he only uses “fresh” ingredients, he means it. Like, really means it.

The shelf life on the restaurant’s tabbouleh: 30 minutes.

“After a half-hour, it’s not good for a customer,” he says.

This is hard to believe, but take a bite of this tabbouleh filled with bright green parsley and mint, accented by finely chopped onions and tomato coated in olive oil and lemon juice, taste the way the flavor of each ingredient pops, crisp and clean, and your doubts will evaporate.

The tabbouleh is the best I’ve had and the other Middle Eastern cuisine offered at the restaurant — including addictive falafel sandwiches and shawarma — is as good as, and arguably better than, any you can get in New York City. Though it has little online presence, an unassuming location on Stony Hill Road in Bethel, and a name that lacks flair, Lebanese Cuisine is an elite restaurant.

It was opened five years ago by Sam Baddour. A few years ago, Baddour brought Hodiv onboard as chef and partner and says he told him, “It’s your restaurant. Do whatever you want.”

Hodiv transformed the spot, drawing on the culinary traditions taught to him as a child in Lebanon. “My grandmother, always she cooked. I helped her,” he says. He moved to the U.S. in 2004, and prior to his work at Lebanese Cuisine he ran Falafel House in West Haven.