Sound Coffee, known for their freshly roasted, ethically sourced beans, threw its grand opening at its Black Rock location in Bridgeport earlier this month after completing a full renovation. Since 2023, they’ve been serving the Bridgeport community from their cozy cafe at their roastery on Main Street– now, they’re excited to welcome even more coffee lovers with the opening of their new spacious cafe on Fairfield Avenue
Sound Coffee is run by husband and wife, Jeff and Sarah Roy, who were inspired to showcase their passion for quality coffee after honing their roasting skills at home. Their journey began when Jeff received a simple Christmas gift of a roasting at home coffee kit from his mother in law. In 2020 the Roy’s began roasting and selling out of their garage to neighbors and farmers markets before opening their first location on Main Street in Bridgeport.
Hartford Baking Company announces a new location in South Windsor! It's expansion time! Again! Hartford Baking Company is delighted to announce that they will be adding a fourth retail location in the Spring of 2024. The new cafe will be located at 150 Sullivan Ave in South Windsor CT, and will have the same vibe, menu, and bread selection of the two current West Hartford locations, plus an expanded menu and some other exciting new offerings.
September 29th is National Coffee Day. If this listing was a coffee cup it would be a mega-super-duper-de-booper-trente. To make the (brewing) process easier for you to discover fabulous-and sometimes hidden- java joints to caffeinate or simply enjoy the velvety and multi-faced notes of a fine cup of’ Joe, we have divided this list by county. Enjoy the thrill of a new favorite spot or re-visit an old favorite.The slow pour has already begun as you read this…
Enjoy our guide to the best places to get coffee in the state of Connecticut.
Pastry Chef Kim Wood of French Bakery, Le Banh Patisserie in Simsbury is competing on the upcoming season of Spring Baking Championship, premiering Monday February 28th at 8PM on Food Network and streaming on Discovery+.
Molly Yeh is bringing the farm straight to Spring Baking Championship putting her own colorful spin on every challenge this season, inspiring the bakers to create eye-popping, delicious, and Spring-forward treats to impress judges Duff Goldman, Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller. Only one lucky baker will be crowned this year's Spring Baking Champion and walk away with $25,000!
Twelve bakers enter the Spring Baking barn and are challenged to create delicious desserts featuring the freshest fruit and flowers the farm has to offer. You know who we’re rooting for!
Donny Raus of Raus Coffee has been intimately involved with coffee for most of his life. As coffee roasters go, Donny is at the top of his game in the fair state of Connecticut. He also claims responsibility for inventing a drink that every coffee enthusiast should get involved with, a cold brew based delicacy called the Cold Roman, served at farmers’ markets around CT. This blend of hand crafted fresh brewed espresso, a touch of raw sugar, his own “cuore di caffe” natural flavor infusion, served over ice with a splash of cold foam, might be the ONLY way a person should be asked to wake up in the morning. No…seriously. But Donny’s passion goes far beyond the perfect brew or roast. His mission is to “change the way the world drinks, connects, and interacts over coffee, creating a sense of excitement around their daily cup, while also having it serve as a reminder to reconnect not only with those around us, but with ourselves.”
Donny Raus is a true artisan, fastidious and supremely knowledgeable when it comes to his craft and product. Now, you can benefit from his years of training, research and experience with the launch of his new “virtual espresso training workshops.”Home-users and aspiring amatuer baristas can learn how to make proper espresso from their home machines, pull the perfect shot, and get the right grind, via his new private zoom classes. Umm…Holiday gift idea? I think yes.
Restaurateurs all over the CT are pivoting in response to the new pandemic reality facing both restaurant owners and diners, and while we all wish we could go back to 2019, smart entrepreneurs continue to reinvent themselves in unique and interesting ways. The team behind Taco Daddy and The Lila Rose, John Nealon and Morgan Machette are doing just that. With diminished dine in capacity, this duo, with the help of partner, Juan J Henao have expanded the reach of their new dinner spot, The Lila Rose, into an all day breakfast and lunch affair with their new, ‘Es Ok Cafe’.
Located in Stamford’s Harbor Point area, The Lila Rose was already closed during the day, except for brunch on Saturday and Sundays, so it was the perfect spot to house the cafe that this group had dreamed of creating pre-Covid. “Machette, Henao (JJ), and his brother, Juan Camillo Henao, have always been passionate about coffee and tea, so putting the concept together has been really fun. I also just like saying Sexy Lattes and Slutty Paninis,” says co-owner Nealon.
Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State in New Haven will get involved in some competitive “Pork-y fun” on Food Network’s CHOPPED, May 26th, 9PM. The battle: High On The Hog.
Tune in to watch the competition. Chefs are elated to get a “nose to tail” pork theme for their battle, and the gorgeous cuts of premium meat in the first basket don't disappoint. A Bloody Mary with a special surprise adds to the porky fun in the second round. Then something fizzy and something "offal-ly" difficult to incorporate in a dessert are part of the final challenge.
Chef Eric Felitto of Tasty Yolk has some big news to share. May 5th is his 35th birthday, (also Cinco de Mayo), Tasty Yolk’s 4 year anniversary, AND….wait for it…he will be competing for the world to see on Food Network’s Chopped Champion. Big day eh?
His episode of Chopped Champion will air at 9pm on May 5th. When asked about the experience Felitto said “it was definitely intense. The whole episode was based off of the showmanship a fight night, so there was a lot of filming and trash talking before we even cooked anything.” “They didn’t come to the restaurant to shoot like they did when I competed in 2018. Instead they had us shoot selfies on our phones…and then filmed it as if we were literally showing up to a fight.” “It was a great experience, and I was pumped when they called me back for the Champion round.”
Felitto couldn’t share any details, for obvious reasons, but he did share one of the “secret” ingredients…ESCARGOT!! Oh boy…Have fun with that.
Chef Felitto says he will probably run a special at the store front location on May 5th to coordinate with the airing. Stay tuned for more details and tune in on The Food Network.
Chef Matt Storch of Match and Match Burger Lobster & his older sister Lisa Storch, of Catch a Healthy Habit, Café battle it out on BEAT BOBBY FLAY, Sunday, April 26, 10pm on the Food Network.
Cheer on CT’s own Chef Brian Lewis, of The Cottage and OKO, as he competes on Beat Bobby Flay, airing Thursday, May 30th @10PM.
“We taped this episode months ago and I’m excited for everyone to see this episode of ‘Beat Bobby Flay.’ Just as I cook my heart out in the kitchens at OKO and The Cottage, I gave it my all for the competition. Tune in to see if I had the chance to go head to head with Bobby!” says Chef Lewis.
The episode is intriguingly titled “Bye Bye Birdie,” and features Food Network's Michael Symon and Jet Tila working hard to outsmart their good friend Bobby Flay. They bring in one of his proteges, Chef Rebecca Weitzman, and fine dining's finest, Chef Brian Lewis, to muscle Bobby out of his kitchen.
Beb! It’s the CTbites’ Hot Dish Podcast Episode you’ve all been waiting for. This week we sit down with Next Food Network Star, Chef Christian Petroni…oh yeah…he also owns Fortina Pizza (all 5 locations). Petroni gabs about his summers in Italy, growing up in the Bronx, how he “learned” to cook, and the epic importance of cheesy garlic bread. Join us chez Webster, and have a listen here.
Ryan Durant, owner and executive chef of Assaggio in Branford, has been picked to compete for the title of "Sexiest Chef Alive" on the People Magazine/Food Network joint venture show by the same name, airing November 1st. CTBites spoke with chef Durant about the experience.
How did you get involved with the show?
People magazine randomly called me, one of the servers picked up the phone and they said it was something with the magazine's sexiest man issue. It had to do with a cooking segment I did on "Better Connecticut" with Scot Haney three years ago.
