Tender meatballs nestled in bubbling, vibrant San Marzano tomato sauce. Hearty breads that cradle cutlets generously smeared with homemade pesto. Crispy-on-the-outside Mac and Cheese balls and tender Crabcakes with a dollop of Horseradish Dill sauce. Lasagna that is layers deep, stuffed full of gooey cheese and smothered in more of that delightful tomato sauce.
And it’s all vegan.
Without getting too Hallmark-y, it is all based in love, as well.
Tracy Alexander, with her two daughters Brittany and Taylor form the triumvirate of Three Girls Vegan Creamery in Guilford, Connecticut. Mama Tracy creates the recipes and menus, while daughters Brittany and Taylor run the locations and handle the marketing.
John Dimarco and his renown Luigi's Bakery, served up Italian sweets on Main street in Bridgeport for 50 years. Two years ago, Dimarco closed the bakery and joined in a partnership with three longtime friends to expand the wholesale side of his business. Luigi’s was famous for its Original Cannoli Pie and their killer tasty cannoli cream. Hence, for the new spot, they chose the name “The Cannoli Pie Company” and relaunched and refocused their wholesale distribution business around being "Cannoli Specialists" and "Masters of All Things Cannoli."
This little bakery that could has some big news for the holidays. In between making wedding cakes for most of Connecticut and running a full Italian Bakery, John managed to get his amazing cannoli pies into 85 local Stop & Shops along with scattered Price Rite, Shop Rites and specialty stores. And now, two years later, their cannoli pie is in EVERY SINGLE STOP & SHOP – over 400 stores in 5 states!
Bufalina Wood Fired Pizza in Guilford is one of this shoreline town’s most charming and delicious destinations. Open since September 2011, Bufalina has earned a reputation for rustic, seasonally-driven, and Neapolitan-inspired pizzas.
“We wanted to recreate the feeling that you are in our kitchen and we are cooking for you,” said Melissa Pellegrino, chef and co-owner of Bufalina alongside her husband, chef Matt Scialabba.
When I reluctantly moved to Los Angeles at the beginning of this decade, I missed our annual fall apple and berry picking trip so much that I dragged a posse of ex-East Coasters and their small children to the closest orchard (two hours into the desert) to pick apples one hot October Sunday. To put it mildly, apple picking in California is a sad facsimile of the real deal here in New England. The air was heavy, we were sweaty and the only ones enjoying the adventure were the children– they didn’t know any better.
Being back in New England, where there really is a fall season and apples taste like, well apples, we recently took advantage of the pick your own trifecta: September peaches, apples and raspberries and visited Bishops Orchards in Guilford, CT.