Mrs. London's Cafe & Bakery has announced the sale of its Westport location to Maman, (@_mamannyc) the popular NYC based Provençal-inspired café, created by co-founders Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte. Maman will bring its fan-favorite salads, sandwiches, made-famous-by-Oprah Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies to the Westport community.
Maman, known for its cafés, bakeries, and event spaces, features a menu that celebrates childhood favorites from the South of France and North America. This will be their second CT location, after their launch in Greenwich.
Less than a year ago, we covered Amanda Eng in our Q&A series, “It’s a Woman’s World,” with a focus on her coffee pop up, Kash & Liv Coffee Creations. Along with popping up all over the Newtown, Sandy Hook, and Danbury areas, Eng found a home as a coffee vendor inside of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Cafe in the fall of 2023. Just over a year later, right before the holiday season, Eng teamed up with her customer-turned-friend, Meghan Jefts, to open a spot of their own. At AM Coffee & Co. in Southbury, Eng, a self-professed coffee nerd since she was 14, is continuing her coffee journey that saved her from corporate America.
After much anticipation Lyfe Café finally opened its doors and to much fanfare. Offering both grab and go as well as sit down breakfast and lunch options, the newest café to grace Westport’s bustling restaurant scene is the latest collaboration of Gino Riccio and Dimitri Pantzos. The dynamic duo (who also happen to be uncle and nephew) have already seen smashing success with Pizza Lyfe (just up the street), a favorite among locals and non-locals alike. Riccio, a longtime veteran of the restaurant scene, is also the owner of Quattro Pazzi and Organika.
Dimitri and Gino have spent nearly a year perfecting recipes. Everything at the café is made from scratch, and when you get the opportunity to eat there yourself, you’ll notice the quality immediately. I daresay they have perfected the croissant, with its crisp and flaky exterior, and layers of soft buttery goodness beneath. You’ll have to decide if you’re a traditionalist or wanting to try one of their viral offerings like the Tiramisu or White Chocolate Pistachio which sell out quickly, and after sampling one, I can see why. The sandwich rolls are also made in-house as are the bagels, and as a born and bred New Yorker, they pass my test – and I am very particular.
Chances are you’ve seen Japanese souffle pancakes on Instagram or TikTok – tall, thick and fluffy confections that jiggle at the slightest movement, topped with maple syrup, powdered sugar and berries. These have been hard to find in Connecticut, but they’re on the menu at a Simsbury Asian-fusion cafe that opened earlier this year.
Blossom Cafe owners Amanda Liu and Albert Zhang traveled through Asia last summer and fell in love with the cafe cultures in the countries they visited, coming back home to Connecticut inspired by what they’d seen.
Beyond the basic and hydrating beverage of water, tea and coffee seem to be duking it out for the number two spot as the most consumed drink on the planet. About 80% of them regularly partake in a cuppa at home, with drip coffee coming in first, and cappuccinos and ice coffees picking up the rear. Overall, Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee a day, roughly 1,095 per person, per year and overall- hold onto your stirrers-as a nation, we swill 146 billion cups a year. Our beans overfloweth. Knowing that you will be soon looking for your next cup, read on…
That’s exactly what Amanda Eng did. And now she’s making waves with her craft coffee concoctions that have included creative, original flavored lattes, cold brews with fruity sweet cream cold foams, and decadent cups of hot cocoa.
Amanda, and her coffee biz that’s named after her twins, Kash and Liv, is seemingly everywhere in the Newtown with pop ups at PTA meetings, to Newsylum Brewery, and others. Now with a home base inside of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café in nearby Sandy Hook, you’ll at least always know where to find her for your caffeine fix.
I recently caught up with Amanda to get Kash & Liv Coffee Creations’ origin story, to talk coffee and coffee inspiration, and what’s in her very near future.
Grab a cup (of her coffee if you have access) and check out our Q&A!
Driving along Center Street in Wallingford, you can find the Bees Knees Bistro across the street from the post office between North Main Street and Wallace Avenue. With a classic red brick exterior, glowy lanterns, and a string of bistro lights, the Bees Knees Bistro charms you before you even set foot inside. Run by Wallingford-nativeJena Schlosser and her two aunts, Patti Schlosser and Catherine (Cathie) Muzio, the neighborhood bistro opened in December of last year. The trio is there every day of the week, working hard and wearing many hats. The 45-seat family-run bistro serves breakfast and lunch, with a comprehensive coffee and beverage list. With such a large variety of offerings, the bistro is family-friendly (there’s a ‘Honey Bees Menu’ for kiddos under 12 years of age), but also great for casual dining for couples and get-togethers among friends. The Bees Knees team also crafted the menu with dietary restrictions in mind with ample offerings for those following a gluten-free or vegan diet.
“I could go for a coffee right now.” “Where’s the nearest coffee place?” If we had a nickel for every time we heard or uttered those words, right? Happily, there’s a coffee house or roastery just about around every corner these days, but some of them rise above with their drinks, their blends, their hospitality. Hence, we have filled our cups to the brim with delicious offerings for you and this list is broken down by County so that you can get to that cup quicker! Sip alone, brew, sip with a friend-life is good.
Some of you may be lucky enough to live near the popular Middle Eastern Pistachio Cafe in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven, but diners in downtown New Haven can finally experience the immense pleasure of settling into one of Pistachio’s signature Turkish Coffees or Pistachio Lattes. Last week, Pistachio Cafe opened a 2nd location at 1245 Chapel Street. Syrian artist, architect and owner, Mohamad Hafez, opened the original Pistachio location in 2020 with the goal of “giving guests the experience of hosting them in my domicile without taking them back to Syria.” In fact, the beautifully ornate and sumptuous interior has layer upon layer of detailing and decor straight from his childhood. . Every inch of this cafe is designed with objects of interest, and the stunning surroundings match the character of this Middle Eastern fan favorite.
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.
Feels like we were all just stuck home together and dreaming of getting OUT and low and behold, now we can! Let’s start with getting those kiddos some cool stuff to do once school lets out. Let’s hear it for cooking camps! To learn (in a fun way) about food, where it comes from, what the heck we can do with it, and yummm, how it tastes-what could be better? Follow it with some parent-kid trips to your local farms or farmers’ markets, and lookie there, you’ve just filled the calendar a bit for the summer months. Here’s to brilliant and tasty new discoveries!
Craving something sweet but not in the mood for the full indulgence of ice cream? Do you want something that tastes just as good without as much guilt? Have no fear, Dave’s Gourmet Paletas has just opened in downtown Fairfield serving up 20 flavors of homemade paletas…made fresh daily. These pops are far cry fro from the average popsicle as paletas are made entirely from whole ingredients, delicious things…like fresh fruit and nut butters. Dave’s Paletas also feature gluten free, dairy free and vegan options with a menu ranging from classic flavors like strawberry and banana to more unique ones like matcha and mango chamoy. Paletas are a traditional Mexican frozen treat and owner and CEO Dave Rock says,
“We wanted to offer standard flavors, traditional ones that everybody likes, but we also wanted to sprinkle in some of the more uniquely Mexican options like a mango chamoy.”
Episode #4 of our Chefs At Home series is here…and it’s a heathy, simple and delicious recipe you can make all summer long. Chef Anthony Rinaldi, formerly Exec Chef at Kawa Ni in Westport, currently the Chef for Greenwich Country Day School, has been having some fun in his kitchen with this recipe for the Chia Seed Pudding. This recipe has 15 grams of protein and is easy enough for any kid to make themselves! Get your kids cooking and enjoy!
Chef Dan Kardos has made his mark on the Connecticut restaurant industry over the past two decades. He’s been the operator, the owner, and, of course, the chef of local favorites like Stratford’s Oar & Oak. This summer, he’s turning to something even sweeter.
Kardos recently opened Oar & Oak Creamery, a 10x6 soft serve ice cream truck currently stationed at Knapp’s Landing in Stratford. The truck, Kardos emphasized, isn’t some extravagant ice cream parlor with dozens of flavors and toppings galore. It’s straightforward yet refreshingly original.
Dan Giusti was not used to failing in the kitchen.
At 29 years old he had been named the head chef at Noma in Copenhagen, making him a de facto high priest of fine dining. As the leader of the kitchen of one of the world’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, he was tasked with executing owner and executive chef René Redzepi’s vision and making sure the culinary dreams of those who had spent years and months planning their visit to Copenhagen to dine at Noma came true. Giusti was good at this.
But three years into the job, Giusti walked away to tackle the seemingly never-ending enigma that is school lunch. With Redzepi’s blessing and investment, Giusti founded a new company called Brigaid that sought to put skilled chefs at the helm of cafeteria kitchens in schools across America. The idea was “getting chefs who would never choose to do this work to do this work,” Giusti says.
Leo Kelly, a 6 year old first grader in Fairfield CT has dreams of becoming “King,” well, the Shirley Temple King that is. Leo aspires to be the childhood arbiter of all things Shirley Temple (yes, the popular childhood beverage) , and he is making his way around Fairfield County doing just that. You can find him on Instagram at @theshirleytempleking, so heads up local restaurants owners. Time to get your Shirley Temple game on fleek.
Hot summer days and you don’t feel like cooking. The stove, oven, even the grill…it’s all so hot. But hold on a minute there, maybe *you* don’t have to! With a little foresight (read: now), your kids can learn to cook this summer, get inspired and whoa-oh, looks who’s not in the kitchen anymore?! Beyond your parental joy, though, kids will enjoy learning cooking skills, whipping up some pretty cool menus from around the globe and even having a cooking competition or two just to test their mettle. Just be sure to sign up your aspiring chefs soon, these classes and camps fill up quicker than hot grease will jump out of a pan!
Have you heard this lovely little conversation often during the summer months? Kids young and old let that horrifying phrase fall from their lips at an astounding rate. Are you just cringing thinking about how you will derail these declarations for 10 weeks? Well, now you can consider yourself informed and prepared to battle the cries of blahs and beat the little buggers at their own game! We’ve got some tasty ideas so that you can wave goodbye to boredom, and say hello to a creative and fun summer (not to mention, delicious). Maybe your kids will even treat you to a meal or two along the way. Maybe you’ll get the last laugh this summer…
Four young aspiring chefs are one step closer to making their dreams of attending culinary school a reality after being named finalists in Rachael Ray’s “Cook Your Way to Culinary School” competition. On Tuesday, February 13th, Jules Esposito, an 18-year-old high school senior from Wallingford, CT, will be cooking to win! She has had her sights set on culinary school since the 2nd grade. She started a baking blog in middle school and is part of a culinary program that has allowed her to manage a food truck and cater events.
