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Olivette Opens in Westport: Ultra Premium Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients Features

CTbites Team

The olive oil craze continue with the announcement that Olivette is opening a second tasting room at 24 Railroad Place in Westport. Akin to its sister in Darien, the second location will also offer the freshest, ultra-premium, extra virgin olive oils from around the world and authentic balsamic vinegars from Modena.

The grand opening is scheduled for Thursday July 17th from 4-7PM and guests can sample a wide variety of full line of olive oils and vinegars while enjoying light refreshments. “We are very proud to offer our customers exclusive products of superb quality. One of the many outstanding olive oils we carry was recently named one of the top 10 extra virgin olive oils in the world. It is a thrill to be able to offer such delicious, high quality products to our customers” said Alina Lawrence, owner of Olivette. The philosophy of Lawrence is to provide only the finest artisanal products that are never mass produced, and a “culinary experience that delivers unsurpassed sensory and health benefits to its customers.” Guests are always encouraged to taste before they buy and discuss food pairings and recipes with the staff.


Summer Grilling Tips from Saugatuck Craft Butchery

Ingredients Features Butcher Chef Talk Education Grilling

Ryan Fibiger

Craft Butchery is an old-fashioned shop with modern-day ideals (not to mention beautiful new digs). It carries only pasture-raised, organic meat from small farms located within a 150-mile radius of Westport. They sell premium beef, pork, lamb and poultry from animals that have never been given antibiotics, hormones, steroids or animal by-products. These guys know a thing or two...or three...(well, actually Ryan has 5 tips here), about grilling. 

Owner and head butcher Ryan Fibiger helps us make the most of his offerings with tips on grilling perfectly.

1. Keep it simple. When it comes to grilling high-quality, pasture-raised meats, less is more. Stick with just a salt rub on our steaks and burgers. Pepper, garlic, spice rubs and oils can burn, so use only if you’re cooking at a lower temperature.


Valencia Luncheria's Carlo Arepa Recipe c/o Fairfield County Chef's Table

Features Norwalk Venezuelan

Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster

If you thought arepa's were our of your reach in your own kitchen, think again. This week we are bringing you a recipe from one of the our reader favorite spots—Valencia Luncheria in Norwalk, featured in Fairfield County Chef's Table—featuring one of their most popular dishes, the Carlo Arepa. 

Valencia Luncheria
164 Main Street, Norwalk, CT 06851 | (203) 846-8009 | valencialuncheria.com

Carlo Arepa (serves 4)

For the chicken filling:

1 (31/2-pound) whole chicken
1 large white onion, julienned
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 poblano pepper, julienned


Secrets of a Supermarket: The Science of Selling

Ingredients Features Specialty Market

Lou Gorfain

There exists an arcane branch of psychology dubbed “Supermarket Science." To uncover the secrets of how and why we buy our groceries, researchers treat a supermarket floor as a behavioral lab. They track such factors as our route through the store, our eyeball movement in the aisles, even our conversation at the checkout counter. As a result, nothing in a supermarket is there by happenstance. 

So how much does a supermarket play the customer?  Encourage you to buy more?

To find out, we asked Robert Reinisch the manger of Stamford's Fairway market to candidly talk about his store’s selling strategies. We chose Fairway not only to take advantage of Reinisch's openness and passion to do well by his customers, but also because it’s a food-centric supermarket. No banks, no pharmacy, no kitchenware, not even a loyalty card (another window on your personal buying habits.) 

We asked Robert about the first axiom of Supermarket Science: “The more time spent in the store, the more money spent in a store.” 

"Absolutely we want the customer to spend as much time as possible here," Reinisch allowed. "Our average shopping trip lasts about an hour."

 Wow, that's 50% longer than the national average of 40 minutes.  What’s Fairway’s secret?  Appealing to a customer’s basic emotions.


Scafata Recipe from BONDA Restaurant

Features Chef Talk Recipe

CTbites Team

BONDA prides itself on always using the finest and freshest ingredients – and local, when available. On June 19th, Chef Jamie will be demo'ing & serving his beautiful recipe for Scafata (recipe can be found below), highlighting a medly of seasonal vegetables. 

Last season Jamie procured many vegetables at Westport Farmers’ Market - primarily from Sport Hill Farm and Fort Hill Farm. He often drives directly to Sport Hill Farm throughout the week as it is about just as far from his restaurant as the Westport Market - and open every day! Jamie also frequents the weekly Greenfield Hill Farmers’ Market outside BONDA's doorstep (every Saturday during the Summer). 

Every spring Jamie picks his own ramps at his secret spots and this year was a banner ramp season! To extend the season Jamie is pickling his own ramps and pureeing and freezing the greens for future use. Most recently a friend has opened up his organic garden to Jamie and lucky diners have been enjoying a variety of beautiful lettuces.


Fresh Nation Enables Home Delivery for Westport Farmers' Market

Ingredients Features CT Farms Farmers Market Home Delivery Local Farm Farm Fresh

CTbites Team

Fresh Nation, the online marketplace for farmers markets, and Westport Farmers’ Market announced they have formed a strategic partnership to provide online shopping and home delivery.  Fresh Nation will operate an online storefront for the Market, providing local consumers with the ability to place an online order from many of their favorite Market vendors and receive same day home delivery from a Fresh Nation personal shopper. 

Fresh Nation delivers fresh food direct from farmers markets to consumers, by bringing local farmers markets together into a convenient online shopping destination, enabling farmers and food makers at the markets to reach new customers who do not normally make it to the market.  The company employs trained food shoppers to go the markets and personally fill customers’ online orders.  After receiving orders from Fairfield County residents for Thursday delivery, Fresh Nation fills these orders at the Westport Farmers’ Market and drives them directly to customers’ homes. 

“We are committed to bringing the freshest and best foods from the Westport Farmers’ Market to all members of our community,” said Lori Cochran


Dad’s & Grad’s Ultimate Grilled Pizza Party w/ Recipes from Marcia Selden

Ingredients Features Grilling Holiday Recipe Kid Friendly

Marcia Selden Catering

Time to celebrate your special Dad (June 15th ~ Father’s Day) or your fabulous Grad!  There’s no better time to fire up the grill and throw a party.   We've got a great salad to start… our grilled romaine with a blue cheese and bacon vinaigrette. 

Another one of our favorites things to make, at Marcia Selden Catering, are grilled pizzas.  The varieties are endless. It’s a little different and who doesn’t love pizza! This is a rare treat.

As for the pizza, if you don’t want to make your own dough, most stores sell great pre-made dough to make it real simple. Buy (from a good salad bar) or make lots of the toppings.

The best way to set yourself up for success is to arrange all of the toppings in bowls on a table by the grill. Guests can simply choose their toppings and grill up the pizzas on the spot.


Rhubarb Compote Recipe from Sugar & Olives

Features Chef Talk Farmers Market Recipe

CTbites Team

SUGAR & OLIVES will be the guest at The Westport Farmers' Market THIS Thursday May 29th. SUGAR & OLIVES is devoted to serving wholesome, healthy and happy {LOCAL} food. If it's grown in CT, then it's served up at Sugar & Olives.

SUGAR & OLIVES will demo-ing and serving up recipes for RHUBARB COMPOTE & PICKLED RAMPS (view complete recipes below) as well as providing rhubarb lemonade. Chef Jon Vaast and Jenn Balin will also discuss the many uses for these ingredients like ramp and rhubarb chutney, rhubarb tom collins, ramp martini, & ramp butter. 

SUGAR & OLIVES always strives to educate and cultivate its diners. A recent addition to the lineup at S&O is Jon Vaast, former executive chef of the Dressing Room Restaurant. We look forward to seeing him at the market. 


109 Cheese & Wine's Perfect Grilled Cheese Recipe c/o Fairfield County Chef's Table

Features Restaurant Cheese Ridgefield Recipe

Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster

In our second week featuring recipes from Fairfield County Chef's Table, we looked no further than Ridgefield to feature 109 Cheese & Wine's excellent grilled cheese sandwich with wild mushrooms. In addition to trying your hand at the recipe below, the shop also makes made-to-order grilled cheese sandwiches in their shop. 109 Cheese & Wine will be hosting a free event with Bernard's Restaurant and Southwest Café at 11 am on May 31 in their upstairs classroom, complete with food from all three restaurants, bubbly and beverages, as well as copies of Fairfield County Chef's Table. Stop by for a snack, and have the chefs and author sign your book!

109 Cheese & Wine
109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877 | (203) 438-5757 | 109cheeseandwine.com
Owners: Monica and Todd Brown

Wild Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich


Guide to Kids Summer Cooking Camps & Classes in Connecticut

Kids Bites Features Restaurant Cooking Classes Education Kids kids activity kids cooking party

April Guilbault

Is May about the newly arriving crocuses (crocii?)? Or about the greening of our lawns after the longest winter ever? Nah. Let’s get down to business-it’s about finding camps for your kiddos before the summer hits and all of those spots are filled! The emails have begun flying and the scramble is beginning. What’s new? What’s fun? How about forgoing the traditional Camp Gitchigoomee canoes and bonfires and, instead, fan the flames of summer creativity in some area kitchens with cooking camps for kids! 

Here is a list of 8 Kids Cooking Classes & Summer Camps for 2014:


Fresh Strawberry, Herb and Honey Vinaigrette/Marinade Recipe from Chef Cecily Gans of Staples High School Culinary Arts

Features Recipe

CTbites Team

Cecily Ganz is a culinary teacher at Staples High School. What makes her stand out is her commitment to teaching the kids the value of using local ingredients. Cecily spearheads our Gillespie Center monthly meal program where we, WFM, purchase food from our market for to kids prepare and serve the meal to our neighbors in need. She will be the guest chef at The Westport Farmers' Market on May 22nd. You can find her recipe for Fresh Strawberry, Herb & Honey Vinaigrette below. 


Chocolate Pancakes with Bourbon Whipped Cream Recipe c/o Fairfield County Chef's Table

Features Brunch Norwalk Pancakes Ingredients Recipe

Amy Kundrat

Each week we will be bringing you a recipe from one of the restaurant's featured in Fairfield County Chef's Table. We are excited to kick it off with this beautiful stack of pancakes from one of our favorite brunch (and now dinner spots) Sugar & Olives in Norwalk. To sweeten this post, we have invited owner Jen Balin and Chef Jon Vaast to share some of their pancakes at our Westport book signing this Saturday. 

Sugar & Olives
21 Lois Street, Norwalk, CT 06851 | (203) 454-3663 | sugarandolives.com
Owner/Chef: Jen Balin and Chef: Jon Vaast

Chocolate Pancakes with Bourbon Whipped Cream Recipe


Cinco De Mayo Recipes: Pomegranate Margarita & Chile Braised Pork Tacos

Features Recipe Cocktails Recipe

Marcia Selden Catering

Ole, Happy Cinco De Mayo!  While this holiday celebrates Mexico’s victory over France in the 1862 Battle of Puebla, we think that whether you’re Mexican or not, this is a great time to have a party.  Invite your friends, turn up the music, blend a few of our fabulous pomegranate margaritas, grab some tacos, and get ready to have a ball!  Here are our favorite Mexican recipes to feed a crowd: Pomegranate Margarita, Tomatillo Salsa, Chile Braised Pork Tacos with Pickled Onion. Happy Cooking. 


Great Recipes for Spring via Marcia Selden Catering

Features Entertaining Farmers Market Recipe

Marcia Selden Catering

Spring couldn’t come soon enough in our books, and while we love the warmth and comfort of soups and stews, we are so ready to hit the farmers markets to cram our reusable bags full of fresh spring produce.  Here are our three favorite spring recipes that you’ll want to make just as soon as you throw open the windows and dust off your flip flops. Check out Marcia Selden's recipes for: Bruschetta w/ Smashed Fava Beans, Baby Pea and Bacon Risotto with Pea Shoots and Parmesan, and Fusilli w/ Roasted Fennel, Leek and Arugula Pesto


2014 Guide to Fairfield County Farmers' Markets via FGFG

Ingredients Features Farmers Market

CTbites Team

The spring/summer season brings many things: rain, blooms, a high pollen count, and vastly improved temperatures. The onset of warmer weather also means that farmers from all over our fair state will begin to harvest and sell the fruits of their labor at The Fairfield County Farmers' Markets. Sure, there were a selection of dedicated year-round markets this year which kept me deep in kale and root vegetables, but summer brings vibrant colors and flavors we can only imagine in the winter months. Perhaps, you already have a favorite, but the list of farmer's markets expands every year due to growing demand. Here's the roundup you need to stay in the local loop. 

Analiese Paik of The Fairfield Green Food Guide has the ultimate Guide to Fairfield County's Farmer's Markets. This cheat sheet is all you need to enjoy beautiful local produce, baked goods, and prepared foods all summer long. Let the season begin!!


Passover Macaroons & Soufflé Cake Recipes via Tabouli Grill

Features Holiday Recipe Dessert

Judy Roll

Passover begins April 14th as does the hunt for new and exciting crowd pleasing recipes for your Passover table. We found some excellent selection in the recently pubished e-book, 4 Bloggers Dish: Passover, Modern Twists on Traditional Flavors," but in case you still need a few more dessert options for your repertoire, here are the recipes for Macaroons and Chocolate Soufflé cake from Chef Judy Roll of Tabouli Grill. 


Make Your Refrigerator Disappear. Integrated vs. Built-In Overlay @ Clarke? (sponsored post)

Features Kitchen Gear

CTbites Team

For CTBites readers, fresh ingredients are key and proper food preservation is the way to maintain them. Three generations ago, Sub-Zero introduced refrigerators and freezers that were the same depth as standard kitchen counters. And they have been improving on the concept ever since. With the exception of those homeowners who love the look of an iconic gleaming stainless steel Sub-Zero refrigerator (and there are many), most people have long wished they could make their refrigerator disappear, while still keeping food preservation close at hand. 

If your online research or a visit to your kitchen designer has turned up terms like "integrated" and "overlay" refrigeration, you may be like many homeowners who find this choice confusing. In fact, that is one of the questions most often asked of the consultants at Clarke, New England's Official Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom.

The original Sub-Zero Built-in Refrigerator requires a countertop depth of no less than 26-3/16". With a Built-In Sub-Zero, you can help to disguise your refrigerator or freezer by putting a cabinetry panel (overlay) on the face of the refrigerator, freezer or combination. The face of the appliance will blend with your kitchen, but you will still know it is an appliance.


Bodega Hits The Road w/ The Bodega Food Truck Catering

Features Restaurant Food Truck Tacos Mexican

CTbites Team

Bodega Taco Bar continues to make its mark on Fairfield County with the addition of the Bodega Food Truck hittin’ the road this month. The rolling vibrant green mobile might as well be named the party bus as it already being booked for private parties, school functions and outdoor events – and the paint’s not even dry yet! Fans of Bodega’s innovative and edgy, while authentic and fresh cuisine, will now have the opportunity to follow their favorite cuisine to a street corner near them or grab a taco while partaking in a local event. This taqueria on wheels will also be the centerpiece of Bodega’s thriving catering business.

The team has created a catering menu that straddles the line between “fine” and “fiery” with ease. From a Burrito Bar and Taco Party, to passed hors d’oeuvres of Tuna Tataki and Smoked Chicken Albondigas,  party goers are assured to have a unique experience.  Bowls of hand slapped guacamole, pico de gallo, and cucumber mango salsa with fresh corn tortilla chips are a true crowd pleaser, as are roasted veggies with poblano agave yogurt dip and ceviche bowls with vibrant citrus shrimp and scallops. That deli sandwich platter at the office lunch meeting is transformed with hearty “tortas” such as; Argentinian grilled hangar steak with chipotle aioli, greens and queso fresco; Grilled Chicken with black beans, goat cheese and pickled onions; Grilled Portabella with truffle red pepper aioli and crispy kale; and the Baja Fish Wrap with mango cucumber salsa.