Filtering by Tag: Breakfast Sandwich,Celebrity Chef

Your Chance To Cook with Jacques Pépin & Raise $$ For Wholesome Wave

Features Celebrity Chef Author Philanphropy Pop-Up Dinner

CTbites Team

Get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cook with CHEF ROYALTY with our friends at Wholesome Wave!

Jacques Pépin is the author of more than 30 cookbooks, host of 13 PBS television series, winner of numerous James Beard Awards, painter, and culinary educator. On March 23rd, 2023, he will also be a Sous Chef, with YOU.

Here at CTBites we LOVE eating good food - and we are here to tell you about an incredible opportunity to COOK great food with Celebrity Chefs.  Our friends at Wholesome Wave have cooked up a very cool event to support their mission - they’ve lined up Celebrity Chefs Rocco Dispirito, Elizabeth Falkner, Michel Nischan, Sean Sherman, JJ Johnson, and Sherry Yard to prepare a 6-course meal and are offering our readers a chance to cook alongside them as Sous Chefs!  Sound too good to be true?  Nope! 

All you have to do is donate $100 to Wholesome Wave and you’ll be entered to win the opportunity to be a Sous Chef to the stars!


Chef Tyler Anderson & Hands On Hartford Open Gather55, a Pay-What-You-Can Fine Dining Restaurant

Features Hartford County Hartford Unique Dining Experiences Prix Fixe Celebrity Chef Non For Profit Homepage

Stephanie Webster

Chef Tyler Anderson and Hands On Hartford have launched a remarkable new restaurant concept just in time to dine out and give back this holiday season. Gather55 restaurant opened this Fall in Hartford with a monthly rotation of guest chefs who will serve up a “by-reservation-only” $42 prix fixe menu. Chef Tyler Anderson, who is handling the Chef programming kicked things off, followed by Chef Billy Grant of Restaurant Bricco in December, and then Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State in January. Each evening, approximately 20% of the tables are reserved for diners who can’t pay the full price. The goal is to create a place where everyone can celebrate and enjoy a delicious meal in a comfortable and caring environment.


Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year:" Chef David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante

Features Chef Talk Celebrity Chef Awards Q & A

Christopher Hodson

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All of the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante in Bantam.


Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Jared Sippel of Restaurant L’Ostal

Features Q & A Interview Celebrity Chef Awards Darien

Christopher Hodson

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Jared Sippel of Restaurant L’Ostal in Darien, CT.


Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter

Features Interview Interview Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Q & A Awards Mystic

Christopher Hodson

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAZIES awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for 2022’s CRAZIES AWARDS “BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR” in this 5 part series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic CT.

[Voting is still open. Vote for your favorite folks in the CT culinary industry here.]


CTbites Sits Down with Culinary Legend, Lidia Bastianich

Features Interview Celebrity Chef Charity Cookbooks Lidia Bastianich Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Lidia Bastianich is an iconic culinary television show host, a multi-time published author, and an acclaimed restauranteur. In Connecticut, we’re all familiar with her partnership in the now closed Tarry Lodge restaurants in Westport, New Haven, and its Port Chester flagship whose next door was Tarry Market, an Italian specialty shop. And let’s be real, all of us locals have dropped a paycheck’s equivalent at Bastianich’s Eataly locations in NYC, and if you’re further out, you’ve likely done so in Vegas, L.A., Chicago, or at Boston’s Eataly.

Bastianich, though, has Connecticut connections beyond her restaurants as an avid supporter of Person to Person, a Darien based nonprofit that provides food, free clothing, emergency financial assistance, scholarships, and gratis summer day camps to those who need it.


Greenwich Wine + Food 2022 Announces Schedule for Week Long Festivities

Events Features Greenwich Wine + Food Festival Festival Celebrity Chef Local Chef EVENT

CTbites Team

Greenwich Wine + Food today announced its final schedule of weeklong festivities and participants that will comprise its 10-year anniversary celebration this October, with tickets on sale for all events. Beneficiaries include two national non-profit organizations with roots in Connecticut - The Jacques Pépin Foundation and Wholesome Wave. Premium sponsors include Wagoneer and Greenwich Hospital.

“With the one-month countdown officially ON, I’m thrilled to share the final details for our monumental anniversary celebration,” said Suni Unger, founder and CEO of Unger Media, the parent company behind Greenwich Wine + Food and Serendipity magazine. “We are especially thrilled to be co-hosting more than ten events throughout the week, on-location at our favorite restaurants and bars in our local communities. These carefully curated, intimate celebrations are truly allowing us to applaud local talent in the area, and paired with our Gala on October 7, I am so proud of the programming we’re offering this Fall and our partner beneficiaries.”


Toasted Oat Café Opens 2nd Location: Now in Newington & Canton

Restaurant Breakfast Sandwich Breakfast Coffee Canton Newington Comfort Food Lunch American Egg Sandwich Eggs Sandwich

Carly Terzigni

In an endless sea of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, it’s always refreshing to stop by a local cafe for breakfast and a cup of coffee. Combine with that a charming spot on Main Street and you have a recipe for a quintessential Connecticut morning – and that’s exactly what we found at Toasted OAT Cafe on Main Street in Newington.

If you’re fond of Toasted OAT Cafe in Canton which first opened its doors in 2018, then you’re in for a treat: a second location in Newington has opened in 2022, bringing their popular Packed Bowl among many other breakfast and lunch favorites to a second location in Connecticut. Just like Canton, the vibes are relaxed and welcoming.


Michelin-Starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten Opening Happy Monkey Restaurant in Greenwich Spring 2022

Features Openings Greenwich Celebrity Chef

CTbites Team

Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will debut his first restaurant in Connecticut in late Spring 2022. Located on the iconic Greenwich Avenue, Happy Monkey will showcase Latin cuisine with a Jean-Georges flair, enchanting guests with adventurous flavors and ever-changing, sustainable offerings served in a casual, fun atmosphere.

Admired for his acumen as a Michelin-starred chef, tastemaker and businessman operating 40+ acclaimed restaurants around the globe, Jean-Georges has envisioned a convivial, contemporary restaurant and bar with Happy Monkey. The menu embraces the freshest, locally sourced, seasonal produce, featuring Latin influences across shareable snacks, small and large plates, crudos, salads, tacos and more.


Tickets on Sale! Queer Cook-Off- May 19th-A Celebrity Chef "Chopped" Event

Features Events Events Celebrity Chef

CTbites Team

WESTPORT PRIDE kicks off Pride Month with the first annual QUEER COOK-OFF! Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.

Three teams of chef-testants and five judges are being brought together to create a lively culinary competition to raise money for Westport Pride’s education programs. Designed to cook up local competition and foster valuable relationships in the community, Westport Pride’s “Queer Cook-Off” will pit members of the Fairfield County LGBTQ+ and ally community against one another in this fun competition. Held at Aitoro Appliance in Norwalk, Connecticut, each team will be placed in three of the showroom’s live kitchens.

The celebrity chefs guiding their team are Bill Taibe (Chef/Owner of Don Memo, Kawa Ni, & The Whelk); Jes Bengtson (Executive Chef of Terrain Café and Amis Trattoria); and Arik Bensimon (Executive Chef of the Monogram Design Center).


Chef Geoff Lazlo Opens The Country Table in Greenwich

Features Restaurant Specialty Market Sandwich Breakfast Sandwich Eggs Egg Sandwich Lunch Breakfast Prepared Food To-Go Kid Friendly Grab-n-Go Homepage

Stephanie Webster

The Country Table recently opened its doors in the Glennville area of Greenwich, but the story behind this new popular eatery started roughly 25 years ago. Greenwich residents, Geoff Lazlo and Greg Oshins have known each other since childhood, and this concept has been in the works since the age of 10, when the highlight of their day was scouting the best deli sandwiches in the Greenwich area (shout out to their beloved Rinaldi Country Deli, still in business today). The search for the best sandwich was a strong part of their culture, deeply nostalgic, and the driving force behind this new brick-and-mortar extension of Geoff Lazlo Foods.


Todd English Announces Opening of Food Hall at Stamford Town Center

Features open Stamford Food Hall Celebrity Chef

CTbites Team

Renowned Celebrity Chef Todd English and global entrepreneur Keith Burkard recently announced the formation of their newest joint venture, EHG, The English Hospitality Group. Featuring dozens of restaurants, hotels, nightlife venues and ghost kitchens, both domestically and internationally, EHG has positioned itself as a leading global operator, owner and developer by identifying opportunities that think beyond the traditional hospitality business model.

As part of this new initiative, English has announced that In Stamford, CT, EHG will debut a 80,000-s.f. immersive, discovery destination Todd English food hall and global art exhibition that will encompass a web 3.0 era consumer experience to wow the masses. It is destined to be a focal point for all to visit in the tri-state area and East Coast.


Uncle Matt's Bakery & Café: Breakfast, Lunch, Artisan Bread & Pastries in Sandy Hook

Restaurant Bakery American French Café Breakfast Breakfast Sandwich Lunch Bread Shop Baker BEC Openings

Stephanie Webster

If you live in Connecticut, you may recognize Matthew Kirshner. He is the pastry chef, bread baker, and owner of the popular Sandy Hook newcomer, Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café, but he has spent time baking in our fair state for over 20 years. Kirshner has graced the kitchens of The Roger Sherman Inn, Wave Hill Breads, Bantam Bread Company, and even the Russian Tea Room in NYC. (Side note: Wave Hill and Bantam were just awarded “Best Bread in CT” by Food & Wine). But in June of 2021, after years of being covered in flour in other people’s kitchens, Matt decided it was time to get dirty in his own. Thus, one of Sandy Hook’s most beloved spots, Uncle Matt’s Bakery, was born, serving breakfast, lunch, as well as a wide array of outrageously good pastries, and artisan bread.


Welcome to The Po Cafe: New England Charm + Damn Good Food In Washington CT

Restaurant Breakfast Sandwich Breakfast Lunch To-Go Comfort Food Washington Coffee Bakery Baked Goods sandwiches Homepage

Jessica Ryan

The iconic Po Café is located in the heart of Washington CT and lives in a charming historic white clapboard house right next to the town’s post office – hence the nickname. The building, once home to a pharmacy and grocery store, sits across from the idyllic town’s church. The area served as the inspiration behind fictional town Stars Hollow made famous by Rory and Lorelei Gilmore. As soon as you walk through the front door you can almost imagine Luke standing behind the counter of the old fashioned soda fountain pouring a cup of coffee.


The Tasty Yolk Opening New Stratford Location October 20th

Restaurant Breakfast Lunch Openings BEC Breakfast Sandwich Eggs Egg Sandwich To-Go Comfort Food Stratford

Stephanie Webster

If you live in Fairfield County, you most likely already have a favorite Tasty Yolk menu item. Their breakfast sandwiches are the stuff of legends, and if you don’t know about The Tasty Yolk, well now ya know. The Tasty Yolk started as a single food truck in 2016, quickly added two more trucks to the lineup, and then opened their first storefront location in Bridgeport in 2019. And now…drumroll please…they are opening a NEW location in STRATFORD at 3530 Main Street, on Wednesday, October 20th.


Chef Rafael Palomino's Pacifico Continues as The Corner for Flavor in New Haven

Restaurant New Haven Latin American Celebrity Chef Brunch Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

What is it about Latin food that is just so ga’damn sexy? Is it the aura surrounding it, the parade of flavors, the colors, the collision of land and sea on the plate? Who the heck knows? Well, Pacifico in New Haven does. And that’s because beloved Chef Rafael Palomino and partner Moe Gad know a thing or two about the world they are serving up. Since 2004, Pacifico has tapped into the community with a vibe all its own, and a corner of town just made for fun, flavor, and people watching! And, with Covid restrictions loosening, yet safety measures still in place, their outside dining area will be THE PLACE TO BE this summer.


Chef April Bloomfield is Cooking at the Mayflower Inn

Features Restaurant April Bloomfield Fine Dining Washington Litchfield Mayflower Inn Lunch Celebrity Chef Homepage

Andrew Dominick

A posh five-star inn located in “the country” of Connecticut may be the last place you’d expect to stumble upon a former two-time Michelin star chef doing her thing in the kitchen.

Expect it. And expect to run into April Bloomfield.

Yeah, THAT April Bloomfield. The April Bloomfield who won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: New York City in 2014. The April Bloomfield who owns the British gastropub The Breslin. And the same April Bloomfield of the now shuttered, but acclaimed West Village haunt, The Spotted Pig.

And since mid-September she’s been spending her time away from the concrete jungle as the chef-in-residence at the Mayflower Inn & Spa where she’s firing up the refined pub fare that she is so lauded for and marrying that style with the bounty from local farms.

If you visit—and you absolutely should—there are a few dining experiences to be aware of.

There’s a seasonal, constantly changing four-course dinner tasting in the brightly lit, plant enshrined Garden Room. The $150 tasting’s polar opposite has been the occasionally offered bonfire experience where Bloomfield comes out to chat over cocktails, savory snacks, and gooey s’mores.

Then there’s the meal I elected to have, a lunch in The Tap Room. If the weather obeys, it’s a great idea to dine out on the back deck that overlooks the Shakespeare Garden, equal parts beautiful and haunting on an overcast autumn day.


Chef Bill Taibe Opens Don Memo: Authentic Mexican in Westport

Restaurant Openings Celebrity Chef Westport Mexican Homepage Take Out Outdoor Dining Comfort Food

Stephanie Webster

Bill Taibe is a chef who is constantly creating. This is why, in the midst of a pandemic, as many restaurants closed their doors, Taibe and his executive chef, Anthony Kostelis, were in the kitchen recipe testing and preparing to launch a new Mexican concept in Downtown Westport. The name is Don Memo, and it resides in the space formerly known as Jesup Hall. Why the pivot? Taibe has long had a passion for Mexican cuisine, and has traveled extensively throughout Mexico over the past few years. He says, “Mexican food is intricate, vibrant, humble, and delicious. It’s the definition of local cuisine.” And, in typical Taibe form, he and Kostelis have crafted beautiful creative dishes on the bedrock of authentic Mexican fare.


Cook The Book: Recipe Demos On Instagram Live Every Wednesday with Cookbook Author Anna Gass

Features Events Cooking Cookbooks Education Recipe Recipe Video Celebrity Chef

Kristin L. Wolfe

Readers, Diners, New Quarantine Couch Potato-Turned-Chefs! Get Ready to tune into our new IGTV Weekly Series COOK THE BOOK.

Join trained chef and beloved Connecticut Cookbook author, Anna Francese Gass (Heirloom Kitchen 2019), as she makes her way one through some of the most delicious recipes in the recently released CTBites e-cookbook: Connecticut Chef Recipes for Restaurant Relief

Starting this Wednesday June 24th @8PM Gass + a weekly featured Guest Chef will bring the book alive and further whet your appetite and drive to get in the kitchen. This week

So, grab your aprons, your whisks, and the new e-cookbook (should we still plug here? for fun, great food, and to continue supporting our state’s wonderful restaurant industry.


Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State Competes on Chopped May 26th!

Features Food Network Chopped Celebrity Chef Competition TV

Stephanie Webster

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.