Ribbon Cutting for STEAM, Uncle Leo’s on Railroad Place
(L-R): Second Selectwoman Jen Tooker, State Senator Will Haskell, State Representative Stephanie Thomas, Owner Bob Glaser, First Selectman Jim Marpe, Owner "Uncle Leo" Spinelli, Bobbi Spinelli, Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce President Matthew Mandell, State Representative Jonathan Steinberg (contributed photo)Westport Weston Chamber of CommerceSteam Coffee & Tea opens on Railroad Place on the corner of Riverside Avenue. Offering not only Coffee and Tea for morning commuters, but will also feature Uncle Leo’s Donuts. Sited in the historic building that once was the first Post Office for both Saugatuck and Westport, they will have automated mailboxes for rent as well. This was the third ribbon cut on RR Place in as many weeks signaling a full resurgence of business on that integral street.
Fleisher’s Craft Butchery Closed through August
A poster found taped to the doors Monday night, a scene noticed at all locations. Fleisher’s Craft Butchery at 580 Riverside Avenue closed down suddenly last week, and according to the corporate office’s posters - will remain closed through the month of August. Fleisher’s corporate offices couldn’t be reached for comment, however neighbors and customers described the sudden closures as a result of a possible personnel dispute. Fleisher’s was founded in 2004 with the mission to bring pasture fed meats to customers, with locations located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Greenwich - all of which join the Westport location with locked doors and empty display cases. Originally beginning as the Saugatuck Craft Butchery in the current Saugatuck Sweets storefront, the small butcher’s shop merged with Fleisher’s in the larger location across the street in Saugatuck Center a few years after its 2011 opening. There’s no word on how the local shops handled the product remaining in the storefronts’ freezers and coolers, or how local restaurants and farmers are making up for the void in supply and demand.
Outpost Plans Saturday Soft Re-Opening; “Westporters have been extremely supportive during our reconstruction“ Owner Says
Outpost Pizza owner, Joe Dedovic (l), and two staff members take a break during preparation for the planned re-opening of the eatery on August 7. Dedovic, who said preparations are in place for a “soft opening” this weekend added, "Westporters have been extremely supportive during our reconstruction - there have been constant inquiries about when we will start-up again.” The business, located at 333 Main Street, opened in November and closed for the past six weeks after a vehicle smashed into the front of the building in the early morning hours of June 27. Dave Matlow for WestportLocal.com
New Neighbors: “Local to Market” brings Local Groceries Back to Main Street; Open until 2 Today
Rita and Chris Marcocci in front of their new store, Local to Market, during today’s Farm Stand. Anna Aron, of Little Bits Pottery, displays her work during today’s farm stand. A Staples Class of 2013 graduate, Aron attributes her passion and skill to the SHS pottery and sculpture teacher Jaclyn Jeselnik - who helped give her a “home” in the pottery room while a student. With Connecticut farmers and artisans standing with them, Westporters Chris and Rita Marcocci are bringing local love back to 177 Main Street with their new shop: Local to Market. The shop will focus on items made, grown, or produced in Connecticut - with a portion of their profits going towards local charities. Open until 2:00 today as a farm stand, they expect to be fully open within the next three weeks - bringing Groceries back to Downtown.
Located in the historic Remarkable Book Shop storefront, the Marcoccis - with local artisans and farmers - are celebrating their arrival to the community with a weekend Farm Stand, planned for every weekend at the corner of lower Main Street. The farm stand includes locally grown produce and fruits, locally sourced milk, and products created by Westport artists.
Envisioned as place where downtown neighbors and merchants can stop for groceries on their way home, or for downtown shoppers to enjoy some of the local artwork and wares, “We’re bringing groceries and locally made items back to downtown” Chris described.
Peter Stack and Jen Cozak, both of Fairfield, displayed Easton’s Silverman’s Farms produce and fresh donuts along with other locally sourced items, such as milk and local corn. “Everything needs to come from Connecticut” Chris continued as he spoke about the items they’ll be displaying. Chris and his wife Rita live in Westport, with Chris owning another locally owned business, StreetMarc marketing. The pair saw the need to continue this past year’s push to support local - turning it into their mission.
That mission: Eat Well, Live Well, Do Well. They’ll support it by carrying it throughout the shop as they feature local foods, arts, and even music seven days per week. When describing the “Do Well” mission, Chris continued: “A portion of all profits will go towards local charities, back into the community.”
Local to Market is located at 177 Main Street and is planning to open fully within the next three weeks. For now, the Marcoccis plan to have farm stands, like today’s, on the weekends from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.
Our Woven Community Sells Handmade Accessories while Supporting Refugee Artists
Artists with Our Woven Community speak with customers at the Wakeman Town Farm Sustainable Goods Market this afternoon. The Bridgeport-based Burroughs Center, who organizes the program, describes it as “a Burroughs program that provides local resettled refugee women the opportunity to become self-sufficient leaders and become empowered with entrepreneurial skills and economic opportunity.” Handmade goods included purses, laptop cases, wallets, and clothing items - with 100% of the sales going to the artists and program expenses. More information or goods can be found at their website: burroughscenter.org. WestportLocal.com photo
Ice Cream Float: Cockenoe Island Ice Cream Boat Sails Again for Summer 2021
Fairfield residents Tobey Sappern, Matt McManus, and Jon Morris float through Cockenoe Island Lagoon as hands and shouts of boats anchored nearby hail the floating ice cream barge for a frozen treat. The boys pilot their center console with on-board ice cream storage through the lagoon each weekend; grabbing an ice cream quickly becoming a newly found tradition for many of the families enjoying the island. WestportLocal.com photo
Pick Up Hand-Crafted, Asian-Inspired Food at Little Dumpling House
Little Dumpling House team with co-owners Healey and Gilhuly (third and fourth from the left).Words by Cami Vynerib.
Photos by Cami Vynerib and Little Dumpling House.
Molly Healey and Charlie Gilhuly bring Little Dumpling House to Westport, featuring Asian-inspired food-to-go. Run in the same kitchen as Grammie’s Donuts & Biscuits, Little Dumpling House is a ghost kitchen where you can pick up hand-crafted food to bring home, or maybe to Compo Beach for an evening picnic.
Molly Healey has been a chef for almost 10 years and owned a catering company for some time. After opening Grammie’s Donuts & Biscuits with her partner, Charlie Gilhuly, the pair decided to open up another restaurant using the same kitchen space in the evening. They found that there weren’t a lot of good takeout restaurants anymore, so they “wanted to make something that people could pick up and take home to enjoy.”
Almost immediately, the kitchen picked up momentum, and they’ve gotten amazing feedback. Some customer favorites include dumplings (shumai, potstickers, and rangoon), crispy duck buns, and chicken katsu.
To order, check out the Little Dumpling House’s website.
New Neighbors: Salsa Fresca to Post Road East
Salsa Fresca has claimed its stake at 275 Post Road East, with the fast-food Mexican restaurant quietly announcing last week its future opening. The chain was founded in 2008 with one location, and now has 11 locations throughout New York and Connecticut. The location will be the first for Fairfield County. According to their website, the restaurant describes “With no freezers in our restaurants, we take the freshest ingredients and prepare them on site, following recipes that were exclusively developed by our in-house culinary team, and serve food we serve our own families …and that you will be proud to serve, too.”
Prior to Salsa Fresca, Qdoba - another fast-food mexican restaurant chain - occupied the space until their closure in 2018, around the same time that the Qdoba brand was sold from Jack in the Box to Apollo Global Management for $305 million.
Country Playhouse Opens their Doors on 90th Anniversary for One Night Only Comedy Show Screening
Westport Country Playhouse opens its Jason Robards Theatre for a one-night only screening of a virtual production on its 90th anniversary, June 29. Contributed photo. Westport Country Playhouse Press ReleaseWestport Country Playhouse, closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic, will kick-off its 90th anniversary year by bringing patrons back into its Jason Robards Theatre for a one-night-only virtual production of the new comedy, “Tiny House,” projected on a big screen mounted above the stage. The in-person screening will be on Tuesday, June 29, at 7 p.m. The virtual production will also be available on-demand, from June 29 through July 18. “Tiny House” was filmed using digital technology during early spring when pandemic safety concerns and social distancing prevented producing a live show.
Exactly 90 years ago to the day, the Playhouse first opened its doors when Weston residents Lawrence Langner and his wife Armina Marshall founded the historic theater on June 29, 1931. Since then, the Playhouse has produced over 800 plays, some of which have transferred to Broadway.
Tickets for the in-person screening on June 29 are $20; general admission, seating on a first-come, first-served basis. All in-person patrons will attest to being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or willing to provide a negative PCR test result time stamped within 36 hours of the performance time. Covid-19 health and safety protocols, including capacity restrictions and mask-wearing, will be observed.
Click here for full release.
Current virtual performance ticketholders who want to instead attend the in-person screening may exchange their tickets by calling the Playhouse box office at 203-227-4177.
In “Tiny House,” fireworks fly when family, friends, and quirky neighbors come together for a Fourth of July barbecue at the off-the-grid, isolated mountain paradise of a young, urban couple. The comedy is written by Michael Gotch and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director.
“Tiny House” running time is approximately 100 minutes, including an intermission between the two acts. Appropriate for ages 14 and up. More information on “Tiny House” at: https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/tinyhouse/
The Playhouse’s 2021 Season continues with “Doubt: A Parable,” the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, playing November 2 through November 21. Two HD video productions from the Playhouse archives will stream on-demand, beginning with the musical, “Man of La Mancha” (2018), from August 23 through September 5, and another TBA, from September 13 - 26. Script in Hand playreadings will play October 19 – 24, and December 14 – 19; titles to be announced. All 2021 Playhouse events are listed at: https://www.westportplayhouse.org/whats-on/
2021 Season Sponsor is the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. Production Sponsor is Barbara Samuelson. 2021 Season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio.
All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.
To purchase tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
New Neighbors: La Fenice Caffé and Gelateria Opens on Main Street This Morning
Owner/Operators Simona Silvestri, Salvatore Scuro, and Ricardo Galati stand in front of the counter at La Fenice. After four months of renovations to the former Lucky Brand Jeans storefront, La Fenice celebrates their opening today as the 49 Main Street doors unlock at 8:00 AM - hot espresso, flaky pastries, and fresh gelato waiting beyond it.
La Fenice, Westport is the third storefront for Simona Silvestri, her husband Salvatore Scuro, and their son Ricardo Galati - a dream that’s been years in the making. “We tried to come to Westport seven years ago” sai Silvestri, “but it was too expensive, and there was no space.” After the Lucky Brand Jeans store closed last year, Silvestri stumbled upon the papered-up windows while out for a walk and realized “this was it.” They’ve run La Fenice is both the Greenwich and Rye, New York communities.
With a soft opening last night, crowds of Italians - friends and family of Silvestri - exploded through the front doors of the new downtown shoppe with flowers, exclamations of “Auguri!”, “congratulations”, and wide eyes while looking over the pastries and gelato.
Evident by the lively italian conversations buzzing around the room, everything is proudly imported from Italy. “Everything” Silvestri explained, “except the fruits - those are freshly grown in the United States.”
Coffee? Italian import. Cookies? Italian technique. Gelato? Secret Italian recipe. The freezer? Shipped directly from Italy. The owners? First generation Italian immigrants.
Silvestri and her family came to Connecticut from Lecce, Italy in the Puglia region, or the “heel” of Italy’s boot, with their culture and family traditions being carried through their work at La Fenice right here on Main Street.
The store will be mainly managed by Silvestri’s son Ricardo, a Wilton High School graduate and Quinnipiac University Senior. “I grew up helping with the business. Most of the people here tonight remember me as a ten year old working with my parents” he said as his parents looked on.
Galati said that the store will open today from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM, adding “We’ll see what works, and we’ll look into staying open later if we see we need the flexibility“ he said.
La Fenice is located on the beginning of lower Main Street, at 49 Main Street, and serves savory breakfasts, pressed panini lunches, and sweet gelato desserts. Stop in to say “Ciao” to Westport’s newest neighbors.
