Westporter Scores $10K Lottery Win this Week
According to the Connecticut Lottery, a Westporter scored a $10,400 lottery win this week. Purchased at the Super 7 Food Market in Norwalk, Michael Benson won the prize with Keno on Monday, the Connecticut Lottery announced this week.
New Neighbors: The Porch at Christie’s Opens Today
Andrea and Bill Pecoriello welcomed the first customers to The Porch at Christie’s early this morning as the new community-based restaurant opened their doors. Westport’s northern neighborhoods will regain their beloved country store after this morning’s opening of The Porch at Christie’s at 161 Cross Highway.
The 101 year old building has served for decades as meeting house and gastronomic locale for many far-out Westporters and herds of nearby middle and high school students. Owner Andrea and Bill Pecoriello of Westport founded The Porch not only on the basis of good food, but to provide a community space for both their customers and their beloved employees.
In 2020, the Pecoriellos founded the non-profit Sweet P Bakery in Norwalk as a way to provide job training and employment for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Through their work with Sweet P, they found that they needed a storefront to continue that training at the front of a house - resulting in their creation of The Porch; “We can't think of a more perfect spot in town to support Sweet P Bakery's mission” they described when speaking about the opportunity to have Sweet P Bakery graduates work at the front of the house. Graduating members of Sweet P’s 4 week internship program are able to bake alongside the Porch’s three pastry chefs to create the baked goods sold at the store while building skills and celebrating their accomplishments.
Guests are greeted by the historic building’s stone front porch as they step through the door into a bright and newly renovated dining room and food counter. Opening at 6:30 AM, The Porch offers a variety of coffees, teas, smoothies, and breakfasts while offering a comprehensive lunch and supper menu, too. A separate ice cream hut will serve the frozen dessert later into the evenings, allowing families to watch the traffic go by while preventing ice cream drips from hitting the grass.
Operating on-and-off in the most recent years, the previous tenant - Chef’s Table - closed less than a year after they opened in April 2019. The property was last sold in 2008 for 1.65 million dollars.
Being the northernmost restaurant in Westport, the space has always been beloved by those who want to avoid the noise of Post Road and the traffic of downtown. “Christie’s” has been a pillar in the community for nearly 100 years, serving snacks, cold drinks, ice cream, and locally sourced foods to generations of Westporters. Owners Andrea and Bill are excited to welcome the next generation to The Porch.
Three Staples Students Chosen to Represent USA at Hwa Chong Institution International Summit
Press Release, Westport Public SchoolsNatalie Bandura, Erin Durkin and Allison Schwartz will represent Staples High School at the Virtual HCI-APYLS 2021 event.
As one of the premier schools in Singapore, Hwa Chong Institution is eager to share its success with other high performing schools and to learn from others. For that reason, HCI has organized the Hwa Chong Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Summit which takes place virtually this year in July. HCI invites only the top student leaders from some of the best schools around the world to the Summit. In previous years, student participants came from Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, US and Singapore.
For the past eight years, Westport has been invited to send three juniors who are both high performing students AND interested in world affairs with a special interest in Asia. The criteria used by HCI are: a) you must be between 16 and 17 years of age; b) you must possess good oral and written proficiency; c) you must have substantial leadership experience and potential; d) you must be academically able and among the top performers in the school; e) you must possess enthusiasm and strong interest in forging ties with fellow students from around the world. The 80 student delegation invited to HCI is selective.
Congratulations to the delegates who will join students from Scarsdale High School (New York) and Dominion High School (Virginia) as representatives from the United States.
Staples Softball Beats Darien, Celebrates Seniors, in Last Regular Game of Season
The Staples High School Varsity Softball Team (L-R, Back): Assistant Coach Dana Seymour, Jill Backus, Gabby Lantier, Caroline Coffey, Ally Schwartz, Tash Taubenhiem, Jen Westphal, Coach Bob Olah; (L-R, Front) Kate McDonald, Grace Alfero, Oliva Bernard, Ava Vincini and Miranda RodriguezUnder the bright lights of the Greens Farm School field, the Staples Varsity Softball Team beat Darien 5-4, bringing their season to an exciting 14-3 record.
Photos and story by Colleen Coffey for The Westport Local Press. Last night’s game was the last regular game of their season, with families, friends, and community members in attendance to cheer on the team while celebrating the outgoing seniors. The warm Spring evening welcomed the small crowds to the school’s ball field, with some attending the game on Facetime.
Members of the Staples Wreckers Softball team high five seniors Jill Backus.The graduating teammates were able to finish their high school softball career on a high note after losing last year’s season. Class of 2021 members include Jill Backus, Olivia Bernard, and Miranda Rodriguez
A close score marks a hard-fought win for the Wreckers. Backus and Junior Ava Vincini scored big by hitting two triples during the game, while Junior Pitcher Tasha Taubenhiem threw nine strikeouts against the Blue Wave.
The team will begin their FCIAC matches (Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference) tomorrow at 4:00 PM at the Wakeman Field on Cross Highway.
Celebrating the Class of 2021
