Tag Archives: Romanacci

Roundup: Staples Tennis, Wakeman Town Farm, Stop & Shop …

Posted on June 4, 2021 | 2 comments

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Congratulations to the Staples High School boys and girls tennis teams! Both are state champions!

The boys of coach Kris Hrisovulos defeated Westhill 7-0 yesterday, clinching their 5th straight — yes, 5th (!) — state “LL” (extra large schools) championship. They finished the season 22-1, shutting out all 4 state tournament opponents. Their only loss was to Darien, in the FCIAC final.

Singles winners yesterday were Tighe Brunetti, Robbie Daus, Brandon Felcher and Lucas Haymes. Doubles victors were Bradley Sheppard/Luke Brodsky, Alex Miller/Jack Motyl, and Matthew Chiang/Josh Suggs.

The 2021 state champion boys tennis team.

The girls of coach Paco Fabian beat Amity 4-3, for their 3rd straight title. Jenna Kornbluth’s 6-4, 6-1 victory at #4 singles clinched the match, after everyone else had finished.

Other victors for Staples: Karenna Birns (singles) and Elle Tesoriero/Audrey Kercher, and Carine Geijerstam/Maya Farber (doubles).

The 2021 state champion girls tennis team (Photo courtesy of The Ruden Report)=======================================================

Work continued on Railroad Place this morning.

During repaving, all the restaurant structures were removed. That’s done, and now all 3 restaurants — Harvest, Tarantino’s and Romanacci will be open this weekend.

In related news, Romanacci has taken over the former Commuter Coffee location It’s now a full restaurant, with bar.

Outdoors or in, Railroad Place is the place to be. And with reduced train travel, there’s plenty of parking nearby!

(Photo/Matthew Mandell)

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Your kid may not be a career farmer. But Wakeman Town Farm’s 2-week summer service program for 6th through 9th graders is a great outdoor, hands-on opportunity to learn about the land. And become more self-reliant and independent in the process.

Participants plant, water and harvest vegetables to be donated to local food pantries. Representatives from those agencies visit WTF, and discuss food insecurity in the area.

Teens and chefs also cook a nutritious meal for the Gillespie Center, using  the Farm’s organic produce. They also run their own farm stand.

Students get to know the rabbits, ducks, chicken, sheep, goats and alpacas. They learn about animal care, feeding and halter training.

The program also explores environmental topics like composting, pollinator gardens and the Zero Waste initiative.

There are 4 sessions, each 2 weeks long. For more information, click here. To register, click here.

Who can resist a summer program like this?

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Mark Mathias spotted this at Stop & Shop yesterday:

(Photo/Mark Mathias)

Actually, the photo shows something that is not there.

Look closely. The supermarket has removed all those one-way directional arrows, which no one has followed for at least the past 10 months (if they ever did).

Stop & Shop is not the only place getting back to the pre-pandemic normal. Trader Joe’s shoppers no longer have to queue up, and be directed to a cashier; we’re now free to find our own, just as we did before March 2020.

And the Westport Weston Family YMCA has removed the absurd red tape on the stairs, demarcating the up and down sides. The staircase is way too narrow to have any effect.

What have you seen? Click “Comments” below.

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Tomorrow’s “Songs for a Summer Evening: Music that Made Movies Magical” YouTube video benefits the Norwalk Sister City Project, a non-profit doing incredible community development work in a poor Nicaragua barrio.

But there’s a heavy Westport presence n the video. Broadway icon Kelli O’Hara, Staples Players stars Jamie Mann and Bridget Looby, and Emily Rabon Hall and her dad Bill Hall all join together to share the magic of music from the movies. Tom Kretsch is president of NSCP, and has worked with Bill Hall to create the video.

Click here for the link to the 7:30 video (and to donate), or click the link below:

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The Westport Library’s Summer Reading Challenge is underway.

The 5th annual program — designed for adults — includes 25 categories of books. After reading one, submit it on a special web page. Then track your progress on the leaderboard.

Chalk up those categories. NOTE: Each book can be used for only one category. Click here for details.

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Rae Suba’s family owns the Post Road storefront near Tiffany. She runs the Child’s Play occupational therapy center on the 2nd floor. Currently, the ground floor is vacant.

But now — just in time for tomorrow’s Pride rally, and at one of the most visible spots in town — she’s decorated it with rainbows.

She says, “It is my humble honor as a forever LGBTQIA+ ally to create this window display, in an effort to rise to the Westport Pride words: ‘Elevate. Educate. Empower.’

“These children, teens and adults deserve visibility, respect, hope, inspiration and kindness. Happy Pride Month Everyone! 🌈🌈LOVE WINS🌈🌈Compassion and empathy will save humanity. Namaste. 🙏🏼

“My clinic will always be a safe space for children, teens and young adults who are LGBTQIA+. Thank you to my family for letting me use the building display window.”

46 Main Street

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Around the corner on Jesup Green from Tiffany and Rae Suba’s rainbow storefront, Westport Book Shop has become one of Westport’s hottest destinations — and not just for used books.

Every month, a different artist is featured at the Drew Friedman Community Arts wall in the back. For June, the artist is Holly Hawthorn.

Her porcelain sculptures reflect her love of the ocean and beaches, and incorporate seashells gathered over many years of walks on beaches from Maine to Greece.

Holly is a sculptor, printmaker ceramic artist and former teacher. She studied art in the US, Italy and Greece.

The exhibit is open during the Book Shop’s business hours:  Tuesdays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays noon to 5 p.m.

Holly Hawthorn, with her Westport Book Shop art.

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Speaking of art: George Billis Gallery hosts an opening reception on Friday, June 18 (146 Main Street, 4 to 7 p.m.).

New artists include Westport-based Jarvis Wilcox. The gallery says: “His lush still life paintings are poetic with much emotional connections stimulating the viewer. Wilcox brings delight and insight as he discovers seeing and then making his works of art.”

Also in the exhibit: watercolorists Derek Buckner Paul Pitsker, still life artist Julian Cardinal and ceramicist Alice Federico.

“Cherries with Silver Cup” (Jarvis WIlcox)

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Bill Taibe is branching out.

The owner of 3 very popular Westport restaurants — Don Memo, Kawa Ni and The Whelk — is opening a cafe in the new Norwalk Art Space (455 West Avenue). The breakfast and lunch menu includes flour water salt and Idylwild breads, Riverbank Farm kimchee, and barbecue smoked turkey.

Bill Taibe and staff at the Norwalk Art Space.

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Suzuki Music Schools is back to in-person learning. To celebrate, they’re hosting a free concert in the Colonial Green parking lot (246 Post Road East).

The program next Tuesday (June 8) includes great music — and food vendors.

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And finally … the Suzuki concert (above) sounds great. Hopefully, the young musicians will sound almost as good as this.

2 Comments

Posted in Arts, Children, Environment, Local business, Restaurants, Sports, Staples HS, YMCA

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Restaurant Follow-up: Railroad Place Redo?

Posted on May 18, 2020 | 52 comments

As Westport restaurant owners get ready to reopen — outdoors only, with tables 6 feet apart and no bar service — one resident has an idea to help them succeed.

The other day, David Basich and his wife Vanessa took a walk by the train station. A daily New York commuter before COVID-19, this was his first time there in nearly 10 weeks.

That got him thinking. David says:

As I looked at the restaurants on Railroad Place — Tarantino, Harvest, Romamacci — I reflected on how tough it’s been for them (and all other restaurants around town).

I started thinking about what would put them in a position to best optimize the situation when they are able to reopen, and what would make patrons comfortable coming back. I know outdoor dining is one possible solution.

I thought it would be great if we could close down entirely the street that runs past them, and open it up entirely for outdoor seating.

Railroad Place has been closed before — for the annual Slice of Saugatuck festival.

We talked with Graziano, the owner of Romanacci, about the idea. They are the only one thus far that had carved out some small space.

Closing down the entire street would open it up even more. Restaurant-goers would feel more comfortable overall if some capacity could move outside, social distancing could be maintained more easily, and of course this would create a pretty unique al fresco dining row for Westport.

Regarding the impact on commuters, I don’t think closing this street would be too great of a hardship (at least for a while). I imagine Metro-North numbers will be down for the foreseeable future.

However, to alleviate some of the hassle, the one-way portion of Railroad Place that runs north past the parking lot off Charles Street, could be opened up to two-way traffic.

We could try this for a while — maybe through Labor Day — and readjust as things evolve.

I don’t know exactly what this would entail and how much of a hassle it would be. But I do know Westporters love our town, love dining out, and want to see these business given the best chance to survive.

“06880” readers: What do you think? Is this a good idea? Are there other places in town that could benefit from something similar? Click “Comments” below!

The Basich family (from left): Vanessa, Greens Farms Academy senior David, David Sr., Staples High School junior Lucas, Bedford Middle School 7th grader Michael. Though the photo shows them at home, they look forward to dining outside soon — perhaps on Railroad Place?

52 Comments

Posted in Environment, Restaurants, Saugatuck

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Restaurant Reopenings: What’s On The Menu For Westport?

Posted on May 18, 2020 | 7 comments

This Wednesday — May 20 — marks the day Connecticut restaurants can reopen for more than curbside takeout and delivery .

There are restrictions: For example, outdoor dining only is permitted; there is no bar service. Tables must be 6 feet apart.

That should be good news for owners, employees and diners. The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus.

Le Penguin’s mascots are making it through the pandemic. Like restaurant owners all over town, their owners are figuring out how to adapt to new state reopening regulations. (Photo/Marcy Sansolo)

But don’t expect a rush of al fresco options 2 days from now. Several steps — beyond simply configuring space (and ordering single-use menus) — must be taken first.

Westport Planning & Zoning chair Danielle Dobin notes that Governor Lamont has temporarily suspended municipal laws regulating outdoor dining. So instead of the traditional permitting process, restaurateurs here must submit a simple application to P&Z director Mary Young.

Westport Police and Fire Department officials, along with the Westport Weston Health District, must sign off on each application. Restaurants that already have outdoor dining must apply too, ensuring they comply with revised health regulations.

Romanacci already has an outdoor dining permit. Under new regulations, tables — shown here last year — now must be 6 feet apart. (Photo/Dan Woog)

Lamont’s executive order “provides tremendous flexibility to restaurants looking to create an outdoor dining space,” Dobin says.

“Normal requirements for parking and setbacks have been waived. Restaurants can even explore using neighboring properties or parking lots, so long as the owners of those properties approve of the plan.

“Residents should expect restaurants all over the state to create larger outdoor dining areas than in the past. Our outdoor restaurant spaces will often look and feel a bit different.”

Sherwood Diner prepares for outdoor dining. (Photo/Dan Woog)

You won’t hear a lot of live music, however. Previous noise regulations remain in effect.

Dobin says that the board of selectmen are also looking at “the creative use of certain town roads to facilitate outdoor dining and outdoor shopping.”

Matthew Mandell, executive director of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, is the restaurant liaison for the ReOpen Westport Advisory Team. On Friday he led a Zoom call, with over 3 dozen restaurant owners.

Restaurant owners and town officials joined a conference call on Friday.

“Our restaurant owners are committed to providing a safe environment for their guests,” Dobin says.

“There is no rush to reopen. Many owners will take their time. I hope that all of our residents are supportive and patient with our fabulous Westport restaurants, as they find their way in this new world.”

“This is not a race,” Mandell agrees. “Slow and steady will win this one. The goal of ensuring health and safety for customers, staff and owners will ultimately lead to everyone’s success.”

As restaurants announce openings, lists compiled by the Chamber of Commerce and OneWestport will be updated regularly.

The owners of Harvest, Tarantino and Romanacci met on Friday, to discuss the best use of Railroad Place.

7 Comments

Posted in Environment, Local politics, People, Restaurants, Saugatuck

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Unsung Heroes: Special Edition

Posted on March 4, 2019 | 4 comments

After digging themselves out — and getting power back on — “06880” readers were eager to offer up a few Unsung Heroes. Usually we wait until Wednesday, but it’s nice to strike while the iron (if not the weather) is hot.

Gil Ghitelman — who must have gotten his power back quickly — writes: “I suggest a hat tip to Eversource. Consummate professionals.”

Chip Stephens nominates the baristas at Starbucks. Despite the snow, they were there bright and early with his morning Joe.

But the greatest Unsung Hero — so far, anyway — works at a different coffee shop. JP Vellotti tells this tale:

“Like a lot of people this snowy morning, I was shoveling since 5 a.m. Like a lot of people, I needed my coffee before the train.

“The new Mystic Market was closed. Winfield Street just closed too, and Desi’s is out.

“But Romanacci — which is just taking over from Winfield — had a makeshift counter, and one pot going. The line was long, but it went fast.”

Here’s the best part: The credit card machine isn’t set up yet. So Venlich Aguilar — who is staying on after Winfield Street leaves — asked people to pay cash, if they could. Round numbers, please — too many people, so no change.

And if you had no cash — no problem. Just come back later and pay!

4 Comments

Posted in Local business, Restaurants, Weather

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