Courtney Luciana photo
Mayor Elicker (second from right) helps cut the ribbon at The Neighborhodo Cafe on State Street.
City and state officials looking for a sign of small business hope amidst the ongoing pandemic found one — well, four — on Upper State Street, in the form of local restaurants still open during Covid.
Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Mayor Justin Elicker, and city economic development officials took that local foodie tour Thursday afternoon as they promoted Eat New Haven , an initiative to get New Haveners to spend their money on local takeout or other pandemic-safe dining options.
They held ribbon cuttings at four restaurants: The Neighborhood Cafe at 947A State St., Munchies at 957 State St., Provisions on State at 981 State St., and Chestnut Fine Foods & Confesions at 1012 State St.
The first stop took place at a breakfast joint called The Neighborhood Cafe that takes pride in their homemade strawberry waffles with whip cream and fresh breakfast sandwiches. Mother and daughter duo Cheryl Consiglio and Caitlyn Connolly said they opened the restaurant a year and a half before Covid-19 hit. Consiglio said that their business closed down for six months due to the pandemic, and recently opened back up a few months ago.
“The biggest struggle while being open throughout Covid-19 has been cooking the food and waiting, and then people don’t come,” Consiglio said. “But the people have been coming back or we’ve had people come in that didn’t know we were here. We started doing online takeout like GrubHub and DoorDash, which is working well.”’
Mayor Justin Elicker (pictured above) noted that The Neighborhood Cafe made him feel at home when he stepped inside.
“It’s like your own kind of country kitchen,” Elicker said. “It’s a getaway and I think we all need some escape nowadays and this is a great place to do it.”
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (pictured above) said the state lost 600 restaurants due to the pandemic last year. That’s just another reason that local businesses and retail shops need the extra support, she said.
“We should celebrate when brave entrepreneurs step up and start new businesses. We should support our local restaurants and retail shops in our neighborhood because we need them to be here when the pandemic is over,” Bysiewicz said. “We have new leadership in Washington and we have vaccines being distributed, so very soon we will be able to enjoy restaurant dining. In the meantime, support local restaurants with takeout.”
City Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli (pictured below) said 40 new businesses opened across the city last year.
“It’s truly inspiring to come out today after the inauguration. It’s kind of a new day and an opportunity for us to celebrate both economic opportunity and access for New Haven residents,” he said. “It’s very important that as we ride this next wave of the pandemic that we shine a high and positive light on the businesses that are open — for takeout, delivery, and any sort of options that support great food, true craft, and care.”
John Martin, the co-president of the Upper State Street Association, said that the neighborhood has been quieter and slower since the pandemic hit last March.
“We’re doing well on State Street because we all support each other,” Martin said. “We all know each other and take care of one another. We’re all entrepreneurs who are just doing our best.”
Outside Munchies, post-fire.
Drew Osbon, owner of Munchies, is one of those entrepreneurs who have been putting out fires — literally.
His crafty subs — like a teriyaki chicken philly with roasted green peppers, mozzarella, onions, pineapples, and topped with pineapple — won’t be available for a little bit due to a fire that damaged his kitchen Tuesday night.
The fire didn’t demolish Osbon’s businesses entirely and Munchies will reopen shortly. Osbon said he didn’t participate in the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for his small business, but plans on applying for the next round —which began on Tuesday — to support his four employees.
“The doors opened here in September 2020, so I didn’t go for PPP at first because I didn’t have employees. Now that I have had employees, there have been a couple of setbacks from Covid-19. One of the programs that I have used is the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. I’m going to and try to shoot for the PPP next.”
The new butcher shop and market Provisions on State opened in September after the State Street building it’s in had remained vacant for 10 years. Co-owners Emily Mingrone and Shane McGowan (pictured) said they had faith in the whole animal butchery shop due to the success of their other business located two stores down, Tavern on State.
Their Beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and seasonal produce come from local farms in the tri-state area.
“It was definitely a risk to open up. Luckily people know us from our other restaurant. When all of the restrictions came into play, we were trying to figure out how to supplement our business. Being that a lot of people were cooking at home, we just wanted to figure out how to provide them quality ingredients,” Mingrone said. “We know the farmers personally and know that the animals are well taken care of.”
Chestnut baker Kathy O’Connor and owners Patricia and Fred Walker.
Fresh cookies were offered to everyone at the last ribbon cutting from Chestnut Fine Foods. Their business has been a staple on State Street for the past 17 years. Owners Fred and Patricia Walker, and baker Kathy O’Connor (pictured) said their business has persevered throughout the pandemic because of their loyal customers. Fresh breads, hot pot pies, and baked goods have kept the bakery afloat.
“We basically never closed during this,” Fred said. “We’ve been open during the entire pandemic,” Fred said. “Right now, we’re going through the [PPP] forgiveness phase right now that we will work out. There is a second forgiveness loan available which we hope to be able to access.”
Patricia said that their homemade food being has fit well with everyone wanting to stay healthy and clear of the virus.
“It’s been remarkable that people are still coming out,” Patricia said. “We have customers that come from Cheshire, Madison, Milford, and Shelton. We will bring their order out to them if they don’t feel comfortable coming in but they do have the option to come sit down while socially distanced.”
Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce President Garrett Sheehan said that this year opens with some optimism as federal stimulus programs like PPP help small business owners stay afloat until heavier customer traffic can return as the pandemic wanes.
“The pandemic has hit businesses very differently,” Sheehan said. “We saw great results in the summer with just being able to have outdoor dining. I know that once we get to a point where people can be outside and a lot more people will be vaccinated then we will be in a much better position to see the activity pick up.”