"We sold our house, we sold our life, and we're here working our butts off..."

Article in Villager Newspapers (Stonebridge Press) page 6 of https://linpub.blob.core.windows.net/pdf/2/a6d1b12a-28fa-46fa-80de-8be0b97e3bc7.pdf

by Cris Cadiz for Neighbors Paper, May/June 2026 photos by Winter Caplanson

Mofongo delivers delicious, authentic food made fresh daily (Photos by Ling Messer)

On the Connecticut Oyster Trail

Essential elements for humans to thrive include food, fire, and community. Open less than a year,Trigo Wood Fired Pizza restaurant has them all, and is flourishing in downtown Willimantic, just a short walk from the town’s iconic Frog Bridge. At 5PM on a Friday in November, a string of lights above the door of the historic brick building resembles firefl ies. Tables and seats at the 36-footlong bar are already half-full of early birds, chatting, laughing, eating. Groups of all ages dine under th

In the world of food and farms, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. e concept—connecting consumers directly to producers in the food system--became popular in the United States in the 1980s. Basically, a subscription service for agriculture, it’s a way of sharing the risk of food production with local farmers. In practice, there’s more than mere economic benefit. CSAs improve the health and well-being of everyone involved. While the community supports farms in a CSA partnership, the

Daniel and Aubrie Nagy have roots sunk deep in northeastern Connecticut. Dan grew up in the oldest house in Scotland on scenic Route 97. Aubrie is a descendent of Esther Grosvenor, an original settler of Pomfret in the 1600s. Today these thirty-somethings reside with their three young children on Route 97--but in Pomfret. “I guess I didn’t want to get lost,” says Dan dryly. Five years ago they founded Watercure Farm, specializing in produce, fruit and mushrooms grown the old fashioned way, using

Food as Medicine in Mystic

at Cinnamon Grill Summer on the Shoreline 2024

Grown Connected is much more than a marketing effort. Launched in 2021 by UConn College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR)’s Extension Program in Tolland, the concept is a brand, a buzz, a blog, and a guide that reaches thousands of northeastern Connecticut residents. Most importantly, Grown Connected nurtures community among farmers and the people who support them.

Children enjoying the tulips by BellaBlue Photography. Other photos courtesy of Wicked Tulips Flower Farm unless noted.

The joke at the Chef’s Table, located on the 588-acre Little Dipper Farm in the rural hills of Brooklyn, CT, is that the vegetables walk across the street. “ e concept of food miles doesn’t count here,” says SaraAnderson Mooney, who runs the farm. “It’s more like food inches.” Chef/Owner Brian Paszko laughs and describes happily hauling kitchen compost back across the street to Sara’s garden. The Chef’s Table at Little Dipper Farm is helping to deepen the concept of farm-to-table dining.

There’s no rest for the weary at Cold Spring Farm in Colchester

(G-MONKEY PHOTOS BY LISA NICHOLS)

Tucked away in an industrial section of downtown Meriden is a haven of vibrant natural beauty that blooms every Wednesday through Friday from April through December. Formerly located in Branford, the CT Flower Collective moved into its new location this spring, increasing their floor space from 1,000 to 4,000 sf. Now in its fourth year, this wholesale supplier of locally grown, cut flowers founded by Eddy Farm owner Haley Billipp and several other local flower farmers, is well, blossoming!

The Willimantic Food Co-op, the state’s longest running cooperative market, celebrated its 40th birthday last year in early February with a two-day party and 40 cakes. The festivities were over and tidied up, this article had been written and photos taken, but before the issue could be published, the great wave of the pandemic crashed down on us and changed everything.

Words by Cris Cadiz for Connecticut East magazine, winter 2019