#1
Chester Farm Market
Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 2 through October 2
I know summer is here when the Chester Farm Market opens, I missed the first, but I will be there every Sunday ‘til fall. This year they have closed Main Street, there is music and the tents are full of gorgeous food and incredibly nice people. Friends and I spent almost an hour there (my friends say it takes that long because I have to pet every dog there, and there were quite a few).
This year, in addition to produce, there is a dairy with fresh milk (in bottles!) and the most delicious yogurt you’ve ever tasted. At the Hay Person’s tent, there were beautifully flowers and handmade jam. There was lots of honey, a lot of lettuces and seafood.
The amazing thing, to me, was the bread. Howard Kaplan had not only baguettes but bialys. Joan and I bought all that were left.
I got two boules from Alforno’s Bob Zemmel and Linda Guica (some of which we ate with fresh radishes, salt and butter at home). At Simon’s Market, we shared mozz, tomato and basil sandwiches on salt-encrusted bread that was chewy enough to give our teeth a workout. And Charlie van Over wasn’t even there with his incredible baguette. We are one fortunate shoreline denizens.
#2
St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church Festival
Some years ago the congregants of New London’s St Sophia Greek Orthodox Church had a serious problem: the church’s needed a new roof and the cost was mighty expensive. Their solution was to have two Greek Festivals instead of its annual fundraiser in order to help raise money to pay for the new roof.
Because both were so successful, there are now two festivals each year. I have never missed one, although I know people who go six times at each of the festivals, from lunch on Wednesday until the last on Friday night.
In June I went with friends. I had lemon chicken soup, moussaka, spanakopita and one cookie.
I never eat the stuffed grape leaves because they are simply not as good as those made by my daughter-in-law and her mother. I have made it myself with their recipe. If you e-mail me (leeawhite@aol.com), I will send the recipe to you.
And if you know where I can find real grape leaves (instead of the jarred ones), I will be forever grateful.
#3
J.A.M.S.S.
1522 Boston Post Road
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
860-510-0839
I do head south quite a few times during the week on I-95, though rarely on weekends in the summer. I had errands to run and decided to have lunch at J.A.M.S.S in Old Saybrook.
Ooops, it had moved, but not too far away. It now has a much bigger kitchen and dining room and serves breakfast all day. (By the way, their breakfasts may be better than those at Kitchen Little.)
But it was lunch. The menu and specials are fabulous, and I chose a soup and half a sandwich—the former cream of mushroom and the latter curried chicken salad with halved grapes. For a side I opted for macaroni salad.
Everything at J.A.M.S.S is housemade, by the way. The sandwich was the best ever, as was the macaroni salad (almost as good as Gloria Pepin’s recipe). But the mushroom soup was pure heaven. I asked to buy a pint to take home; sadly, I had gotten the last bowl and there was not a soupcon left.
Service was terrific: pleasant and knowledgeable waitstaff, including a 6’8” waiter who just finished his freshman year at Kenyon College. And, yes, he does play basketball.
