New Neighbors: “Hook’d on the Sound” Pushes Through a Rainy Memorial Day Weekend
Nadine Wilf, General Manager, stands at the counter with Beck Lewis, a University of Miami freshman. Hook’d on the Sound celebrated its brick-and-mortar opening this month on Compo Beach - an exciting transition as the staff and 86 year old building prepare for the summer season in Westport.
The staff at Hook’d stayed warm behind the counter as only a handful of brave souls walked the shoreline this Memorial Day weekend - a time when the beaches celebrate their opening and the community marks the beginning of the warm season.
Although the screen door swung open for the first time this month, the restaurant team ran a large food trailer last year, when their contract officially began with the Town of Westport.
The interior of the local beach shack was renovated completely, with all new appliances and designs put in place throughout the structure. However the comfortable feeling of the former Joey’s by the Shore remains as staff greeted the customers at the famous building-wide countertop.
Managed by Nadine Wilf, Hook’d on the Sound is open seven days per week and offers a variety of breakfasts, snack-shack foods, as well as larger entrees, deserts, and healthier smoothies and bowls made-to-order.
The Compo Beach concession stand the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in October, 2021. The structure’s adjoining brick walls collapsed during the storm, and the famous boardwalk patio floated several feet away. Photo by Jaime Bairaktaris. Although a wash-out of a weekend, the staff remained positive - describing the community’s warm welcome during such a cold holiday weekend.
The Compo Beach concession stand was built in 1935, with extensive renovations being done to the building and adjoining bathhouses and lockers after Hurricane Sandy destroyed parts of the brickwork in 2012.
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.
New Neighbors: Il Pastaficio Homemade Pasta Joins the Downtown Renaissance
As the revival of Downtown Westport forges on, Il Pastaficio Artisanal Pasta has announced their opening at 135 Post Road East, a few doors up from Patagonia. Owner Federico Perandin, originally from Italy’s northern city of Padua, was excited to share his vision of guests enjoying their homemade pastas and sauces, select main courses, and wines come autumntime in the mixed used space - which will serve as both pasta shop and eat-in restaurant. This will be the second location for the pasta artisans, with their other shoppe located just south on I-95 in Cos Cob. Perandin said they expect to be open this September.
Sundance: Window Shopping at Main Street’s Newest Shop
The Sundance store, 97 Main Street, revealed itself for window shopping as the large privacy walls were taken down. The community has long awaited the opening of the store, which will take place later this month. Sundance was founded by Robert Redford in 1969, transforming from a catalog to boutique with women’s and men’s clothing in addition to artisan gifts and speciality items. The Westport location will be the 20th store for the company, with locations sprawled across the country.
