By Kelly Kandra Hughes
Photo by Clinton J. Sosna

More than a month has gone by since Gov. Ned Lamont ordered the shutdown of Connecticut restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters. Several of the businesses in Norfolk and the surrounding communities that fall into these categories were faced with a seemingly insurmountable task: to keep their businesses afloat while at the same time shutting down. Many of the area’s favorite eateries have succeeded in this task, thanks to the support of locals and creative thinking. 

“It’s unbelievable how people in this town support each other,” says Heidi Dinsmore, owner of Wood Creek Bar & Grill. “A few weeks ago, I was crying and didn’t think we were going to make it. Town Hall stepped in to help, telling me they didn’t want me to close our doors. I’m so grateful.” 

Wood Creek Bar & Grill has turned to curbside delivery to gain back income lost from dine-in customers. Dinsmore posts the daily specials on her Facebook page and on Instagram (woodcreekbarandgrill). Customers can call 860-542-1200 to place an order, which will then be brought out to their car. Katherine Griswold, a Norfolk photographer, has gotten several meals from Wood Creek since the shutdown. “I love Heidi, and I want to help,” says Griswold. “The specials are nice, and she has great soups, too. Everyone is so friendly when they come out to the curbside, wearing their masks and gloves and with their bleached pens. And everyone is grateful!”

Gratitude seems to be a theme for many of the local restaurants who have had to modify their offerings since the shutdown. Blackberry River Baking Company and the Blackberry River Bistro in Canaan, owned by Sam and Audrey Leary, are so appreciative for the support they’ve received from residents utilizing their Bistro curbside service that they wanted to pay their gratitude forward. “Everyone who’s working to make life as normal as possible in this time, and everyone who’s ordering dinner, we appreciate you all,” read one of Blackberry River’s Facebook posts earlier this month. The post accompanied a photo of a stack of breakfast sandwiches that Sam Leary had brought over to workers at the Stop & Shop, which is across the street from their bakery. 

For their curbside service, Blackberry River Bistro is offering family-sized take-and-eat prepared meals, as well as bistro food made to order, desserts, pastries and pantry items. A recent dinner special was pork tenderloin with creamed kale or mashed potatoes. Customers can check out their daily menu on their Facebook page or website, http://www.blackberryriver.com, and orders can be placed by phone at 860-453-4067, by private message on Facebook, or by email to Audrey@blackberryriver.com. 

The Berkshire Country Store is another local eatery offering curbside delivery of their takeout for customers. But their business in the last month has leaned more toward their grocery offerings than takeout, according to owner Ryan Craig. “We have a lot of the basic necessities, like milk, eggs, paper towels and toilet paper,” says Craig, “but we now also offer a lot more general groceries than people may realize. People can get fresh produce, including apples, oranges, blueberries, bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and potatoes. We’ve had requests for flour, rice and garlic, which we now offer. We’re working on getting yeast the first week of May. And we have chicken from Nodine’s Smokehouse coming soon.” 

“The Berk has been a real lifesaver,” says Norfolk artist Tom Hlas. “I think I should get a prize for the number of chip bags I’ve bought in the last few weeks. But I’ve also gotten fresh veggies and takeout, too. It’s been great.” 

One area of business that the Berkshire Country Store has seen decline is the impulse buys from customers. “We would sell so much by having people come in to browse,” says Craig. “People worry that they don’t know what they need if they can’t come into the store.” 

One way Craig has remedied this situation is to offer a virtual shopping experience through Skype. He’ll walk through the store as customers watch on their computer screen so they can see the groceries available. Anyone who would like to set up a virtual shopping experience, get takeout or buy groceries from the Berkshire Country Store can call 860-542-7176, email berkshirecountrystore@gmail.com, or online at https://www.berkshirecountry.com/

Norbrook Farm Brewery in Colebrook is also trying something new during the shutdown. On April 2, Governor Lamont signed an executive order allowing breweries in Connecticut to offer home delivery. Norbrook Farm Brewery took advantage of that opportunity and now offers free delivery in a 30-mile radius from the brewery with a $30 minimum order. “Delivery has been a big help,” says John Auclair, a co-owner of the Brewery, along with his brother Randy Auclair and head brewer Colin Coan. “It’s enabled us to bring back a couple of servers to handle the workload of filling orders and delivering. The volume of business we’re doing is much less than before without our taproom, plus we also had a nice presence with our draft beer in many bars, restaurants, and taverns in Litchfield and Hartford Counties. But customer support has also been tremendous for to-go sales, meaning cans, crowlers, new growlers—no refills temporarily—and some kegs. We’ll be fine.”

To-go or online orders from Norbrook Farm Brewery can be placed through their website, https://norbrookfarm.square.site/beer,  or by calling 860-909-1016. 

Station Place Café, owned by Norfolk resident Stefanie Gouey, is one local eatery that has temporarily shut down all its offerings. Gouey shops from several sources and is not comfortable enough to keep doing that at the moment. But she’s hoping to offer pickup dinners in the near future. “I’ve had many queries about this service,” she says. “If someone would like to get on the mailing list, they can email stationplacecafe@gmail.com.” In the meantime, Gouey is busy researching and testing recipes, and, as she jokes, “gaining too much weight.”