I’m a guy who eats cheeseburgers and swills Coca Cola and coffee far more than any human being should.
Somehow my twisted mind thinks eating healthy isn’t manly. I know this is stupid. I have the waist line to prove it.
I also feel a sad cosmic connection with self-destructive slobs such as Artie Lange.
But even I felt like sitting down and enjoying a “Tree of Life” salad at The Gourmet Cafe, Derby’s newest eatery.
The Gourmet Cafe is owner/head chef Tanya Skeeter’s baby. She’s from Bridgeport, has made numerous appearances on WTNH as “The Salad Lady,” and opened at 101 Elizabeth St. (Plaza on the Green) back in May.
The owners had an official ribbon cutting for the business last week. Check out the video to see that ribbon get cut to shreds real good.
The Gourmet Cafe is warm and cozy. Skeeter hired Joan Andrews of Bethel, Conn., to design the cafe’s interior. Andrews did a good job. I could waste your time and try to describe the cafe using fluffy writer words, but this is the Internet and I have photos.
Check them out:
See what I mean?
And the staff is beyond nice. They even put up with my toddler.
At the ribbon-cutting at the business last week, my adorable son, Jack, tagged along. His mommy was at work, so I was on baby-sitting duty. Jack will be two years old in October.
It was the first — and, I pray to God, THE LAST — time I brought Jack along to an assignment. Jack wanted to play with the forks, my iPhone, the door, the napkins, my tape recorder and the chairs.
The servers — and a random customer — were very sweet to him, even when he started to blubber. They gave him orange juice and a balloon, which kept him busy for approximately 30 seconds, during which time I inserted myself into Valley Gazette reporter Susan Hunter’s interview with Skeeter.
Skeeter told Hunter the “Tree of Life” salad is the most popular dish on this menu. Click here for Hunter’s story on the new Derby business.
“It’s doing extremely well here,” Skeeter said of the salad.
OK. I know what you’re thinking, reader. Stop blabbing, Valley Indy.
WHERE ARE THE PRICES, VALLEY INDY? WHERE IS THE MENU?
Funny you should ask:
That’s right — the prices are reasonable.
Skeeter said she decided to open the cafe — her first — in Derby because the city has potential.
“This area is going to go through a lot of growth. I hope this business can be a catalyst. I hope we can bring other types of businesses. Sometimes you just have to start something and it catches fire,” she said.
Her gut feeling about the city was confirmed during this month’s Derby-Shelton fireworks display.
“I love the sense of family here. The Fourth of July downtown was amazing. It was just wonderful to see all the people walking along the street to see the fireworks,” Skeeter said. “I could really sense the unity here.”
Mayor Anthony Staffieri and his brothers are Skeeter’s landlord.
The mayor said he started talking to Skeeter about her idea in October. He’s psyched and wants to see it succeed in Derby.
“She told us the idea and we loved it. I hope that it is successful because it is so different than the normal breakfast place. It doesn’t look like your typical deli or luncheonette. And it’s all healthy food,” Staffieri said. “I’ve been coming up here once or twice a week since they opened for the salads. The salmon salad is delicious.”
The Gourmet Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here for the phone number and for more information on The Gourmet Cafe.
