紐黑文週末市集

好像幾乎每個美國城鎮都有週末「農夫集市」的傳統，紐黑文也不例外。星期六早上，紐黑文和附近城鎮的本地商戶和農家就會開著車到有紐黑文「小義大利」之稱的Wooster廣場集會，有賣雞蛋的、麵包、蔬菜，也有賣花以及一些手工藝作品的。

不要以為這樣的臨時市場賣的東西就會便宜，比如香蕉、雞蛋之類，因為是organic，基本上新鮮到屬於from farm to the table（從農場直接送上你的餐桌），所以賣價會比在沃爾瑪這種大型超市裡面的雞蛋更貴。

美國人保持「農夫集市」的傳統也不單單是為了吃的，這其實也是一種培育社區凝聚力的方式。我一直覺得英文community這個詞在中文中很難翻譯，感覺可能亞洲對社區的概念與美國還是有所不同。

Community可以是一個具體場所，也可以是大家對一個群體的認同感。每逢週末，附近居民知道總有一個地方可以聚聚，大家一邊買點食材，同時也互信打個招呼，聊一下最近的某場球賽，社區凝聚力自然也加強了，也由此更有了家的歸屬感。

紐黑文週末市集位於Wooster Square Park附近：
570 Chapel St. New Haven, CT 06511

An Italian Family Story in New Haven

Lucibello's Italian Pastry is a story about immigration, family, and tradition, and its pastries are all about love, for friends, or you can just buy a bunch of yourself to celebrate your life. Why not?

The Faggio Family has owned and operated Lucibello’s for over 60 years. In 1959, Frank Faggio purchased the Pastry Shop at it’s original location on Chapel Street, where he worked since an early age and learned his craft.

His perseverance and hard work led to its rapid growth, moving the well-known bakery to its present location at 935 Grand Avenue (corner of Grand Ave. and Olive St.). Frank’s passion, pursuit of excellence, and incredible work ethic grew his business into a successful, honored establishment.

Presently, Frank’s son, Peter Faggio continues this family tradition of maintaining old-world skill in creating the pastries, cakes, cookies and Italian confections that have made Lucibello’s a landmark in New Haven, Connecticut, and a destination from surrounding cities.

The most famous cake at the shop? Don’t miss the mini-rainbow cake!

Lucibello's Italian Pastry Shop
935 Grand Ave, New Haven, CT 06511

A Cafe On Its Mission

New Haven now feels like the United Nations of Food and Coffee. Today I visited this Arabic and Middle East coffee shop called Havenly (25 Temple St.), which is like a social enterprise for women refugees. How meaningful!

I used to work for the Big Tech, which were all proud to focus more on the “mission” than just monetisation. When I walked into the coffee shop, I saw its mission statement written on the wall — to build the community power of refugees and immigrant women through job training, education, and civic engagement.

Now that sounds like a real and ambitious mission. Don’t look down a small coffee shop. As John F. Kennedy once famously said: “One person can make a difference and everyone should try.”

Well done, New Haven!

P.S. If you want to find the best baklava in Connecticut, this is the place.

Havenly
25 Temple St, New Haven, CT 06510

Hotdog for Bulldog

If you are a big fan of hotdogs, then you can’t miss the famous “Bulldog Hotdogs” located right at the heart of the “Shops at Yale'“ on Broadway Street. The restaurant name tells it all — it’s all about hotdogs. You can choose a small size or a full size set, which means a very long bread with a lot of meat and that can guarantee you feel very full.

The restaurant is a family business. I just learned from the son boss that his mom passed away during the pandemic years and now he had to step up and keep the business running. I bought two hotdogs to show my support to local small business. A lot of cheese! It’s just delicious and it will be perfect for your afternoon tea snacks.

Bulldog Hotdogs
56 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511

Cuban Restaurant in New Haven

Pretend I were in Cuba But in fact I’m still in New Haven

I always feel #WhatGeorgeEats is more than just food; it’s also about leaning. Food can be a great source of learning, about a country’s history, culture, and its people. Today we had some traditional dishes at one of the most famous Cuban restaurants in New Haven. It turns out Cuban cuisine has a lot to do with chicken, especially fried chicken.

Soul de Cuba Cafe
283 Crown St, New Haven, CT 06511