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Grnhaus-Nordic Street Eats
Serving up Lefse and Lingonberry Lemonade
by Joyce Kahn
G
rnhaus-Nordic Street Eats is a
mouthful of a title for a small
Montpelier food cart serving qual-
ity, almost Scandinavian fast food. Their
wraps, cupcakes and beverages are all in-
vented, and you wont find them on the
streets in Scandinavia.
The cart is the brainchild of Doug and
Jennifer Haugen, who left New York City
with the goal of penetrating the central
Vermont market, tapping their talents and
changing the world. The Haugens are un-
usual people, imbued with the entrepre-
neurial spirit and a dream. Haugen is not
modest in touting their cuisine: he assured
me that they make the worlds best wrap,
their cupcakes are the best anywhere and
their hot chocolate is beyond compare.
Doug Haugen is the face behind the
cart on State Street, the man who heats
up and fills the lefse his Italian wife, Jen-
nifer Haugen, prepares at home. Lefse is a
unique Norwegian potato crepe and is new
to most Americans. It is often eaten at holi-
day time, served raw or with butter in the
Midwest, where Doug Haugen grew up;
however, its present incarnation is a one-of-
a-kind wrap, one that Haugen assured me
would be unrecognizable to those familiar
with the item.
The wrap fillings include kielbasa,
horseradish cream and sauerkraut, as well
as bananas, blueberries and cinnamon, and
chocolate-almond butter. There is also an
irony to the cart, which offers a Nordic
Elvis and a Nordic PBJ, to name a couple.
Theirs is the only cart open in the winter,
heated by propane and batteries, and its
castle-like design is a conversation piece
in itself.
Haugan is rethinking the business
model, using Montpelier as a starter mar-
ket. He recounted how right away he de-
fied the three rules of business: to sell a
known item, to sell it in a large city and
to open in spring. He told me people dont
need to know a particular food for it to be-
come popular, as in the case of pizza. And
the large city idea he tossed to the wind by
locating in Montpelier, the smallest imag-
inable market and one that is foot-traffic
dependent. And he arrived here about one
year ago, opening the business in the fall.
A little about the couple behind the
cart: Jennifer Haugen, a graphic artist, was
working in the fashion industry, and Doug
Haugen was a professor of constitutional
law, a Cuny graduate with a Ph.D., when
they met, had a baby and left New York
City. Jennifer is responsible for the food
concept. Doug, raised in a Scandinavian-
American community in North Dakota,
had spent five years in Boston and had
lived in Manhattan for 18. He had started
a few businesses before, and he approached
this new venture with the same passions he
brought to the others. He sees himself as
part of a global food revolution. Lefse, he
told me, is simple, essential; yet it generates
exciting conversation.
Doug Haugen is an artist as well, a
person with a strong ethos of craftsman-
ship and a desire to connect to people. He
explained to me that good art can make
Grub to Gourmet
Central Vermont Dines
continued on page 16
page 2 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!
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The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 3
Subscribe to The Bridge!
For a one-year subscription, send this form and a check to The Bridge, p.O. box
1143, montpelier, Vt 05601.
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address_____________________________________________________
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Heard On THe
STREET
p.O. box 1143, montpelier, Vt 05601
phone: 802-223-5112 | Fax: 802-223-7852
montpelierbridge.com; facebook.com/montpelierbridge
published every first and third thursday
editor & publisher: Nat Frothingham
general manager: bob Nuner
Strategic planner: amy brooks thornton
production & calendar editor: Kate mueller
Sales representatives: carolyn grodinsky, rick mcmahan, Ivan Shadis
graphic Design & Layout: cynthia ryan
bookkeeper: Kathryn Leith
Distribution: Kevin Fair, Diana Koliander-Hart, Daniel renfro, anna Sarquiz
Website manager: cynthia ryan
advertising: For information about advertising deadlines and rates, contact:
223-5112, ext. 11, carolyn@montpelierbridge.com or rick@montpelierbridge.com
editorial: contact bob, 223-5112, ext. 14, or editorial@montpelierbridge.com.
Location: The Bridge office is located at the Vermont college of Fine arts, on the lower level of
Schulmaier Hall.
Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge by mail for $50 a year. make out your check to
The Bridge, and mail to The Bridge, pO box 1143, montpelier Vt 05601.
copyright 2013 by the montpelier bridge
More Parking in the Offing at VCFA
O
ne part of a much larger Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) revised master plan,
currently under review by the Montpelier Development Review Board (DRB), proposes
converting a portion of its tennis courts, located on the west side of College Hall, into an on-
campus, off-street parking space for 28 cars. As submitted to the DRB, the revised plan runs
to 31 pages and includes a detailed history of recent ownership changes of the college campus,
the VCFA mission statement, a discussion of the VCFA graduate programs and the colleges
near-term and long-range plans for its buildings and campus, including traffic circulation and
calming, signage, lighting and a detailed parking analysis. The college estimates that it needs
to add 62 additional parking spaces. In addition to the tennis court conversion, the college is
also proposing to change the current parallel parking around the college green to angled park-
ing. Sometime within the next few days, the DRB will issue a written decision on the VCFAs
revised master plan. For further information, contact Dina Bookmyer-Baker, assistant zoning
administrator at dbookmyer-baker@montpelier-vt.org or call 262-6270.
The Montpelier Police Department on Facebook
M
ontpeliers police department has a new Facebook page: Facebook.com/Montpelier-
PoliceVermont. The page provides general informationfor example, theres a link to
information about faulty inspection sticker adhesives and a photo of a car parked too close
to an intersection. For police services, people should continue to phone 223-3445 or, in case
of emergency, 911.
Village Pizza Moves to Main
V
illage Pizza intends to move to Main Street. Bridge contributors tell us theyll be headed
for the storefront currently occupied by the Goddard College pop-up exhibition space,
where Capitol Stationers used to be. The pizzeria is shooting for a move in early November.
Open-House Voter Registration Drive
T
he Vermont secretary of states office will be holding an open-house voter registration
drive on Tuesday, September 24, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the secretary of states Office
on 128 Main Street. They say, If you have elections related questions or questions about
your voter rights but cannot attend the open house, please call the Elections Division at (802)
828-2363 or e-mail SoS.VoterReg@Sec.State.VT.US.
Nature Watch
S
uch a poor summer for butterflies! After the wet spring, even the monarchs never
really made it this far. I think I saw one. We were just complaining about this, Anna
Saxman and I, when, lilting through her garden in that buoyant rhythmic mode of swal-
lowtails, came a giant swallowtail butterfly, stopping right in front of us among the ver-
bena to sip nectar. I had never seen one, and the timing was a perfect rebuttal. Now, with
frosts, harvests and colors upon us, and the memory of that splendid moment, I can let
go of summer. Funny how a simple thing can put me in the mood for the coming season.
Nona Estrin
Artists Beth Haggart, Mary Sayre, Daniel W. Staples and Janet Van Fleet show their
sculptures at the ReUse Fair in front of the Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier.
Made from plastic water bottles, Inherently Unstable and Prone To Collapse #3 lived
up to its name. Photos by Amy Brooks Thornton.
adverTise
Our next issue, which comes out
Thursday, October 3
advertising deadline: Friday, September 27.
Call 223-5112 for Carolyn (x11) or
Ivan (x12) or Rick at 479-0970.
Whats In
reusing inner tubes to oxygen tanks
Protesting the Addison Natural Gas Project, a natural gas pipeline planned to run down the west
side of Vermont, Rising Tide volunteers held banners in front of the Capitol Plaza this week.
Inside, the Public Service Board and Vermont Gas are spending the week on technical hearings
and fielding answers from landowners. The pipeline will be an extension of an existing pipeline
servicing Chittenden and Franklin counties. Phase one of the project, now in the permitting
process, will bring service to Middlebury and Vergennes. Phase two, presently underway, will
extend to Ticonderoga, New York. The pipeline will carry gas procured from the controversial
process of hydraulic fracturing. Farmers, landowners and vulnerable environmental areas will
be affected. The state of Vermont banned fracking in 2012. Rising Tide Vermont is part of a
broader coalition of community members and environmental groups. The organization focuses
on the root cause of climate change.
page 4 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 5
VAM Holds Community
Meeting About City and
School Budgets
by Richard Sheir
O
n the evening of Tuesday, September
17, 2013, Vibrant and Affordable
Montpelier (VAM) held a commu-
nity meeting to discuss the city and school
budgets before they are prepared. Here is
some of what was heard at the meeting.
John Hollar, Mayor of Montpelier
City Council and I share a couple of
concerns: One of them is the high tax rate
in the community and the other is the sig-
nificant infrastructure challenges. Our tax is
the highest in the state. Our property taxes
are the highest in terms of median taxes;
statewide taxes in Vermont are among the
highest. If you put the two together, Mont-
pelier is one of the highest property-taxed
communities in the country. Over time, that
will have negative effects if we dont address
it. Weve made significant progress. Our cur-
rent budget has begun to make structural
changes. The budget that we approved was
2.3 percent0.5 percent is very positive.
The goal of the council is to keep the
budget increase at the rate of inflation. In-
frastructure investments are critical. We have
a five-year plan to reach a steady rate, so we
are not losing ground. We need to ramp up
our infrastructure to get to a stable plan. The
current budget includes $166,000 and will
continue for five years. We eliminated four
positions, and none required layoffs, and we
saw a substantial diminution of services. We
cant cut four positions every year.
Our projections for next year, though pre-
liminary, look pretty positive. With salary
increases, increases from fuel and health
care, plus $166,000 for infrastructure, we
are looking at an increase of 3 to 3.4 percent
before weve done anything. In my view, 3.4
percent is too high; 2 percent [which is closer
to the current inflation rate of 1.5 percent]
is closer in my mind to where we ought to
be at.
Sue Aldrich, Chair of the Mont-
pelier School Board
Our teachers are paid in the middle of
the pack in Washington County after this
contract. That is important to note. We are
doing a phenomenal job, and we are not
spending all that much money on teachers.
Brian [Ricca] told me this week if we do
nothing, dont cut any positions, dont cut
any programs, we will be at about 3 to 4
percent increase on the school-expenditure
sidenot on the state-funding side. In my
mind, that is not too terrible.
Every year there have been cuts. For the
last 10 to 12 years, the schools have gone
up 2 percent. What that meant was a lot
of deferred maintenance, and our teachers
werent paid middle of the pack. We dont
add things. When we add things back in the
budget, we dont want to lose fantastic teach-
ers. When RIFs [reduction in force] are pro-
posed, people come down to our meetings,
and some students cry, and some teachers
and parents tell us do not let this happen,
and those are the times we add money back
into the budget. Including instructional as-
sistants, 5.5 FTEs [full-time equivalent] were
cut last year. There is a current discussion of
moving the fifth grade to the middle school
where there is more room.
Weve made a little headway in terms of
health insurance, going from a 20 percent
contribution to 15 percent for employees.
Last year, we absorbed a 12 percent increase
in health insurance. The early projections
for this year are between 5 and 6 percent.
This number is very soft. As a large employer
of over 50 employees, we will not be forced
into the Affordable Health Care Acts Health
Exchange before 2017.
I would love to have a citizens budget
committee, similar to the citys one last year,
to look at the schools. That sounds like a
great idea. We had a committee a long time
ago like that. I would love to do that.
As of last fiscal year, our capital improve-
ments line was $50,000 for all three build-
ings. We increased that to $120,000, with
only a 1.1 percent increase in the facilities
budget. We are going to try and increase it
to $150,000 per year, every year.
We pick an arbitrary budget amount and
say keep it under this amount. This is what
will be happening in our schools. This is
when a lot of people come out. They make
us see how important those teachers and pro-
grams are. The value is so evident. We think
to ourselves this budget will pass. More
people will be angry with us if we take away
these programs. Thats when we so-called
put money back.
Brian Ricca, Montpelier School
District Superintendent
Vote after vote, our base of support is
decreasing, and I would like to increase that
again. I dont have a magic answer. I am
willing to do anything to listen to the com-
munity.
page 6 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
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Montpelier High School
Unplugged
by Amy Brooks Thornton
R
ecess for high schoolers? Twenty min-
utes off the highly scheduled high
school day for students and teach-
ers to play four-square or Ultimate Frisbee,
meditate, knit, rock climb, guitar jam, dance
or simply read for the fun of it? With Bill
Laidlaw, MHS special educator, coordinat-
ing the experiment, MHS Unpluggedaka
recesswas launched this fall at Montpelier
High School.
The idea of taking time off to play found
fertile ground when MHS physical educa-
tion teacher, Carolyn Kiniry-Roberge, gave
Spark, by John J. Ratey, to MHS principal
Adam Bunting. In the book, Ratey dem-
onstrates how and why physical activity is
crucial to the way we think and feel and,
furthermore, that inactivity is killing our
brains . . . physically shrinking them.
The body was meant to be pushed,
Ratey argues, and in pushing our bodies, we
push our brains too.
The research connecting
exercise and brain develop-
ment is too clear to ignore,
says Bunting. Bunting de-
scribes the inextricable link
between movement and
mind. When a baby first
lifts its head, learns to crawl
then walks, the childs world
expands exponentially. And when people age
and lose the ability to move, they start shut-
ting down their opportunities to learn. Au-
thor Ratey summarizes it this way: Learn-
ing and memory evolved in concert with the
motor functions that allowed our ancestors
to track down food . . . if were not moving,
theres no real need to learn anything.
Physical movement triggers our chemistry.
Ratey explains that going for a run is like
taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit
of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise
elevates these neurotransmitters, which regu-
late the brains signals and everything else the
brain does. The deeper explanation, Ratey
says, is that exercise balances neurotransmit-
tersalong with the rest of the neurochemi-
cals in the brain. And . . . keeping your brain
in balance can change your life.
If the neurotransmitters regulate the
brains function, of equal importance are the
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
and other proteins, which produce the in-
frastructure of cell circuitrythe roads,
highways, bridges and tunnels of the brain.
Researchers found that when they sprinkled
BDNF onto neurons . . . the cells sprouted
new branches, producing the same structural
growth required for learning. Ratey likes to
think of BDNF as Miracle-Gro for the brain.
And BDNF takes on leadership qualities: It
improves the function of the neurons, en-
courages their growth, and strengthens and
protects them against the natural process
of cell death. Moving the body increases
BDNF along with a host of other essential
factors in brain function.
Recess is also about reducing stress. As
hunter-gatherers, stress helped us in fight and
flight. Exercise, even socializing, allows you to
tap into the evolutionary antidote to stress,
Ratey says. But, in our contemporary lives, we
dont always burn it off, and too much stress
corrodes our brain.
Stress runs rampant at high schools and in
adult lives, which include the lives of teach-
ers. I am hard-pressed, Bunting says, to
find someone who is not complaining about
the stress that the speed of our lives creates.
Recess interrupts the speed. MHS math
teacher Whitney Machnik, who runs a re-
cess knitting group, was, at first, a self-
proclaimed skeptic. However, she says that
recess is not only a mental break for the
kids. Its a mental break for us [the teachers]
as well. We dont do grading, we dont do
planning, we dont do photocopying. We just
take the time off to do something fun with
the kids.
The midafternoon break completely takes
[Machnik], away from the math she teaches,
and she goes into her next period with a dif-
ferent frame of mind. Machniks coleader
of the knitting group, veteran Latin teacher
Mary Redmond, finds shes a lot less frazzled
by the end of the day.
To reduce stress for them as well as the stu-
dents, Bunting and English teacher Daniel
Miller Arsenault lead and partake in a medi-
tation class. Its been a popular unplugged
choice. Students of all types are trying it out.
As Bunting puts it, the calmer the leaders
. . . the calmer the children.
Evidence thus far proves he is right. Mach-
nik finds that with recess, the students are
more relaxed about their school day. They
can pace themselves.
Senior Madeleine Boyce
agrees: I dont have to
make one big push from
the beginning to the end
of the day.
Recess at MHS hap-
pens at 1:15 p.m., right
after the third block and
before the fourth and last
block of the day to fuel the fourth block,
as Bunting puts it. Redmond has found that
students in her classroom during the fourth
block, after the break, are calm and focused.
Boyce concurs. She finds recess gives her a
chance just to breathe . . . I can decompress
before my last class. Laidlaw sums it up:
Unplug yourself from scheduling, and give
your brain a rest.
Before unplugged launched, Bunting wor-
ried about its success. He wondered, What
if we throw a party and no one shows up?
And hes concerned about adequate space
and resources to run all the different recess
options once winter comes. Additionally, he
wants data. How many students are partici-
pating in recess? How is it affecting students?
As for a student making a bad choice about
his or her time at recess, he says that a stu-
dent could make a poor choice at any time
during the school day, not just at recess.
However, students are engaging in it and
liking it. Initially, some students were reticent
about the idea. Senior Jacob Delcor says that
in the beginning it was kind of weird. His
colleague, senior Julia Hancock-Song, adds,
Some people were saying Im too old for
recess. [But] really, its not the same thing.
Because students choose their recess activ-
ity, which can range from learning Spanish
dance to just hanging out and socializing,
Delcor says that once you get into a routine,
its fun. The noncompulsory options also
generate renewed enthusiasm for learning.
Delcor adds, Ive learned how to knit in the
past four days. So thats cool.
Many find they are building relationships
they wouldnt have happened otherwise. Bun-
ting relates a morning in which a student
arrived carrying science teacher Tom Sabos
keyboard, after spending the weekend put-
ting down beats and tracks for Sabos recess
music jama student-teacher relationship
germinating.
Boyce has discovered that you can find a
group of people you wouldnt normally talk
to outside of class . . . you can find people
with the same interests as you.
So much helping! Camaraderie! exclaims
Machnik. A lot of camaraderie! A lot of
learning!
Rateys spark is lighting up minds and
friendships.
Too much
sTress corrodes
our braiN.
page 8 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
city council meeting
SepTeMBeR 11, 2013
by Ivan Shadis
A
s part of the consent agenda, City
Council signed a grant agreement
with VTrans for the Bicycle and Pe-
destrian Transportation Alternatives Plan-
ning Grant, wherein the city agreed to
match $12,000 given by the state. Council-
ors also considered a request for a proposal
regarding group-net-metered photovoltaic
electricity generation on city propertiesa
move that could save the city money on
its electricity bill within three yearsand
agreed to future exploration of the proposal.
Before proceeding to the other agenda
items, Councilor Thierry Guerlain spoke
of a perceived crime wave, introducing a
note from a constituent that questioned the
completeness of the police log published in
the Times Argus.
I notice whenever we read the police
log, its like car backfired on Barre Street
or book found on a bench, and the log
seems completely disconnected, said Guer-
lain, who relayed his own recent burglariza-
tion for contrast. This week in my house
somebody broke in and went through the
medicine cabinet while I was gone for half
an hour, and then the next night we came
home and a guests car had all the doors
left open, and somebody had gone through
the car. Guerlain also alluded to simi-
lar troubles experienced recently by Mayor
John Hollar. A council member said that a
report from the chief of police on the matter
was pending.
Acquistion of the the Carr lot for a multi-
modal transportation center was discussed.
City Manager William Fraser reported on
the results of a previously ordered test of
contamination levels at the Carr lot, stating
that there is nothing that was found that
is any different than our prior understand-
ingnothing that would change the value
as we understood it previously. Alan Carr
also appeared and stated that the lot under
its current use presents no health hazards.
Later during the council meeting, Hollar
expressed bewilderment around the citys
mode of acquiring the property saying, We
have been in negotiations with the property
owner. We had the terms of agreement in
place, but we simply have not been able to
finalize that for reasons we dont know or
understand, so we have been forced to go
forward with this in seeking a condemna-
tion order. So its unfortunate; weve bent
over backwards trying to acquire the prop-
erty in a consensual transaction, and unfor-
tunately, we just havent been successful.
After hearing from three interested ap-
plicants, the city selected Michael Sherman
and Kate McCarthy to fill the open posi-
tions as alternates for the development re-
view board. Then Tawnya Kristen, commu-
nity relations manager for Green Mountain
Transportation Authority (GMTA), and
Meredith Birkett, director of planning and
marketing for Chittenden County Trans-
portation Authority (CCTA), reported on
the successes of the Montpelier Circulator
Bus route.
We like to give a route three years to
grow and become stable. This is the Circu-
lators third year, and with this past fiscal
year, it is showing a growth of more than 6.7
percent annually, said Kristen. In FY12,
we had 162 people in that first month of
July, and when we jump forward to this past
July, we were at 1,337 riders.
The city has historically funded 20 per-
cent of the Circulator costs as an item in
the town budget, with GMTA covering the
other 80 percent. Councilor Tom Golonka
expressed concerns about GMTA backing
out of funding once the Circulator was es-
tablished, to which Birkett responded that,
while GMTA could make no guarantees,
it did not normally make budget cuts to
routes as successful as the Circulator. Hollar
expressed his personal intention to support
Circulator funding placement in the city
budget this coming March.
Julie Hendrickson, from the Montpe-
lier Community Fund Board of Directors,
sought funding for FY15, on behalf of the
board. She requested $118,000, the same
amount that was appropriated for general
grants and arts grants in 2014. Hendrickson
said that general grants, which are largely
for social services and the arts, have a $1,000
cap and are intended to, for example, serve
as seed money for artists to execute short,
temporary, fun projects downtown. The
council consented to add the $118,000 into
the March budget and warned that grant
applicants must submit by November.
The citys traffic committee recom-
mended an amendment to the ordinance
enacted recently to create parking on East
State Street. The changes would mitigate
line-of-sight concerns from residents whose
views backing out of their driveway would
have been interrupted. The city moved to
pass these changes, and the parking will
be available shortly after the second public
hearing on the 18th of this month.
Community Development Specialist
Kevin Casey requested council support for a
new six-unit housing development on Cedar
Street. He made the request in lieu of the
applicant, Jason Merrill, who was absent
from proceedings. Casey sought a nonbind-
ing resolution stating that the housing com-
plex would have a clear and substantial
community benefit.
Im a little uncomfortable with this,
said Golonka. It will give the weight that
weve actually reviewed it and would only
serve to piss off the DRB [Development
Review Board] that were trying to force
something through and step on their toes.
I would suggest we pass over this item
unless anybody has any burning desire,
because I agree with Tom [Golonka] in that
I dont see any basis for us to make a judg-
ment with the limited information we have
about this project, said Hollar.
We cant do much more than say good
luck, good speed! said Guerlain, and the
council passed on the item.
Councilors gave their reports, acknowl-
edging the events of September 11, 2001,
and retired to executive session.
Funding for Transportation
Alternatives Approved and and a
New Housing Development Discussed
INCREASE YOUR COMPETITIVE EDGE
IN THE JOB MARKET
CCV
Participate in the Governors Career Ready Program
OPEN HOUSE CCV Montpelier
Monday, September 23 from 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Thursday, September 26 from 2:30 - 3:30 pm
CLASS DATES September 30 - November 14
Mondays & Thursdays, 12:30 - 3:30 pm
CLASS AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO PARTICIPANTS.
Contact Kelly Young
at 802.828.4060 or
kelly.young@ccv.edu
www.ccv.edu/career
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 9
continued on page 23
by John Hollar, mayor
T
he acquisition of the Carr lot has
been under discussion in Montpelier
for more than a decade, so it was a
momentous day last Friday when the city
signed into an agreement with Alan Carr, the
property owner, to buy the property.
The Carr lot is the cornerstone of what
will be the most significant downtown rede-
velopment project in the last 15 years. It will
include major enhancements for Montpelier:
A new transit and welcome center
Upper floor commercial development
A bike path that will connect two sec-
tions of the existing bike path
A new bike and pedestrian bridge that
will connect Main Street
A small park and public access to the
Winooski River.
The city has agreed to buy the property
for $1.4 million, $400,000 of which will
be paid over the next 15 years. Most of the
acquisition cost will be paid through federal
grants. Revenue generated from commercial
development is expected to cover the differ-
ence, and no local property tax funds are
anticipated to be used for the acquisition or
development of the property.
The property was appraised earlier this
year for $920,000. City Council agreed to
pay the higher amount in recognition of the
significant rental income that Mr. Carr re-
ceives from the state of Vermont for parking
and to avoid the uncertainty, delay and cost
of eminent domain litigation.
The Carr lot has likely been the subject of
more environmental testing than any other
property in Montpelier. Although some con-
taminants remain on the site, the citys en-
gineers are confident that they can be safely
removed for the amount that is included
within the budget for the project.
The agreement to purchase the Carr lot
enables the city to move forward with the
acquisition of three other parcels that are re-
lated to the project: the Montpelier Discount
Beverage site, the adjacent parking lot to the
north and the Vermont Association of the
Blind and Visually Impaired site. Acquiring
these sites will allow the city to extend the
bike path from Main Street across the North
Branch and through the Carr lot.
Of these sites, the Montpelier Discount
Beverage location will likely present the most
challenges. We are working with the build-
ing owner on an agreement in which the
store would be moved to the adjacent park-
ing lot. City Council believes the acquisition
of this parcel is critical to the overall success
of this redevelopment project.
City Council will hold a public forum
soon to hear community ideas about several
aspects of the project, including the type
of development to include above the transit
center and the other public uses to include on
the property. We should also entertain ideas
for another name for the project.
The city will then seek input from private
developers on how to build the space that
the community desires. When designs are
complete and approved and all properties
and easements are acquired, the project will
be put out to bid and built.
A Message from City Hall
This page was paid for by the City of Montpelier.
Carr Lot Purchase Will Lead to Major
Downtown Improvements
by William Fraser, city manager
W
e appreciate everyones patience
and tolerance as the important
district heat project enters its
final stages. By now, many residents, mer-
chants and visitors are undoubtedly suffering
from construction fatigue.
Our contractor is on schedule to complete
the system by mid-October. Most of the
remaining work is on Langdon Street. They
have three crews workingone installing
piping, one making building lateral con-
nections and one installing the critical fiber
optic system. The current schedule allows
for the city to be flowing water through the
system in October, as originally planned.
All pipe lines and welds are tested and
monitored as they are installed. Every pipe
contains electronic communication wiring,
which needs to be connected. The city has
a rigorous quality control review process in
place. The detailed work, however, means
that installation moves much more slowly
than water or sewer lines.
There have certainly been plenty of snags,
delays, heavy rains and unplanned redesigns,
but overall the project is on target. We expect
to finish at or around budget; if an overrun
occurs, it should be very small.
District Heat Operations
The state has given us preliminary projec-
tions for 2015 and 2016 energy rates based on
estimates of plant operating costs. The actual
rates for those years will be based on docu-
mented costs of the plant. The estimated
costs are higher than provided by the state in
2011, and we are working to understand the
impact on future customer rates.
The city is partnering with Evergreen En-
ergy from St. Paul, Minnesota, to develop
a comprehensive business plan for operation
of the system. Evergreen is also guiding us
through a start-up, commissioning and train-
ing program for city staff and building owners.
State Heat plant
The states heating plant is currently under
construction after its June start. The state
has arranged for temporary boilers to heat
their own buildings. They expect to have
their permanent oil boiler running by early
December and to have the two biomass boil-
ers fully operational by March.
The city cannot operate its distribution
system until completion of the control sys-
tem and connection to the states boilers.
This grouping is called the city room and is
expected to be functional in December.
Revised Start Date
Based on this schedule, the city and state
decided together that the best choice for
both cost and system integrity is to postpone
taking heat from the states plant until it is
fully completed. For this winter, the city will
operate a minidistribution system for the
city buildings, Union School and up to two
private customers using the citys boilers with
backup from Union School. All other cus-
tomers would use their own boilers for this
full winter and would begin service from the
district heat system in 2014. For those who
have expressed concern, there will be plenty
of heat at the school this winter.
Information about the district heat project
is updated regularly on the citys web page and
Facebook page, in the city managers weekly
report and at the district heat information line,
which is 262-6200.
Update on District Heat Project
Conceptual design of Carr Lot Development.
page 10 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
An Interview with Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott
by Richard Sheir
V
ermont lieutenant governor Phil
Scott is the second highest ranking
elected Republican public official in
New England, after Maine governor Paul
LePage. The Bridge caught up with Scott to
talk policy and Republican Party politics in
Vermont.
Running for Governor. I am perfectly
content being lieutenant governor at this
point. I in all likelihood will run for reelec-
tion. Something catastrophic would have to
take place [for me to run for governor].
Farm Bill Failing. Obviously a disap-
pointment. The future for us as a state is
to further the production of food and other
kinds of agriculture. Anything we can do
to bolster our farm economy helps. The
congressional delegation did not reach out to
[me] to help with Republicans in the House.
Not that I carry any weight in that regard,
but I will do whatever to help Vermont
achieve something of benefit for Vermonters.
Immigration Pathway to Citizenship.
I feel that everyone should be given the op-
portunity to become a U.S. citizen if they
are of the quality we want. There are so
many in the U.S., I think from an economic
standpoint, we are going to have to find a
way to make that happen. I think we have
to be sensitive to federal law in all regards.
We have to be careful to find that balance of
practicality and reality, and what we want to
do in the future.
Driving for Undocumented Citizens. I
have to admit I wasnt as enthusiastic as
some. On one side, I want whoever is driv-
ing in the state to be safe on our roads and
highways. We want them to know our laws
to drive safely. Time will be the judge of
whether this has been a good idea. Im a bit
skeptical on it.
Affordable Health Care Act and Single
Payer Health Care. There are a number of
steps to get to that. There are many people
that didnt like what was passed. But, it was
passed. It is law now. The Supreme Court
affirmed it. We have to try and do our best
to try and implement it to create some cer-
tainty among our citizens and among our
businesses. There is a tremendous amount
of uncertainty as to what it means. Weve
confused the issue a great deal in Vermont.
Many people are confused between the Af-
fordable Care Act and single payer. Its not
the same thing. [The exchange] is a daunt-
ing task. Im concerned about the October 1
deadline. Im concerned that were not going
to make the deadline. If we cant make that
October deadline, we owe it to Vermonters
to tell them sooner rather than later that
this is going to be delayed. Because if there
is anything business doesnt like it is uncer-
tainty. Im very concerned [about the fund
mechanism for single payer] and what that
means. At this point, we dont know how
much it will cost, how it will be implemented
and who is going to have to be a part of it.
If we are going to implement something like
this, Im a skeptic about if it will work; every-
one has to be in. We cant give exemptions. If
you give all these exemptions, the only thing
left will be small companies like myself. My
fear is that we are going to have a level that
is much less than we have now, and we will
have to buy supplemental insurance. I would
be in favor of allowing cross-state competi-
tion, but there has to be equity involved.
Physician-Assisted Suicide. Its a very
personal decision. It is not a partisan issue.
I changed my mind on the issue from when
I was first a state senator a decade ago when
I cosponsored what they call death with
dignity legislation. I have this libertarian
streak in me. I think many Vermonters have
that streak. I think it is part of what we
see as being free and making decisions for
ourselves. As I became more educated, heard
from constituents, the elderly and disabled
community, about their fears about what
this could mean to them in the future, I
became less and less supportive until I voted
in the opposition. If everything was pure
and all parties were pure [but] greed gets in
the way. I dont believe the protections are
adequate.
Marijuana Decriminalization. I would
say part of that [decriminalization encourag-
ing marijuana use] is true. But again, society
has changed. We are a democratic society,
and many people feel it isnt worse than alco-
hol, but it is decriminalization not legaliza-
tion, which is much different. We are dealing
with reality, and we cant control everything.
I am not in favor of legalization.
Abortions after 20 Weeks. I would hope
that in Vermont we are not abusing the law.
I believe in a womans right to choose, and
I hope that people would be counseled and
make their own decisions.
Gun Show Background Checks. I dont
think I would require gun show background
checks beyond what they presently are. I
believe we have the right balance in Vermont
Marriage Equality. I voted in favor of
marriage equality in Vermont because I
think it is a personal decision. Its about
freedom.
Campaign Finance Reform. I think we
spend too much for elections. We are look-
ing at the wrong side. I dont think we are
looking enough at how much people are
bankrolling. Incumbents with a lot of money
in the bank: Why would anybody run against
that? When we have that much money at your
fingertips: Its the David and Goliath. I dont
think it brings the best in candidates. They
feel that isnt worth their time. I myself would
rather run my own campaign. I would abso-
lutely take a gentlemans agreement to keep
outside funds out, like Scott Brown and Eliza-
beth Warren did in Massachusetts. I would
rather be in charge of my own campaign.
Weve coNfused The issue
a greaT deal iN vermoNT.
maNy people are coNfused beTWeeN The affordable care acT
aNd siNgle payer. iTs NoT The same ThiNg.
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 11
by Nat Frothingham
L
ate last December (on December 26,
2012 to be precise), Cabot resident
Jackie Scribner and her two daugh-
ters, Aedan and Stanzi, opened a coffee
and espresso bar at 20 School Street in
Plainfield. They decided to name their cof-
fee shop after Hestia, the Greek goddess
of the hearth and of balance, thus Hestia
Espresso Bar.
Were serious about coffee, said Jackie.
And how serious is that? Well, Jackies
daughter Stanzi has worked for years as a
professional barista. And the Hestia coffee
comes from the fair trade Vermont Artisan
Coffee in Waterbury.
We hear were the best coffee shop in
town, Jackie said.
But while coffee at Hestia is big
whether it be a regular coffee, espresso, a
menu item called Jacks Pick, which is a
mocha shake with chocolate ice cream, cof-
fee and a double shot of espressotheres
a lot more on offer. Also on the menus are
chai, fresh muffins and bagels made from
scratch daily, smoothies made with organic
fruit and a choice of coconut milk or whole
milk and gluten-free baked goods, such as
ginger cookies and macaroons.
Hestia is an almost magical placesmall,
comfortable, intimate. And because it has
Wi-Fi, a number of people are coming and
using the place as an office. In the eight or
so months since the espresso bar opened,
Hestia has established a steady stream of
regular, repeat customers.
Its the total commitment that Jackie,
Aedan and Stanzi have made to fresh, high-
quality local ingredients and food that
makes Hestia the place it is.
Our eggs, said Jackie, are from down
the road three miles at the Cleary Family
Farm. We get them direct from the farmer.
Their milk is from Sweet Rowen Farm in
Glover, a farm thats recently opened its
own small creamery. According to a note
on the Sweet Rowen website, that cream-
ery is now cranking out small batches of
delicious non-homogenized milk and fresh
cheese. The Hestia source for ice cream is
Kingdom Creamery in East Hardwick, with
a maple flavor made with maple syrup from
right off the farm.
One of the pleasures of Hestia Espresso
Bar is listening to the back-and-forth,
mother-and-daughter conversations be-
tween Jackie and Aedan. Absolutely, this is
a family business, said Jackie. Its me and
my two daughters.
I thought I might be putting a difficult
question to mother and daughter when I
asked with, mock seriousness, Whos really
in charge?
We all are, both mother and daughter
chirped back in perfect unison. Then Jackie
added, I defer to Aedans judgment as
much as she defers to me.
Small wonder that the espresso bar has
begun to attract customers who are coming
back again and again. One customer posted
this message on the Hestia website, I am so
in love with Hestia. I hit on this sweet little
espresso bar almost every dayyup, Im a
total regular.
Hestia Espresso Bar: A Plainfield Family-Run Treasure
by Joyce Kahn
A
trip down Route 14 to Claires in
Hardwick is well worth the ride.
For a bit of time and gas, you will
have advanced foliage viewing followed by
a meal that is guaranteed to please your pal-
ate. Owner Linda Ramsdell, who grew up
in Craftsbury and lives there today, opened
Claires Restaurant and Bar with two co-
owners on Memorial Day weekend, 2008
after she had run the successful Galaxy
Bookshop on Main Street in Hardwick.
The restaurant is named after Claire Fern, a
beloved deceased community member, who
was an artist, social activist, a big supporter
of the bookstore and a fabulous cookthe
proverbial Jewish mother who welcomed a
multitude to feast at her table.
Ramsdell is now the sole owner of
Claires, which initially was co-owned with
Mike Bosia and Chef Steven Obranovich.
Currently, Ramsdell, with Chef Harrison
Littell, General Manager Veronica Medwid
and an energetic kitchen staff of seven, run
the show day to day, with Ramsdell look-
ing at the numbers and the big picture and
working on budget and finances.
The existence of Galaxy Bookshop and
Claires is a testament to the power of an
idea and the dedication of an individual. In
1988, Ramsdell returned to Hardwick to
open Galaxy at age 24, with a college degree
in womens studies and a stint as a bicycle
messenger in Montreal behind her, but with
no prior business experience.
By 2003, she had acquired business ex-
perience, but no restaurant experience.
Undaunted, community-minded Ramsdell
had a vision and a good idea: She wanted
a place that was neither work nor home,
where friends could meet and continue con-
versations begun at events in the bookstore
or simply get together and have dessert or
dinner. Her initial motivation was to build
a place for people to hang out. No such
place existed in Hardwick and earlier at-
tempts had garnered little interest. But in
2003, 55 people convened at her bookstore
for a meeting. By 2008, the timing was
right. So much more had become available
in those five years with the growth in local
cheese making, vegetable growing and spir-
its production. And she had the trust and
respect of many people in the community,
which helped with raising money.
According to Ramsdell, Claires, like
the bookstore, has been a big community
builder, providing a gathering space for
conversation and civic engagement. Rams-
dell noted that many conversations become
reality, and she emphasized the importance
of meeting places such as libraries, coffee
shops, farmers markets and churches to
communities. But to Ramsdell, the social
activist, the work is not finished. She is
concerned that many people cannot provide
food for their families. Even though many
jobs have been created in recent years in the
burgeoning food sector, she said people lose
sight that there is a long way to go for food
justice.
Claires General Manager
Veronica Medwid and
Chef Harrison Littell
Part of Claires core mission is to use as
much food grown by neighbors as possible.
But according to Ramsdell, having local
food is not enough: a wonderful dining ex-
perience is also essential. Enter key players,
Veronica Medwid, general manager for the
last four years, and Harrison Littell, chef for
the past four months.
Medwid came to Claires from Santa Fe,
where she worked at the Coyote Caf, well
known for its southwestern cuisine. She
also worked for a nonprofit organization
that kept a herd of grass-fed cattle and
promoted responsible ranching practices.
Medwid grew up outside Lake George, New
York, and went to Kenyon College in Ohio,
getting a bachelors degree in sociology. She
returned to Vermont, where her parents live,
and got the job at Claires, which, she said,
perfectly melds her interests. Medwid enu-
merated her many tasks as general manager:
hiring staff, managing payroll, managing
the bar and bar menu, ordering, making
reservations and greeting people, as well
as computer troubleshooting and general
maintenance. She has to be a Jack-of-all-
trades, putting out small fires but having
fun as well.
The word community is used frequently,
so playing devils advocate, I remarked that
it depends what you mean by community
and asked if the community could afford to
eat at Claires. Littell replied that there is no
entre over 19 dollars on the menu, which is
curtailed to some of the local demographic
as well as entertaining tourists and people
who have vacation homes alike. Hardwick
is a blue-collar town and a farming commu-
nity, but many people have vacation homes
in Greensboro, Craftsbury and Cabot. Lit-
tell often sees farmers from whom he buys
products sitting down for a meal or for the
Sunday and Monday night drink specials.
If they have the energy after working in the
fields, Medwid added, they can come in and
have a beer for three dollars, certain wines
for four dollars or a cocktail for five dollars.
Chef Harrison Littell was born and raised
in North Carolina and graduated from the
University of North Carolina in Charlottes-
ville with a degree in international politics,
which, he declared, is useless. He grew up
in the food business: his mother always had
a restaurant and catering business. When he
graduated college, he knew he didnt want
to work in a cubicle, so started working for
his mother as a prep cook, worked his way
up to sous chef, to chef de cuisine and then
to executive chef of her catering company.
Soon he was working at his mothers small
caf-storefront and took over as executive
chef of the whole company. In 2010, he
came to Vermont for the first time to at-
tend NECI, and then moved back to North
Carolina in 2012 to help his mothers grow-
ing catering company. There he did large,
event-style and in-home fine-dining cater-
ing with the largest job being a political
event for 2,600 people.
Speaking of Hardwick, Littell said, This
environment is what brought me backa
blue-collar farming community, a lot of re-
ally great local produce, local meats. What
we strive to do here is utilize whats available
locally. About 70 to 80 percent, depending
on seasonality, comes from within 30 miles
or less. Most of the things on our menu,
especially proteins and produce, come from
the area.
The beef and chicken and even the trout
are local. Only the shrimp is from out of
state. Bought from large commodity suppli-
ers are cleaning products, oil for the fryer,
which they recycle for biodiesel locally, vin-
egars (not cider or balsamic), citrus, spices
and small specialty items, such as capers.
Littell boasted, Youll never see salad mix
from more than 10 minutes away! Claires
always has local greens.
In the alcohol department, all the draft
beers are from Vermont, and they have five
Vermont gins and vodkas, as well as bour-
bon, rum and whiskey. Claires offers Barr
Hill Gin and vodka made from Hardwick
honey, which they buy as well. Their recipes
use a lot of natural area sweetenerslocal
honey and maple, as well as natural and
organic raw sugar rather than refined.
Claires staff strives to use sustainably
grown and processed foods but not neces-
sarily organically grown. Littell noted that
there is a conflict about a lot of farmers
being able to afford the organic stamp: It is
expensive to get the certification. In truth,
many are organic but must call themselves
naturally grown. Caring not about the
label but about how the food is grown
and because Claires has a commitment to
the community, Littell and the staff visits
all the farms to make sure they are being
farmed responsibly.
Claires is pushing the envelope with all
naturally grown food, and the partner-
ship with Hardwick-area growers and pro-
ducers enables this. According to Littell,
Hardwick is on the national map because
of what farmers are doing in the short
five-to-seven-month season as opposed to
a 10-month season. Medwid remarked that
some farmers are extending the season and
experimenting with melons and cold-hardy
varieties. Some producers, such as Petes and
Hazendale Farms, use greenhouses to grow
year-round.
Claires niche is being able to provide
locally grown food all year-round by carry-
ing over the season.
The chef must know what the local farm-
ers are producing and what seasonality there
is. So the restaurant buys bulk produce in
the summer to carry them over through the
winter. The Food Venture Center, a cen-
ter for agricultural start-up businesses, has
freezer space, which Claires uses to store
their frozen blueberries, blackberries, meats
and peppers. Littell also preserves through
canning and pickling. My appetite was
whetted by the thought of peach pancakes
in February made from the Amish organic
peaches Littell cans in August. In addition,
Peace of Earth Farm in East Hardwick pro-
vides sprouts all year-round, while Eastview
Farm provides heritage squash and pump-
kins, garlic, which stores well, and kale in
December and January.
While Claires is known as a local-ingre-
dients restaurant, Littell gives it a southern
influence, specializing in southern, New
England fare. You might find shrimp and
grits, a classic North Carolina dish with
Mississippi shrimp and Butterworks grains,
or brisket over grits. Whether youre from
New England or the South, you will find
comfort food you can recognize and enjoy.
Claires has rotating specials and music on
Thursday nights.
Running a restaurant is hard work, in-
volving a lot of organizing, ordering and
scheduling . Essential to this is knowing
what food is on hand, what local farmers
are producing and whats in season. And
that goes for the bar as well, where they
make a lot of their own syrups, cocktails
and infusions, like peach-infused vodkas
and bourbons.
According to Littell, everyones focus
should be focusing on their local econo-
mies, using the freshest food, and bringing
money into the local economy. Its what
everyones doing or should be doing.
Claires Restaurant and Bar
Building Community with Innovative, Affordable Cuisine
page 12 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
ReSTAuRAnT ADDReSS HOuRS pHOne Menu
BARRe
asian gourmet 276 North main St. mth 11am10pm, FSa 11am10:30pm, Su 129:30pm 477-2828 asiangourmevtt.com
bag Ladies express caf 56 Depot Square mF 10am2:30pm 479-2233 Facebook.com/bagladiesexpresscafe
bamboo gardens 115 South main St. tuth 11am9pm, FSa 11am10pm, Su 129pm 476-9400
barre tech center bake Shop 136 North main St. F 10am12pm, starting in Oct. 476-6237 barretechnicalcenter.org
basils pizzeria 20 South main St. 7 days/wk 11am9pm 477-5033 Facebook.com/basils pizzeria
burger King 360 North main St. 7 days/wk 6am11pm 479-3187
campo di Vino enoteca-salumeria Wall St. complex WF 36pm, Sa 9am12pm 479-1211 pastas, seasoned roasts campodivino.com
china town restaurant 306 North main St. m-th 11am-11pm, F&Sa 11am-12am, Su 12-11pm 479-1999 chinatownbarre.com
Dominos pizza 322 North main St. 10am-11pm Su-th, 10am-midnight F&Sa 479-9862
Dunkin Donuts 283 North main St. 24 hours a day
espresso bueno 248 North main St. m-F 6am-5pm, Sa 7am-5pm, Su 8am-2pm 479-0896 espressobueno.com
gustos bar 28 prospect St. m-th 2pm-close, F&Sa 2pm-2am 476-7919 Facebook.com/gustos-bar
Jerrys Sports tavern 30 Summer St. 1pm-closing 7 days/wk 479-9712 jerryssportstavern.com
L & m Diner 246 North main St. tu-Su 6am-3pm 622-0706 breakfast all day, sandwiches, burgers, fries
mcDonalds at Hannafords 24 hours a day
mr. Zs pasta and pizza 379 North main St. 11am-9:30pm 7 days/wk 479-3259 misterzs.com
mulligans Irish pub 9 maple avenue Kitchen: 11am-11:30pm 7 days/wk 479-5545 mulligansvt.com
Simply Subs 70 North main St. tu-F 8am-10pm, Sa 9am-10pm, Su 10am-9pm, m 8am-9pm 479-2423 Subs, pizza, fried food
Smokehouse meats & Deli 590 S. barre rd. Deli Hrs: 5am-7pm m-F, 6:30am -5pmSa&Su 476-3563
Soup n greens 321 North main St. 7am-close, 7 days/wk 479-9862 Facebook.com/soup-n-greens
South Side tavern 107 South main St. m-W 4pm-2am, th-Su Noon-2am Facebook.com/South side tavern
Subway 88 North main St. 7am-9pm m-th Sa, 7am-10pm F, 8am-9pm Su 476-6460
ts pantry 266 North main St. 11am-7pm 7 days/wk 622-0700 Homemade pickles, salsa, comfort foods
the cornerstone pub & Kitchen 47 North main St. 11:30am-9pm tu-Sa 476-2121 cornerstonepk.com
the Quarry 210 North main St. tu-th 11am-9pm, F 11am-11pm, Sa Noon-11pm, Su Noon-9: 00pm 479-7002 tavern, lunch, dinner, Facebook.com/quarry
BeRLIn
applebees 213 paine trnpke by I-89 11am-midnight, 7 days/wk 229-2223
burger King of berlin barre-montpelier rd. 7am-12am 7 days/wk 476-6808
china moon chinese buffet 1400 rte. 302 m-th 10am-9:30pm, F&Sa 10am-10pm, Su 10:30am-9:30pm 476-8880 chinamoonbarre.com
Dunkin Donuts 571 rte. 302 5am-9pm m-Sa, Su 6am-8pm
Ks Korner at twin city Lanes barre-montpelier rd. (coming) casual lunch & dinner menu, snackbar
Kentucky Fried chicken barre-montpelier rd. 10:30am-9pm, m-Su 476-5500
mcDonalds barre-montpelier rd. 24 Hours 7 days/wk 479-9757
panera bread barre-montpelier rd. 6am-9pm m-th, F&Sa 6am-10pm, Su 7am-8pm 476-1953
pizza Hut barre-montpelier rd. Su-th 11am-9pm, F&Sa 11am-10pm 479-1031
Steak House barre-montpelier rd. m-Sa 4pm-close, Su 12-9pm, Su brunch 10am-2pm 479-9181 steakhousebarre.com
Subway berlin barre-montpelier rd. m tu Sa 7am-9pm, Ws-F 7am-9:30pm, Su 8:30am-9pm 476-3737
Wayside bakery & restaurant barre-montpelier rd. 6:30am-9:30pm 7 days/wk 223-6611 waysiderestaurant.com
CALAIS
maple corner Store maple corner m-Sa 6:30am-9pm, Su 10am-5pm 229-4329 Full deli, pizza
the Whammy bar maple corner W&th 5-9pm, F&Sa 5-10pm 229-4329 whammybar1.com
e.Montpelier
bragg Farm 1005 rte. 14 N. 8:30am-6pm Sept.-may, 8:30am-8pm Jun-aug. 223-5757 Soft ice cream spring, summer, fall
c.p. Dudleys general Store rte. 2 6am-9pm m-Sa, 8am-8pm Su 223-2792 Deli takeout
MIDDLeSeX
Nutty Stephs Vermont granola 961 c rte. 2 10am-6pm 7 days/wk. bacon thdays til midnight. 229-2090 nuttystephs.com
red Hen baking and caf 961b rte. 2 m&tu 7am-4pm, W-Sa 7am-6pm, Su 8am -- 6pm 223-5200 redhenbaking.com
MOnTpeLIeR
angelenos pizza 15 barre St. mth 11am9:30pm, FSa 11am10pm, Su 129pm 229-5721 angelenospizza.com
asiana House 43 State St. mth 11:30 a.m2:30pm, 4:309pm, F 4:309:30pm, Sa 11:30am9:30pm 225-6180 asianahouse.com
bagitos bagel & burrito caf 28 main St. m 7am 2pm, tuF 7am8pm, Sa 8am8pm, Su 8am2pm 229-9212 bagitos.com
birch grove bakery 279 elm St. m 711am, tuth 7am3pm, F 7am4pm, Sa 8am4pm, Su 8am2pm 223-0200 birchgrovebaking.com
capitol grounds caf & roastery 27 State St. mth 6:15am6pm, F 6:157pm, Sa 7am7pm, Su 8am6pm 223-7800 capitolgrounds.com
champlain Farms 5 memorial Dr. 24 hours, 7 days/wk 229-5881 pizza, burgers, fried foods
charlie-Os 70 main St. 7 days/wk 2pm2am bar only
chill Vermont gelato 32 State St. Wth 127pm, F&Sa 1210pm, Su 127pm 223-2445 Facebook.com/chillvermontgelato
china Star chinese restaurant 15 main St. mth 11am10:30pm, F&Sa 11am11:30pm, Su 11:30am10:30pm 223-0808
cocoa bean of Vermont 30 State St. mF 10am5:30pm, Sa 10am2pm 225-6670 cocoabeanofvermont.com
curry & Spice 122 Forest Dr. mF 10am3pm, closed Sa&Su except for party-order pickups 229-0587 Indian takeout currynspice.net
coffee corner 83 main St. 7 days/wk 6:30am3pm 229-9060 coffeecorner.com
Dairy creme 320 State St. Fall hours: 128pm till Halloween dairycreme.com
Dunkin Donuts 51 berlin St. mSa 5am8pm, Su 6am8pm (drive thru: 59pm, 69pm) 223-0928
House of tang chinese restaurant 114 river St. 7 days/wk 11am9:30pm 223-6020 houseoftang.com
Hunger mountain coop caf 623 Stonecutters Way 7 days/wk 8am8pm 223-8000 Deli, caf hungermountain.coop
J. morgans Steakhouse 100 State St. 7 days/wk 7am9:30pm 223-5222 capitolplaza.com/jmorgans.php
Julios cantina 54 State St. 7 days/wk 11amclose 229-9348 julioscantina.com
Kismet 52 State St. WF 11am2pm, WSa 59pm, Sa 8am2pm, Su 9am2pm 223-8646 kismetkitchens.com
La brioche bakery & caf 89 main St. mF 7am6pm, Sa 7am3pm 229-0443 neci.edu/labrioche
mcgillicuddys Irish pub 14 Langdon St. 7 days/wk 11am2am, Food: 11am11pm 223-2721 mcgillicuddysvt.com
morse Farm maple Sugarworks 1168 county rd. 7 days/wk 8am6pm 242-2740 soft ice cream morsefarm.com
NecI on main 118 main St. tuSa lunch 11:30am2pm, dinner 5:309pm, Su brunch buffet 10am2pm 223-3188 neci.edu/neci-on-main
positive pie 2 22 State St. 11:30amclose 229-0453 positivepie.com
royal Orchid thai restaurant 38 elm St. mF 11:30am2:30pm, 59pm, Sa 12:309pm, Su 29pm 223-0436 royalorchidthaivt.com
Salt 207 barre St. tuSu 59pm 229-6678 Local ingredients saltcafevt.com
Sarduccis 3 main St. mSa 11:30am4:30pm, Suth 4:30-9pm , FSa 4:309:30pm 223-0229 sarducccis.com
Simply Subs 25 berlin St. mSa 11am9pm 229-2100 Subs, salads, simplysubs.us
Subway 28 State St. mth 7am9pm, FSa 7am10pm, Su 8am8pm 223-3825
Sweet melissas 4 Langdon St. tuSa 3pmclose 225-6012 Facebook.com/sweetmelissasvt
thats Life Soup 41 elm St. tuF 11:30am2:30pm, 58pm, tuth, 5-8:30pm, FSa 5:308:30pm 223-5333 Facebook.com/thats-life-soup
the mad taco 72 main St. 7 days/wk 11amclose 225-6038 themadtaco.com
the North branch caf 41 State St. mW 10am6pm, thSa 10amclose 552-8105 thenorth-branch.com
the Skinny pancake 89 main St. Suth 8am8pm, FSa 8am9pm 626-2253 skinnypancake.com
three penny taproom 108 main St. mF 11amclose, SaSu noonclose 223-8277 threepennyytaproom.com
tulsi tea room 34 elm St. tuSa 9:30am6:30pm, Su 11am4pm 223-0043 facebook.com/tulsitearoomvt
Uncle mikes Deli 8 State St. mSa 10:30am2:30pm 223-6788 unclemikesdeli.com
the Uncommon market 1 School St. mF 6:30am8pm, Sa 8am8pm, Su 9am7pm 223-7051 uncommonmarket.net
VcFa Dewey caf Dewey Hall basement 7 days/wk 7:30am8:30am, 11am1pm, 57pm
Vermont thrush tavern 107 State St. (behind gulf Sta) mF 11:30am2:30pm, mSa 59pm, brunch 10am2pm, SaSu 4:308pm 225-6166 vermontthrush.com
Village pizza 89 main St. mth 11am9pm, F 11am10pm, Sa 129pm, Su 128pm 229-4333 montpeliervillagepizza.com
Wilaiwans Kitchen 34 State St. mF 11am2pm, FSa 58:30pm Facebook.com/WilaiwansKitchen
pLAInFIeLD
Hestia espresso caf 20 School St. m-F 7am-2pm, Sa 8am-2pm 454-1600 Facebook.com/hestia-espresso-bar
maple Valley caf & gift Shop 8195 rte. 2 east th-tu 6am-5pm,caf: 6am-5pm 454-8626 Sandwiches, takeout, breakfast, lunch
maplefields twinfield rte. 2 e. Kitchen: 5am-9pm 7 days/wk 454-7111 Sandwiches, takeout
plainfield Hardware 4723 rte. 2 7am-6pm m-Sa, 9am-5pm Su 454-1000 Sandwiches, takeout
positive pie 69 main St. 11:30am-9pm every day except F 11:30am-10pm 454-0133 pizza, pasta, salads, bar positivepie.com
WATeRBuRY
arvads grill & pub 3 South main St. Su-th 11am-10pm, F&Sa 11am-11pm 244-8973 arvads.com
black back pub 1 Stowe Street 12-Late 7 days/wk 244-0123 Facebook.com/black back pub
china Star 80 South main St. m-th 10:30am-10pm, F&Sa 10:30am-11pm, Su 11:30am-10:30pm 244-1968
crossroads beverage & Deli 52 N. main St. m-F 5:30am -10pm, Sa&Su 7am-10pm 244-5148
green mt. coffee roasters train station 7am-5pm 7 days/wk 877-879-2326 greenmountaincoffee.com/visitor-center
Hen of the Wood Stowe St. at the grist mill m-Sa 5pm-9pm 244-7300 hendofthe wood.com
Hong Kong restaurant 1100 Waterbury Stowe rd. m-Sa 11am-9:30pm, Su 11:30am-9:30pm 244-1288
Junipers Fare catering and cafe 23 commercial Dr. m-F 7:30-2, Sa 8-2, Su 8am -1pm all you can eat brunch 244-5504 junipersfare.com
Kcs bagel bakery caf 17 Stowe Street m-F 6am-2pm, Sa 7am-2pm, Su 7am-1pm 244-1740 Facebook.com/kcs-bagel-caf
maxis 47 N. main St. m-tu 7:30am-2pm, W-Su 7:30am-9pm 244-0910 maxisrestaurant.com
park row 7 park row m-F 7am-2:30pm, Sa 7-noon (breakfast only) 244-5111 breakfast, lunch, catering
prohibition pig 23 South main St. m-th(Dining) 4-10pm, F&Sa11:30am-11pm, Su 11:30 a.m>-10pm 244-4120 prohibitionpig.com
the blue Stone 15 Stowe Street Su-th 11am -9:30pm, F&Sa Noon-10pm 882-8188 pizza, grill, bar bluestonepizza.com
the pizza Shoppe 1024 Stowe Waterbury rd. Su-th 11am-9pm, F&Sa 11am-10pm 560-4088 thepizzashoppewaterbury.com
the reservoir 1 South main St. m-th 3pm-close, F 3-late, Sa 11am-late, Su 11am-close 244-7827 thewaterburyreservoir.com
Zacharys pizza 2 butler St. 11am-10pm 7 days/wk, Delivery 5-9:30pm 244-5650 zacharyspizzavt.com
WORCeSTeR
LbJs grocery 44 Worcester Village rd. mSa 6am9pm, Su 6am8pm 223-7958 prepared Indian foods, deli, takeout
post Office caf 34 Worcester Village rd. mF 6am1pm, Sa 711am, closed Su 225-6687 Facebook.com/postOfficecafeVt
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 13
Brian Zecchinelli and John Rogers, employee and baker that day. Photo by Joyce Kahn.
Tell them you saw it in Te Bridge!
by Joyce Kahn
B
rian Zecchinelli, co-owner of the
Wayside Restaurant with his wife,
Karen, is a thoughtful, soft-spoken
man who does his homework. When I called
requesting an interview, Zecchinelli wanted
to know the gist of the article. When I ar-
rived, he had notes prepared and had taken
up my challenge to answer the question of
how the Wayside has been so successful over
many years. With dry humor he remarked,
At 95 years old, youd think wed be slowing
down a little bit. But were busier than ever.
Karen Zecchinellis parents took over the
Wayside in 1966, and she grew up in the
Wayside house on the hill. After college,
she worked at a few businesses in Burling-
ton and then returned to help manage the
restaurant and run a bed and breakfast out
of their home. Her dad insisted that she get
experience elsewhere before she managed the
Wayside, and the couples son Jay, 16, will
follow that same course.
Thoughtful parents, the Zecchinellis want
to make sure their son, destined for business
school, has the maturity and experience to
return to the business with no regrets. A
math wiz, Jay cut his teeth at the Waysides
cash register as soon as his parents could lift
him up and sit him on the counter next to
it. Aided by their computerized touch-screen
cash register, 5-year-old Jay was soon cash-
ing people out. The Zecchinellis other son,
Nicholas, 17, a senior at U-32, in his fathers
words is a very personable and loving young
man who is a great face on the Wayside and
a wonderful ambassador for the restaurant.
Asked about his own background, Zecchi-
nelli replied, Im certainly extremely happy.
Its a dream come true. It wasnt my dream,
but in hindsight, its real special. He also
acknowledged their great customers and em-
ployees, some having worked at the restau-
rant for 29 years.
Zecchinelli grew up in Barre and used to
go to the Wayside for dinner with his par-
ents. He attended UVM, eventually receiv-
ing a marketing degree at American Univer-
sity in Washington, D.C., and then returned
to Vermont. He first worked in the granite
industry, which, he said, was very gratifying
because of the connection to his grandfather,
Germinio Zecchinelli, who had come from
SantAmbrogio, Italy, to work in the indus-
try. He also worked at Milne Travel, which
he enjoyed. Zecchinelli related, Ive always
been a people person, and theres no better
environment than a restaurant. He said he
has learned something new every day and has
the confidence that comes with having man-
aged a restaurant successfully for 15 years,
including through a horrendous recession.
Zecchinellis sense of humor emerged as
he related the story of the customer who
asked for a senior discount. He told her that
the discount was for everybody: students,
families, even businesspeople on expense ac-
counts. His philosophy is that the Wayside is
for everyone to enjoy equally.
Zecchinelli had some business ideas based
on the Waysides success that would benefit
new, locally owned restaurantsideas that
also have relevance for other businesses that
must compete with chain stores. The first is
the importance of listening to your custom-
ers. He encourages every staff member to
listen to what customers have to say. One
customers suggestion to sell the Waysides
whole belly clams by the pint was responsible
for popularizing this menu offering.
A second idea is to keep a close watch on
what the chains are doing and do it better,
said Zecchinelli. According to him, this is
best accomplished by providing better qual-
ity meals with locally sourced ingredients,
providing more desirable meals, cooking
from scratch, using fresh ingredients, not
frozen; and by providing better pricing with
no out of state overhead costs or franchising
fees. Independents truly have a competitive
advantage.
The Wayside has always bought local,
long before it became popular. Zecchinelli
pointed with pride to a photo of farmers
from whom he purchases many items and
without hesitation related what each farmer
contributed to the restaurant: fiddleheads,
perch, ravioli, potatoes, eggs, squash, ground
beef, dairy and potatoes. He solves the prac-
tical problem of finding adequate supplies by
cultivating relationships with farmers who
grow crops like winter squash, potatoes and
corn in quantity and accents the menu with
specialty vegetables. Theres no pressure for
organic, but a gluten-free menu is being
developed. Zecchinelli takes pride in the
healthy menu, in terms of proper portion-
ing, and the variety of fruits and vegetables,
protein, and starches. Customers have many
menu options, such as sugar free pies, or
broiled rather than breaded entres and two
soups made from scratch daily. The Way-
side is also creatively using new Vermont
products, such as Switchel, a traditional hay-
ing thirst quencher, but will be adapting it
by making sauces. Now bottled in Cabot,
Switchel is made from cider vinegar, honey,
maple syrup, lemon and ginger root.
Brian Zecchinellis words reflect his posi-
tive attitude: Were looking forward to the
future and enjoying the present. His phi-
losophy reflects the Waysides success: 24/7,
put your heart and soul into it, and go for it
every day.
The Wayside
Providing Local Food with
Heart and Soul
October 12th
Live Music by The Woodshed Wailers
Craft Table for the Kids
Wine Tastings
Self Guided Vineyard Tours
Weekly Events
freshtracksfarm.com ~ 802.223.1151
Wine Down Wednesday ~ Yoga & Wine Thursdays ~ Friday Night Fires & Live Music
Open Seven Days a Week!
TASTE VERMONT
WINE HERE!
2nd ANNUAL HARVEST-IVAL
4373 VT Rte 12 Berlin, VT 05602
LEARN ABOUT
GRAPE HARVEST!
Hours: M-TH: 9 am to 7:30 pm
Friday/Saturday Open until 9 pm
Open Sunday 11 am to 5 pm
Craft Beer, Fine Wines,
Vermont Products
ITS TIME FOR A FACELIFT!
Were Renovating, but
WERE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
page 14 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
The Center for Leadership Skills
Business & Leadership deveLopmenT
Lindel James coaching & consulting
Taking You from Frustration to Enthusiasm
802 778 0626
lindel@lindeljames.com
lindeljames.com
Dr. Gabriel Archdeacon, N.D. Welcomes
Dr. Kristin Tomko, N.D.
to Tree of Life Medicine in Montpelier, VT.
Dr. Tomko studied Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture at
the University of Bridgeport and Liaoning University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine in Shenyang, China.
Tree of Life Medicine offers Naturopathic Primary and Specialty care
to patients of all ages and accepts both state and private insurance
including Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, MVP and Aetna.
174 River Street Montpelier, VT 05602 802.505.0597
www.tolmedicine.com www.drkristintomko.com
Tree of Life Medicine
PROUDLY CELEBRATING A DECADE OF SERVICE
Getting you where
you need to go!
The Montpelier LINK Express has had an
amazing decade of growth and success, serving
more than 640,000 passengers since 2003.
Were committed to the important role that LINK
Express buses play in our transportation system,
and look forward to another ten years of serving
our communities.
Learn more about our routes and services
at cctaride.org and gmtaride.org
Celebrate with us:
State House Lawn
Montpelier
Monday, September 23,
between 5:30 9:00 AM
by Joyce Kahn
F
red Bashara II, entrepreneur and pa-
triarch of the Montpelier Bashara
family, which owns and operates the
Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center
and its popular J. Morgans Steakhouse, is
an enviable man. Enviable because he enjoys
every day at work, never goes home tired
and feels as if he never worked a day in his
life. Enviable because, unlike many people,
he doesnt live for vacations. At 73, Bashara
is trim and fit, a man who walks and golfs
daily and watches his diet. Bashara spoke
enthusiastically about his life, his work and
his family.
Bashara seemed destined to own a restau-
rant. He grew up in Lenox, Massachusetts,
and at age 9 was working in the kitchen
of his dads restaurant-diner, which seated
225. By age 12, he was doing dishwash-
ing, food prep and cleaning, becoming at
15 head chef and taking over his fathers
kitchen. Early every morning, he walked
the mile to the restaurant to open up. Be-
cause he was too young to drive, waitresses
would drive him home later in the morning
and again in the early evening to milk his
cow (I was a 4-H man), then bring him
back to work. The long day at the restaurant
finally ended at 8 p.m.
Bashara wasnt interested in college and
was advised against applying because of
less-than-stellar grades. However, a friend
had gone to Norwich University, and to
appease his mother, he applied. After a stint
in summer school, he enrolled as a fresh-
man in 1959, not realizing it was a military
school. He was placed in the band because
he had put on his college application that
he played clarinet; in truth, he had played
it briefly and listed it to have something
extracurricular to put down. So they taught
him cymbals and then bugle. He managed
to learn taps, but General Harmon, presi-
dent of Norwich, told him if he ever played
it again, he wouldnt graduate! So Bashara
became a drum major because he was tall
enough to see over everyone and could stop
the band. He showed me a wonderful photo
from 1962 of him leading the band at the
Kennedy inauguration. After a bout with
mononucleosis, he switched from a business
major to English (I was never very good at
math) and graduated from Norwich with a
bachelors degree in English.
Basharas future changed when he met his
wife, Mary, a graduate of Vermont College,
whom he married in 1962. Bashara then
worked for his father-in-law, Richard Cody,
who owned many businesses in the area,
and the couple lived with Cody for 10 years.
Bashara ran the Moonlight and the Twin
City drive-ins from 1960 to 1981. He then
bought the Paramount Twin Cinema and
Capitol Showplace theater and remodeled
them and purchased some laundromats and
two bowling alleys in the current City Cen-
ter, which were converted into offices. In
1992, Montpelier had a devastating flood,
and the theater was affected. While under-
taking repairs, Bashara became interested in
the vacant hotel across the street.
The hotel, built in 1932, had changed
hands several times; in the 12 years before
Bashara purchased it, it had had five differ-
ent owners, all of whom went bankrupt. But
Bashara thought he could turn the restau-
rant around and told his wife he wanted to
buy it. His wife and other relatives advised
against it. But you cant stop a man with a
vision: one of his ideas was to convert the
floor above the current Northfield Savings
Bank, which is housed in the hotel, into
offices. He bought the building on Decem-
ber 23, 1993, and after renovations were
completed, The Johnson Company moved
into the space over the bank and has been a
tenant there ever since.
Bashara pulled out old pictures and
showed me what the hotel had looked like:
it was dark and dingy, and none of the
guestrooms or the lobby had been remod-
eled in 40 years. Much remodeling of the
hotel has been done since Bashara bought
it, and the restaurant was remodeled three
years ago. Bashara acknowledged the huge
support the city of Montpelier and the sur-
rounding area has provided.
Over the years, starting in 1993, the
enterprise evolved into a family business;
currently, all four children and their spouses
and seven grandchildren work together in
Basharas various businesses. Bashara is
proud of his family members and their part
in the hotel and restaurant business: They
all work hard, and I couldnt have done it
without them. To me, its the best thing
thats happened to our family. They all
know how to do everyone elses job and can
cover for each other. Noting how economic
realities have changed family life, Bashara
said, You cant run a business in 35 or 40
hours a week. Today you need both partners
to work to support the family. The grand-
kids realize it is their business, too, and
work hard doing whatever has to be done.
They bus and clean tables, host, set up and
cook. Some of the granddaughters work at
the theater as cashiers and concession girls.
On holidays, all 12 kids are involved work-
ing at the hotel. Bashara also spoke highly
of his hardworking, dedicated staffall
local people, some employed there for 19
years.
In the dining department, Basharas
younger son, Fred, is in charge of the
kitchen, banquets, ordering and meat cut-
ting, while two of the sons also do the trim-
ming, with Bashara joining on occasion.
The meats are all aged in house, for a mini-
mum of three weeks. Their seafood is fresh,
and they buy as many local vegetables as
they can, but the local supply is inadequate
to the volume needed. They also tried to
buy local meat, but again the supply avail-
able couldnt meet the demand.
The restaurant is a family restaurant with
special childrens menus. They cater to what-
ever people want: meat, fish, fresh pasta, veg-
etarian dishes and sandwiches. The Basharas
want people to let them know if they have
allergies or want food prepared a certain
way.
Bashara beamed with pride as he talked
about Sunday, the most enjoyable day of his
week. Every Sunday his immediate family of
22, often joined by other relatives, convenes
at the Bashara home, where Fred Bashara
cooks dinner for up to 35 family members.
He joked that the biggest problem he has is
deciding what to cook each week.
I left feeling that I knew Fred Bashara
better: entrepreneur and patriarch of a hard-
working, close-knit family that has made
Montpelier its home, contributing to the
citys economy and culture. He summed it
up best: This is not a job: this is our life.
Fred Bashara
Entrepreneur and Patriarch of
a Hardworking Family
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 15
Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!
From
Morrisville to
Montpelier:
A Taste of
Sweet Melissas
by Lisa Mas
T
om Moog and Jason Jack opened
Moogs Place in Morrisville in order
to feature local musical talent every
night in a safe and friendly atmosphere.
Based on their success, they have opened a
sister venue in Montpelier. Sweet Melissas,
named after Jasons wife, boasts nightly
music and a selection of wine, local beer and
creative cocktails.
On a recent Friday-evening, the joint was
bustling with happy hour customers. Some
pulled up stools to the stage, where Mark
LeGrand crooned his honky tonk tunes. I
was reminded of winter 2004, when five of
us had just opened Langdon Street Caf:
LeGrands Honky Tonk Happy Hour was
one of our first weekly acts. Others congre-
gated around the bar, chatting loudly to hear
each other over the music. We waited for our
friends, taking in the curious color scheme:
a black ceiling paired with lavender walls
and marbled glass wall sconces in shades
of orange and yellow. I notice approvingly
that the new owners have added another
bathroom.
Sweet Melissas wine selection is clearly
hand-picked by the staff. I enjoyed a glass
of Pennywise Petite Syrah. Behind the many
beer taps, a unique array of liquors and Ver-
mont spirits lined the shelves. My husband
ordered a local beer, noticing that it cost a
dollar more than at another local establish-
ment. One of our friends ordered a gin and
tonic with Barr Hill Gin from Hardwicks
Caledonia Spirits. She was surprised when the
bartender presented her with a pint glass full.
We chose a bar table close to the window
in hopes of hearing each other over the din.
Eventually, a cheerful waitress stopped by to
take our food order. We decided on appetiz-
ers: jalapeno poppers, fried polenta, stoner
wings and a medley of chicken wings. The
waitress suggested this final selection so
that we could sample the restaurants three
different sauces. When the food finally ar-
rived, we were unimpressed by the deep-
fried brown items that filled the plates.
Some look liked fish sticks; others were more
triangular.
Diving in, we discovered that there was
cream cheese inside some of those deep-fried
pockets. The others held a white substance,
which we assumed to be polenta. Unfortu-
nately, the wings all tasted the same to us.
Perhaps we should have tried the pub fare,
which ranges from fried scallop po boys to
Caesar salad. One friend remarked that if
you were a few beers in, this food would hit
the spot!
In the tradition of the Morrisville kitchen,
Chef Carrie Henry aims to diversify the
menu with rotating dinner specials, includ-
ing fish tacos, pulled pork enchiladas and
sandwiches. This is the only place to get
late-night fare in Montpelier. It might actu-
ally appeal after an evening out on the town.
Open Tuesday through Sunday from
3 p.m. to closing, Sweet Melissas offers
music every night. The calendar is already
full for the next six weeks. Visit them at the
corner of Langdon and Elm streets in down-
town Montpelier. There is room both for
dancers and for wallflowers to enjoy blues
and bluegrass-infused bands. I trust that,
as more local musicians from our vast and
talented pool approach the owners, Sweet
Melissas music offerings will become more
diversified.
FEAST To Go
Thu, 11 am-1 pm
$8.50 for full meal
$5 for smaller meal
FEAST is a partnership between Good Taste Catering, Just Basics, Inc. & the Montpelier Senior Activity Center.
FEAST at MSAC
58 Barre Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
Please call 262-6288 for reservations.
FEAST Together
Tue & Fri, 12-1 pm
$5 (suggested) if 60+
$6 if under 60
If you havent yet feasted at Montpelier Senior
Activity Center (MSAC), heres your chance!
On Friday, Oct. 18, MSAC will hold an
open house & fundraising dinner
complete with local music & cash bar
for the FEAST meals program.
Come see our location & feast with us! And join us
during the week for our regular meals (see right).
$50/person. Proceeds support the meals
program & seniors in your community!
Open House & FEAST Fundraiser
4 pm: Open House & Silent Auction Begin
5 pm: Appetizers & Angie Zorzi Quartet
6 pm: 3-course dinner (meat/vegetarian)
Regular Meals
Open 8am-8pm every day
623 Stone Cutters Way, Montpelier, VT
802.223.8000 www.hungermountain.coop
Looking for fast, fresh, and
affordable meal options?
. . . Stop by The Coop!
Salad and hot foods bar Overstuffed burritos
Signature Deli sandwiches GrabnGo options
All made with the best ingredients
Vermont has to offer.
Barre and Montpelier:
Gala Reception at Barre Opera House
Friday, September 27th at 6:00 pm
Vermont Premiere of Part 1, 7:30 pm
The Vermont Historical Society, Barre
Saturday, Sept. 28th: Part 2, 10:30 am
The Savoy Theater, Montpelier:
September 28th: Part 3, 3:30 pm
September 29th: Part 4, 3:30 pm
September 30th: Part 5, 6:00 pm
October 1st: Part 6, 6:00 pm
Join us on our fall barnstorming tour as we
celebrate Vermonts history and culture in a
six-part collaborative documentary series.
near you! For showtimes, tickets, to learn more,
(See screenings times:
thevermontmovie.com/screenings.html)
visit www.thevermontmovie.com
Barre and Montpelier
Gala Reception at Barre Opera House
Friday, September 27th at 6:00 pm
Vermont Premiere of Part 1, 7:30 pm
The Vermont Historical Society, Barre
Saturday, Sept. 28th: Part 2, 10:30 am
The Savoy Theater, Montpelier
September 28th: Part 3, 3:30 pm
September 29th: Part 4, 3:30 pm
September 30th: Part 5, 6:00 pm
October 1st: Part 6, 6:00 pm
(See screenings times:
thevermontmovie.com/screenings.html)
page 16 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
continued from cover
Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur, the Jewish day
of atonement, there is no eating or
drinking. Considered the most sa-
cred and solemn of the Jewish high
holidays, Yom Kippur began this
year before sunset on Friday, Sep-
tember 13, with the haunting viola
rendition of Kol Nidre, played at
Beth Jacob Synagogue by Ruth Ein-
stein, and ended after nightfall on
September 14. On Yom Kippur, Jews
ask forgiveness only for sins between
themselves and God, not for sins
against another person. Each person
must reconcile with anyone he or she
has wronged and make amends if
possible, all in the 10 days between
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new
year, and Yom Kippur. During the
service, all sins are confessed in the
plural, because the community as a
whole assumes responsibility for sins
committed. More recently, members
have added to the ancient liturgy a
list of contemporary offenses that
we cant help commit as members
of a prosperous country, many per-
taining to the environment. Dur-
ing the concluding evening service,
recited standing before the holy ark
that houses the sacred Torah scroll,
Jews pray that God will forgive their
sins, accept their repentance and seal
them into the book of life for an-
other year. The heavenly gates close,
and a blast of the shofar (a rams
horn) marks the conclusion of the
holiday. And thenwe break the
fast and eat and drink once again.
people reexperience the world. He contin-
ued in a philosophical vein, saying that
he pulls an idea from the etherworld and
makes it concrete, a Platonic idea; food is
the essence of intercultural communication,
and we experience the universal through
the particular. While I found it a little hard
to follow Haugens philosophical train of
thought, I really enjoyed the wrap he gra-
ciously prepared for me before closing his
cart for the day. Clearly, he is a man who
loves his job, and his passion comes through.
Who buys the Haugens lefse delectables?
Haugen told me it is the regulars who keep
him going. They are the people who tell
him they are glad he is here. They are often
people in their 60s or 70s, people he views
as wanting the latter part of their lives to
be creative and tuning into the freedom he
represents. He sees himself as part of a move-
ment of food purveyors bringing their food
directly to the people and believes his enter-
prise adds value to the community. This is
what changes cities, he said. Montpelier
looked different 10 years ago, and now
there is a whole new fusion of foodwith
Bagitos, Positive Pie, Wilaiwans Kitchen
(which started as the Thai cart) and other
restaurants serving ethnic cuisine.
Im not sure if his wrap was the best Ive
ever eaten, but it was decidedly delicious, fill-
ing, interesting and healthy, as was the bever-
age Haugen offered me. Haugen said that,
contrary to the popular assumption that food
carts only sell cheap food, he uses only the
best ingredients that come from many coun-
tries and that lingonberry, which infuses all
his beverages, is a food with high antioxidant
properties. The lefse is almost gluten free.
The Haugens are providing healthy, quick
takeout food with a unique taste for less
than 10 dollars. Stop by for some good food
and conversation, and like their quote on
the cart says, sweeten your day and prolong
your life.
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 17
Its Harvest Time in Vermont!
Savor the bounty of local foods at:
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Fresh Seasonal Variety of Menu Items
Bountiful Brunch Buffet
Special Culinary Events & Celebrity Chef Demos
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Private Dining Rooms for Holiday Parties
The Best Burgers in Town!
Open: TuesdaySaturday, 11:309:00
Sunday Brunch Buffet, 10:002:00
118 Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602
www.neci.edu (click on Our Restaurants tab)
802-225-3310
Eat Great Food. Support Local Producers.
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Capital
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Same-day service available.
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www.minutemanvermont.com
What could be
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Thats easy. Printing
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projects, and I never
have to worry about
a thing!
page 30 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
Many Thanks for a
Successful Blood Drive
To the Editor:
On August 29, the Vermont Enhanced
9-1-1 Board sponsored an American Red
Cross blood drive in Montpelier. The drive
was a success thanks to the many donors and
potential donors who were willing to take
the time and give the gift of life. A blood
drive is nothing without donors; your efforts
were greatly and truly appreciated.
Wed also like to thank the city of Mont-
pelier and the Capitol Plaza Hotel and
Conference Center for space to park the
mobile unit and space to register and seat
donors. Thanks to local merchants, includ-
ing Montpelier Pharmacy and Guitar Sam,
for prominently displaying posters. Thanks
to WDEV radio and the Front Porch Forum
for allowing us to announce the drive and to
The Bridge, the Times-Argus and The World
for their calendar listings. Thanks, too, to
friends, family and coworkers who shared
the invitation to participate and give blood.
It takes a community to make a blood drive
successful. We have a good community!
Thank you all.
Dawn Anderson, public educator,
Vermont Enhanced 9-1-1 Board,
Montpelier
Support Central Vermont
Adult Basic education
To the Editor:
September 2329 is National Adult
Education and Family Literacy Week and
a good time for all of us to tune into a few
facts about literacy. Consider the following
More than 30 million adults in the
U.S.14 percent of the countrys
adult populationcannot read,
write or do basic math above a third-
grade level.
Each year, American employers
spend more than $125.9 billion on
training, including remedial reading,
writing and math skills.
States that raise high school gradu-
ation rates experience significant
declines in incarceration rates. A 1
percent increase in the high school
completion rate of all men ages 20 to
60 would save the U.S. as much as
$1.4 billion per year in reduced costs
from crime.
Fifty percent of the chronically
unemployed are not functionally
literate.
Single mothers who lack a high
school degree are much more likely
to be on welfare than women who
have a high school degree.
Central Vermont Adult Basic Education
(CVABE) works to help people improve their
lives by providing adult education and lit-
eracy services in Washington, Orange and
Lamoille counties. For 48 years, CVABE has
provided free, personalized and confidential
academic services to adults and teens age 16
and older. Do you know someone who has
been putting off getting a GED, or someone
who needs to improve her reading skills
or someone who has trouble balancing his
checkbook? Please refer them to CVABE.
You can also volunteer your services or make
a tax-deductible financial donation. Call
476-4588 to learn more about how you can
play a vital role in improving our nations
well-being by improving adult literacy in
your own community. For more information
on CVABE, visit cvabe.org.
Gale Rome, volunteer/communications
coordinator, CVABE, Barre
Keep Montpelier Diverse and
Strong
To the Editor:
After Tuesday nights meeting about the
upcoming 2014 budgets, it occurred to me
what we really ought to be talking about.
Montpelier is at a crossroads, and we collec-
tively need to decide whether working-class
and middle-class residents are going to be
part of the population mix going forward, or
are we committed to becoming a more exclu-
sive city because of our escalating tax burden
and real estate prices. What I heard at the
meeting was that, regardless of where you
stand regarding budgets and taxes, everyone
really loves our city. My hope is that our
leaders and budget writers will take their cue
from nature, where the healthiest ecosystems
are typically the most diverse. Let us hope
that they can find a middle ground and craft
budgets now and into the future that provide
all the services that residents expect without
driving less well-off people out of the city.
Robert Kasow, Montpelier
letters
WHAT
DO YOu
THInK?
read something you want
to respond to? We welcome
your letters and opinion
pieces. Letters must be 300
words or fewer; opinions,
600 words or fewer. Send
your piece to editorial@
montpelierbridge.com.
Deadline for the October 3
issue is Friday, September 27,
at 5 p.m.
Capitol Stationers was started in Montpelier in 1950 by Don Bigglestones parents, William and Norah.
The stores first location was on State Street right where Denis Ricker & Brown was located until recently. Now Capitol Stationers has moved back to where it was from 1952 to 1967 right
next to the Montpelier fire station.
The mural on the brick wall was right there from 1952 to 1967. The artist was a man Herb Jorganson, owner of the Barre Sign Company.
Now that Capitol Stationers has moved back next to the fire station the sign was essentially grandfathered in. Don Bigglestone likes the recreation of the mural just the way it was. Oh
yeah, its great. Its fantastic. It gives a little nostalgic look, he said. Weve had a lot of positive feedback on it.
The Bri dge September 19 OctOber 2, 2013, page 31
Eliza Moore
Comes Home
by Nat Frothingham
S
inger and songwriter Eliza Moore to-
gether with her husband, percussionist
Jeremy Greene, gave a very personal
concert to an audience of family, friends,
neighbors and the visiting public at The Old
Meeting House in East Montpelier. Eliza
Moore was radiant. She was in good, strong
voice with perfect diction. She opened with
the title song from her new album, a song for
her son, Everything to Me.
Moore has an easy natural way of talking
about her life, her family, her artistic journey
and her search for meaning. That and the
music, the backup percussion, the range of
instruments that she played and the end of
summer, a season of loss and change, gave
the moment a special color and lambent bril-
liance.
Eliza grew up in East Montpelier and was
a student at the East Montpelier Elementary
School. Her mother, the talented singer Ce-
lina Moore, directed her sixth-grade class in
a childs version of Winnie the Pooh and in
The Magic Flute by Mozart. When Elizas
class went on a field, they would sing The
Magic Flute on the bus. Mary Gibson from
Stowe was Elizas violin teacher. Mary re-
ally made it so much fun, Eliza said. My
dad played the cello and my sister played the
violin.
At age 10 or 11, Eliza started playing with
the Vermont Youth Orchestra in Burlington.
They played on Saturday mornings. Eliza
remembered, Music became cool. It became
an approved activity. It wasnt just for dorks.
At U-32 High School, Eliza joined a singing
group called the Cameratta, the elite choir at
the high school directed by Dan Boomhower.
When she went on to Deerfield Academy,
there was more music in the string ensemble
and in choir.
At Bowdoin College in Maine, Eliza was in
the choir. While there, Eliza started an early
music singing trio. She also played the violin.
It was at this time that Eliza and her friend
Anya Burgess started a folk group together,
and Eliza began writing her own music.
In the spring of 1995, Elizas father, Tom
Moore, who was a local pediatrician, sud-
denly died of cancer. The shock was great.
That spring and the next fall, Eliza and
Anya traveled through EuropeGermany,
Sweden, Norway, Holland, France, Italy,
Switzerland and eventually the west coast
of Ireland. They sang and played on street
corners and in pubs: it was a life-affirming
experience.
After college, Moore went back to Eu-
rope and studied at the Guildhall School
of Music in London. She was trained to
take musical projects lasting as long as five
or six weeks into schools and hospitals. She
met and worked with electronic musicians.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, she wrote
a beautiful song called Rose. The senti-
ment of that song contends that you can
take away a rose but you cannot destroy the
idea or memory or fact of the rose itself. A
rose endures.
In the years that followed, the influences
of friends and musicians piled up: African
musicians, a seven-piece bluegrass band in
Canton, New York, a move to Montreal and
her personal exploration through studies of
theology and yoga.
When Eliza married and had a son, she
realized that she couldnt do everything. She
had to choose. When she was invited along
with other musicians to spend a week at one
of the Thousand Islands, a week of pure
music making, that helped remind her that
music was where she wanted to be and that
she wanted to recommit to music.
I came to feel that music was my voice,
she said.
by Andrew Nemethy
Y
ou may not have known Jack Nash,
who died unexpectedly of a heart at-
tack Sunday, September 1, at the age
of 67. But he left a remarkable imprint on the
Vermont we know today, with a formidable
passion and character that touched many
lives as it went quietly spinning through the
sporting world, like the cycles that he loved.
For many drawn to central Vermont in the
1970s, Jack Nash will be remembered as co-
owner of Onion River Sports in Montpelier,
which he started with now representative
Warren Kitzmiller.
But he wasnt really a businessman, a hat
he seemed sometimes to wear uncomfort-
ably. Nash was a cyclevangelist, a cheerful
enabler for spoked-wheel fun with an un-
quenchable enthusiasm for getting folks on
bikes and mentoring riders and for club- and
race-organizing efforts. That he died while
out biking, doing the sport he loved, seems
entirely in character.
Nash and Kitzmiller came together 40
years ago, back in Stowe, opening a bike
shop in the resort town under the auspices
of Shaws General Store. In 1974, Kitzmiller
was bumbling around about what to do in
life, as he put it, and they decided to head
off on their own and open their own bike
shop in the state capital, where Bear Pond
Books owner Michael Katzenberg offered
them a small space in the back of his iconic
bookshop. Little did they know they would
play an instrumental role in the athletic cul-
ture of the region, one that continues apace
almost 40 years later.
Vermont today is a cycling-crazy state,
with avid pedalers in gaudy jerseys on pricey,
carbon-fiber frames, spinning everywhere
over asphalt, and hardy mountain bikers
doing everything from tricks to riding on
back roads, gnarly trail centers or downhill
ski runs.
Its easy to forget it wasnt always so. In
the early 1970s, cycling in Vermont was
anything but mainstream: an oddball out-
lier sport trying to gain a foothold. Bikes, if
you had one, were a Schwinn or a Raleigh
or a Huffy, heavy and utilitarian, or maybe
a fancier Paris Sport. Cyclist Greg LeMond
then was in his early teens; he wouldnt
make his mark on the Tour de France until
1986. Racers, the hardy few, wore sportif-
looking,cloth cycling caps or laughable, pad-
ded, leather strap helmets for protection.
Cyclists like myself, who were cajoled into
racing by Nash, jokingly called them brain
baskets for all the protection they provided.
It would be years before Bell produced the
first hard-shell bicycling helmet. Shimano?
That bike component behemoth was just an
upstart, and the Dura Ace line wasnt even
coined until 1973.
As for the locale where Onion River
began, on Langdon Street, it was not much
more than a red shed attached to the back of
the bookstore, on a sleepy side street off the
main drag in the then oh-so-staid Montpe-
lier. So, for Nash and Kitzmiller to open an
oddly named shop called Onion River (the
translation of the native American name of
the Winooski River) was sort of a radical
act. Which proved to be fitting and amusing
serendipity.
Langdon Street soon became Montpe-
liers radical, hippie, way-ahead-of-the-curve
home for a culinary hotbed of radical action,
Ginny Callans Horn of the Moon vegetar-
ian caf. The radical attitude was accen-
tuated by Goddard College graduate Fred
Wilbur, who opened a counterculture record
store, Buch Spieler, in 1973. And a vibe was
born: bikes, books, big breakfasts, muffins,
tofu scrambles and music, along with an era
in the making.
That first shop, back of what is now Riv-
endell Books, was tiny, with a wood floor
and a cramped second-story, sloped-roof
attic with frames hanging from the rafters:
a literal hotbed in summer. Downstairs was
a dark stone basement for bike assembly.
But folks were doing their own thing, going
whole-grain healthy and getting back to the
land, and pedal power fit right in, and Jack
Nashboy did he have a bike for you.
At his poignant funeral service at the
Stowe Community Church, close friend and
cyclist Jon Williams humorously recalled to
the gathering how, in his early biking days,
Jack Nash gave me a great deal on a really
nice bike. Everyone erupted in laughter
since, and as Williams noted, Im not the
only one who can say that.
No, because Nash never gave up a chance
to put a new rider on a nice bike, help him
or her learn to ride and race and, with
Kitzmiller, even organize a club for the
rider to race in. The pair were instrumental
through the shop in founding the Stowe-
Shimano bike club in 1976, recalled Justin
Crocker, and in spawning the weekly time
trials and races that began to populate the
hills of Vermont and continue todaywhich
Nash often won, by the way.
Andy Brewer, who bought Onion River
Sports in 2000, recalled being a 16-year-old
kid in 1982 when Nash, always eager to
mentor young riders, gave him a great deal.
As Brewer pointed out, in those days, bikes
didnt come preassembled or out of a box.
Nash would reach up and lift a gorgeous
frame off a hook in the ceiling and put it in
your hands. Brewer said it was a magical
thing to a 16-year-old kid like himselfor
to a nearly 30-year-old like myself, who
bought three frames from Nash over the
years, or to many of my friends, who all were
put on bikes at Onion River and have been
biking ever since the 70s.
Those bikes were all bespoke, put to-
gether piece by piece after you had chosen
what rims and spokes, derailleurs, brakes
and hubs and stems you wanted. The equip-
ment was European, shiny and exotic in an
America where no one was making such
fancy stuff. The brightly colored frames
hanging on the ceiling in red, maroon,
black, blue and yellow were like tempting
chrome-moly candy, and the imported Brit-
ish and Italian names emblazoned on the
tubes burned into the brains of a generation
of riders in the region: Dawes double-blue,
Basso, Colnago, Bianchi, Roberts, Cilo,
Tommasini. On these, you hung the gold
standard of Campagnolo brakes, derailleurs
and cranks or lesser Suntour gear, depending
what you could afford.
Who knows how many Vermonters were
outfitted by Nash, with his wicked slightly
crooked grin, quick wisecracks and infec-
tious enthusiasm. After you chose compo-
nents, a long line of young bike tech wizards
who worked at Onion River Sports assem-
bled the bikes in the basement, learning the
business in the process. Some went off to run
their own businesses, like Spike Clayton at
The Ski Rack and Chuck Schultz at Chucks
bikes in Morrisville, or into other sports-
related businesses. ORS was both sports hub
and fertile training ground.
There was a method to this madness, of
course, a generation adopting a life sport
who would then instill it in the new riders
coming up and keep the business going.
Nash was famed for mentoring young en-
thusiasts, and for being a generous host and
crash-pad provider for many who stayed
with him and his athletic wife, Barb, and
later daughter Laura in his house in Stowe.
Jack loved his family, bikes and getting
more people out on bikes, said Williams.
One cant talk about Nash without men-
tioning he was a fierce competitor, and a
good one. Nash was described at the service
as a classy rider whose safe wheel you
could trust in a tight pack, where mistakes
and squirreliness have dire consequences.
But he also did not like to lose.
But perhaps most telling was that he was
described by many as a friend for life
among those he came in contact with. Rac-
ers-turned-entrepreneurs like Quebecs Louis
Garneau spoke with emotion at his service,
and retailers alike showed up to honor the
incredible friendship he struck up with them
as a rep for cycling companies like Giant,
Louis Garneau and Specialized.
That humble little shop Nash and
Kitzmiller founded is now part of a much
larger sports ecosystem in Vermont. Onion
River Sports moved to its current much-
expanded location on Langdon Street in
1978 and is a stalwart in the regions sporting
and gear scene in a state that embraces physi-
cal activity. Though Kitzmiller and Nash
split in 1991 (Kitzmiller became sole owner
until Brewer took over in 2000), Kitzmiller
says he was struck by how hard news of
Nashs passing hit him.
Recalling many kindnesses and Nashs
unfailing willingness to help out, he whole-
heartedly seconded the central theme at Jack
Nashs service: What came out of the fu-
neral, which was absolutely true, Jack was an
incredible friend.
Stowes Jack Nash:
a Mentor, a Sport and
the Making of an Era
page 32 September 19 OctOber 2, 2013 The Bri dge
Friday,
October 4
Rocktoberfest
Live Music
& Dancing 7-11pm
Saturday,
October 5
Parade 10am
Octoberfest
11am 8pm
Sunday,
October 6
Octoberfest
11am 5pm
V
e
r
m
o
n
t
Trapp Lager
Bavarian Food
Authentic
Oompah Bands
Singing & Dancing
Childrens Activities
Silent Auctions
& Raffes
Mayo Events Field
Under the
BiG TenT
October
46, 2013
17
th
Annual
Presented by:
The Rotary
Club of Stowe
visit...
www.stoweocktoberfest.com
G
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$
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Sponsored by: