Holly Cekala loves to feed people. And the hope is that there will be plenty to cook for as word spreads about her family’s new restaurant.
After sitting vacant for several months, Cekala and her husband Ray have officially opened The Country Chef on Route 101 in Wilton at the former Oliver’s Restaurant and Gary’s Harvest location.
The original plan for Cekala was to put a small cafe on her farm property in Claremont, but issues with the town led her to pursue other opportunities. A friend of hers who lives in Wilton suggested filling the void left at the longtime restaurant location near the Temple-Wilton border.
“He said ‘Holly, there’s a restaurant right down the street from me,’” Cekala said. “I said ‘John, you just want me to cook for you.’”
It came together quickly, first looking at the property in late October. It had everything they wanted in their first restaurant with an updated dining room and counter area, a large kitchen and a prime location.
“It was a little larger than my original undertaking was going to be,” she said. “But I did like that it was on a major highway and there’s not much here in town in terms of places to eat.”
Outside of a little decorating up front, there wasn’t a lot that needed to be done to the area where people eat.
“Some paint and polish, but not much,” Cekala said. “It was in good condition and clean.”
Most of the costs to get up and running came in the form of updating some kitchen equipment and the heating system.
And less than six weeks after first looking at the property, the Cekalas opened the doors to the restaurant on Black Friday. Cekala thought it would be a great time for a soft opening, thinking a lot of people would be out of town and busy shopping. But she quickly realized that folks had been waiting for a restaurant to open in the location and it turned out to be a very busy first day.
“It was like the whole county showed up and hadn’t eaten in years,” Cekala said. “What’s been really nice is people come in and say this used to be Karen’s or Gary’s or Oliver’s and they tell me the history of it. They have a history of experience here, so it’s nostalgic for them.”
To start, the Country Chef is open for breakfast and lunch, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. But starting next Wednesday, they will be open for dinner with hours increasing to 9 p.m. They will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“Seven days a week with three shifts a day would be a lot for a new business,” Cekala said.
For breakfast, it will be a lot of what you expect for the first meal of the day – eggs, bacon, home fires, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes and French toast. There will be omelets, sausage and biscuits and a breakfast BLT.
On the lunch menu there are burgers and sandwiches with homemade meatballs, chicken parm as a few highlights and daily made mini chicken pot pies, which Cekala makes from scratch.
“It’s not a huge menu, but the specials add a nice touch,” Cekala said.
Those specials have included so far things like grilled chicken Alfredo, a corned beef Reuben and soups. The plan is to have seafood options on Fridays and Saturdays. Comfort food is what Cekala likes to serve.
“I love food that your mother fed you that made you happy,” she said.
Cekala said they are in the process of getting a full liquor license because “people like a little wine with their cheese.” They will serve beer, wine and specialty drinks.
While Cekala has spent much of her career as a drug and alcohol counselor, she spent many years in the restaurant industry starting at the age of 16.
“When you’re a person that likes to feed people, you’ll always go back to it,” she said. “So I really wanted something that was classic New England, cute and cozy.”
Cekala knows the food has to be good, but that’s only part of it.
“The experience has to be warm and friendly,” Cekala said.