Waterbury is welcoming its newest eatery, the Meadow Street Grill at 228Meadow Street. The city’s first farm-to-table, locally sourced restaurant is scheduled to open the end of May to serve the freshest foods from local area purveyors and farmers. “We will offer only the freshest of ingredients of real foods,” stated Stan Piurkowski, owner, creator and head chef of Meadow Street Grill located on the first floor of his newly constructed, four-story terra cotta-colored Meadow Street Commons office complex on Meadow Street in Waterbury, Connecticut immediately off I-84. “Everything we serve will be locally sourced from farms within a 50-mile radius of Waterbury. Every dish will feature foods procured daily from local providers and made-to-order for each individual guest.”
Piurkowski, along with local area specialty cooks including Sherryl Feli of Ansonia, believe they are filling a nationally-growing desire for farm-to-table food. “This area lacks a fresh food grill, and the Meadow Street Grill is going to fill that craving”, stated Piurkowski.
“Daily we will buy meats, fish and vegetables from local providers and farmers, fresh breads, and make our own desserts in-house. Virtually everything we serve will come from food providers in Waterbury, Middlebury, Litchfield, Cheshire and Prospect, and other areas in Connecticut.”
Menus at Meadow Street Grill will include lean grass-fed beef dishes, exotic meats including buffalo and venison, fish, and daily specials including soups, fresh salads, and unique, creative Panini sandwiches. Old fashion hard ice cream will be made on-site with local dairy products. “Waterbury is ready for the cutting edge trend of farm-to-table dishes,”Piurkowski commented. “Our ambition is to be a focal point for positivecommunity building through fresh, local foods.”
Piurkowski explained that good healthy food is his true passion. “For many years I’ve cooked for friends and family and have a sincere desire to create phenomenally good food served in a relaxing environment. I also want to share my food passion with the Waterbury community. For me, creating a casual, cutting-edge eatery in downtown Waterbury, where I have an established business, makes perfect sense because I believe good food builds a stronger community. This Grill will support Connecticut and specifically Waterbury regional businesses including local farmers and suppliers. It will also fulfill another desire of mine to bring our community together in a positive, healthy way.”
Located immediately off exit 21 east on I-84 at one of Waterbury’ major crossroads, Meadow Street Grill is south of Library Park and Waterbury’s landmark Union Station built by the New Haven Railroad in 1909and now home to Waterbury’s daily award-winning newspaper, the “Republican-American”. Standing 240 feet tall, the building’s signature tower is one of the tallest clock towers in New England. Modeled after the Torre de Mangia on the Palazzo Pubblico (City Hall) in Siena, Italy, the clock tower is one of the largest in the United States.
“The clock tower is seen by every traveler through Waterbury for miles around,” stated Piurkowski, “and will serve as a beacon to the Meadow Street Grill. My restaurant is at one of the city’s major cross roads. It is a great location to bring good comfort food year-round to residents and travelers. There are so many health benefits to a relaxed atmosphere with good food and conversation in a state-of-the-art café and grill.”
One of Piurkowski’s primary reasons for opening the Meadow Street Grill is that he wants to change the way food is prepared and served. “We want to show people that food additives are not needed to enjoy good food. It’s innate that good, healthy food eliminates people’s medical problems which often start from bad eating habits.”
Piurkowski has worked in the food preparation/hospitality arena at different points in his life. “Preparing and serving good food has been a lifelong passion.” While in high school he progressed from dishwasher to grill worker in a coffee shop in Naugatuck while he took culinaryclasses in his junior and senior years. He progressed from dishwasher to lunch food prep to dinner prep to “literally running the whole place” as he stated. While attending college in Denver, Colorado, he worked in a Denver area Steakhouse and two other local eateries to pay his way through college. Today Piurkowski has many friends across the country in the restaurant ownership arena.
While Piurkowski will be the Meadow Street Grill’s head chef and manager, other employees will include cook Sherryl Feli. “Sherryl is a creative cook,” stated Piurkowski, “who brings innovative thinking into the culinary landscape of Waterbury.” Feli recently moved back to Connecticut from Pittsburgh where she attended the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She went onto work in different Greek, Italian and American restaurants in Pittsburgh and with some of the city’s top chefs.
Meadow Street Grill will be open seven days/week serving freshly-prepared, farm-to-table breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Beginning in June, seating will be available on the outdoor patio. The staff will also offer catering service and will open the Grill for private parties and events including business meetings and conferences, birthdays, showers, and other special occasion celebrations. A future ambition will be to offer fine dining experiences Friday and Saturday nights.
For more information on the new Meadow Street Grill at 228Meadow Street in Waterbury, visit www.meadowstreetgrill.com, or call 203-596-8888.