Stratford Couple, highschool sweethearts Stephanie Champagne and Matthew Bartol, opened Kickstart Café in Fall 2022 in close by Shelton.
Strolling into Kickstart Café on Howe Avenue in Shelton for the primary time, you robotically really feel comfortable as there’s a pleasant ambiance within the café. It seems like you’re in Mayberry with folks chatting on the counter. A heat smile greets you by the cashier prepared that will help you navigate their intensive menu of coffees, smoothies, breakfast, lunch, desserts and extra. Arriving at lunchtime, I used to be advised the preferred lunch sandwiches have been “Butchy Boi” and “Tremendous Freak” so that’s what I ordered.
Butchy Boi is Buffalo hen, pepper jack, bacon, Sriracha aioli, shredded lettuce with a blue cheese drizzle. Tremendous Freak is turkey, spinach, mozzarella, tomato, pesto chipotle and secret sauce. You possibly can have the sandwiches toasted or not, full or half grinders, brioche, wheat wraps, bagels, rolls, multigrain bread or gluten-free bread. The grinder roll was urged and it was the fitting alternative, it was so scrumptious all by itself.
The proprietor, Stephanie Champagne of Stratford, was busy within the kitchen personally making ready meals. When she got here out with an order, she greeted me with an ear-to-ear smile. She busy cooking so a photograph must wait till all the purchasers’ meals have been ready. Quickly after, her fiancé, Matthew Bartol arrived with my lunch.
The longtime couple have been classmates at Notre Dame Catholic Excessive College in Fairfield and have been collectively ever since. Stephanie is pursuing her dream of working in a espresso store and Matthew was prepared to carry off on their marriage ceremony plans to assist make her a profitable small enterprise proprietor. It is actually a household affair as Matthew’s mother, Linda Thompson, is the official baker of Kickstart Café. Affectionately nicknamed the “Mad Baker,” Linda shares her scrumptious espresso truffles, cookies and different desserts with clients however not her secret recipes.
The Washington Put up reported that “greater than 70,000 eating places closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” but that didn’t dissuade Champagne from forging forward in a shuttered Subway storefront. Opened in Fall 2022 to brisk enterprise retains the couple excited. Plans for 2023 are to get a bigger espresso and cappuccino machine to maintain up with the demand, in line with Champagne.
Kickstart Café is situated at 462 Howe Avenue on the nook of Canal Avenue in Downtown Shelton. It’s open for breakfast and lunch 7 days per week with particular hours on holidays. Cellphone Orders might be positioned at (203) 513-2106. If you wish to really feel good and eat scrumptious meals, strive #KickstartCafe and help an area Stratford couple.
