Flour can be a fickle ingredient. In the right hands it is essential to creating all sorts of baked wonderments. In the wrong hands, well, its use can bring disappointing results.
Years ago a friend did suggest that in addition to my few talents, I should become “more comfortable with flour.” But really, why learn to bake when there are so many superb practitioners of the art in our region?
There is a new phenomenal bakery enterprise in Cornwall, Conn., where baker Susan Saccardi is definitely comfortable with flour. That essential ingredient is in just the right hands with her.
Her baked goods are sold under the name of Suzie’s Sweets, an array of unforgettable baked desserts, breads, muffins, cookies, custom cakes and more — all of which use flour to good advantage. Well, except the flourless pastries. Those are very good too.
At present, because Saccardi has not located a suitable physical building in which to locate a commercial bakery, she sells her baked goods at farm markets (the Coop Farmers Market on the Green in Cornwall on summer Saturdays), the Local in West Cornwall on Fridays, and in her own roadside bake stand at 108 Warren Hill Road in Cornwall on Fridays and Saturdays.
“I sell out of everything every week,” Saccardi said.
During a conversation at her certified home baking kitchen in spring, Saccardi described her baking philosophy and experience. We were joined by her son, Dean, home from college and studying remotely — making him available to help significantly with the business.
Energetic and on the move, Susan came and went from the conversation to tend to baking sheets entering and leaving the oven. Dean kept the conversational thread on course.
He reported that business is brisk. The recent influx of residents from New York City who fled the pandemic are hungry for the quality of their products. Serving as the IT guy for the business, Dean created and manages the website at www.suziesweetsct.com.
“With the amount my business has grown, my family has been essential to the business. I would not be able to do what I do without them nor would I want to. It is definitely a family affair,” Saccardi said.
Dean agreed, adding that his sister Dana helps when she can. And adult children Beth and Brian, who do not live locally, are also involved. In fact, Brian recently devised a cone device useful in making bagels, a hugely popular new item.
Bagels and scones are baked on Saturdays, Saccardi said. “These are traditional New York-style bagels,” she said, reminiscent of those enjoyed in her youth.
“I really took a long time to get my bagels to where I remember them as a child,” she said.
Saccardi recalled that her passion for baking started when her children were young and she was trying to find foods that were not overloaded with sugar.
“I started reading labels and not liking what I saw,” she said.
Aiming to keep it “pure and simple,” she wanted to create pastries with lots of fresh fruit.
“I want to taste the flavor of the fruit and not the flavor of the sugar or added ingredients,” she said.
“I try to use organic ingredients, fresh ingredients, and real vanilla extract,” she said, steering away from anything artificial. She exclusively uses King Arthur flour from Vermont. People who are “comfortable with flour” recognize that brand as top quality.
Local farms provide ingredients wherever possible. Rhubarb, herbs, fruits and vegetables are sourced from local farms including Nutmeg Acre Farm in Warren, Conn., for rhubarb, and Ridgway Farm for maple syrup, Hurlburt Farm for cheese and Buck Mountain Herbs, all in Cornwall, and others.
Cinnamon buns are new and very popular, she said. Cookies include oatmeal raisin, molasses, chocolate crinkle and mocha.
Saccardi said that Dean and she are talking about developing more Italian and German cookies.
Dean helps with the bread and focaccia, the latter using fresh local herbs and organic olive oil.
Her turnovers are enormously popular, filled generously with strawberry, rhubarb or apple. Cinnamon buns and mocha cookies are big hits, too.
Muffins are highly prized by customers. Saccardi bemoaned commercial muffins where you can’t help but count the small bits of fruit once you break open the muffin. Disappointing.
“I love Cornwall and I love to support the community,” she said.
Some day Saccardi hopes to find the perfect site for Suzie’s Sweets, but for now she’s doing just fine with her farm market and farm bake stand and a reputation for handling flour really well.
U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes of the 5th District chats with Tom Holcombe during her community meeting in Kent on May 27.
KENT — Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes began her community meeting May 27 with optimism. Speaking before a large crowd at the Community House, she said, “I don’t want people to think the sky is falling and we’re losing our democracy.”
She said she was there to hear from those in attendance, but first made a quick comment about how Congress spent so much time debating President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” Mention of the legislation brought loud boos from the audience. “Every day we realize how egregious it is,” she said.
Michael Jay was the first to address Hayes, noting the President has appeared to take away the power of the courts and wondered what Congress can do about that. Hayes said Democrats are well aware the courts are unable to uphold the contempt shown. She said many believe the bill has to be rewritten before it has a chance of passage.
Hayes, who is serving her third term representing the 5th District, defended her model of governing and the wealth of knowledge she brings to the position. Without disparaging some of the younger legislators, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she said she is performing in the way she was elected to do. “I’ve had 12 pieces of legislation passed and challenge anyone who says I’m a shrinking violet. I approach the job on my own terms and am never concerned about losing votes.”
“I would like your honest appraisal,” Austi Brown said to Hayes. “Is there any hope we can change the numbers in 2026 to stop the same from happening, whether one is happy or depressed?” Hayes responded that the Democrats are in a minority and the Republicans are not holding anyone accountable. Public sentiment is what is needed to shift the needle.
She is seeing some of her Republican colleagues getting nervous as their constituents are being hurt by their party’s actions. They are seeing protests. “I think that will be the saving grace,” said Hayes. “They see funds taken from agencies. More people are paying attention. It’s necessary to show up everywhere. I hear the bill won’t pass as is in the Senate. I am not going to give up or concede defeat.”
Focusing on her own party, Hayes said it’s to its own peril that there’s no reshuffling of the leadership; no new strategy, no new message. “I think the ground is fertile for change. We can’t keep doing more of the same. We can’t be having everything by seniority. People have had enough of that.”
Someone asked if the National Democratic Committee is doing enough to make people more aware of what is happening, such as all the firings of federal workers, increased housing foreclosures and “that ridiculous parade.” Hayes acknowledged a lot of people do not realize how they will be affected and she is trying to remind them. “At some point, it will get to what they care about,” she said.
DOGE, said Hayes, has blown up the whole system of checks and balances. While no one wants to see fraud or abuse in the federal government, Elon Musk went after those who were affecting his business. The system was destabilized by all the firing and hiring.
Hayes said probably the most dangerous aspect is the removal of data from the systems, so many of the reduction claims can’t be proven.
Prompted by a question from Margy Austell, she expressed her deep concern with many of the bills dealing with immigration. “The idea that everyone from other countries is dangerous blows my mind. We have a lot of ‘gotcha’ bills. Republicans say people can be deported without due process. We need to address our borders, but reasonably. We can’t just scoop people up. There will be a series of votes on this. We can’t look at one provision and ignore everything else in the bills.”
Hayes, a former teacher, was appalled with the cuts amounting to $313 billion being made to SNAP, noting one of the aspects of the bill is to lower the age of minors from 18 to 7, so that those with children over that age must meet work requirements. The national debt will be increased by nearly $4 trillion and the most vulnerable people will be harmed, she said. “I don’t see how in 2025 we’re talking about not feeding children.”
When asked, “What can we do about this regime?” Hayes responded, “People can’t stay home in ’26. Protests and town hall meetings are working. The courts are issuing injunctions. Even if it feels like no one is paying attention or not listening, I promise you they are.”
Charlie Castellanos, left, and Allegra Ferri, right, sitting in the HVRHS library to talk about their experiences in the U.S.
“I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things...” —Charlie Castellanos
Every year, Housatonic Valley Regional High School welcomes foreign exchange students to attend classes through the AFS Intercultural Programs. This school year, two students traveled to Northwest Connecticut to immerse themselves in American life and culture. Allegra Ferri, a 17-year-old from Italy, and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia sat down to reflect on their experience at HVRHS. As the academic year is coming to an end, they shared a few highlights of their time in the U.S. and offered advice to prospective exchange students.
Allegra: “My favorite part of this exchange year was coming here and experiencing an American high school.”
Charlie: “My favorite part is coming to high school and living the American dream and probably going to ski [for the first time].”
Allegra: “I played volleyball in the fall and I really liked it because everyone was so nice. Then during the winter, I was part of the crew for the musical and now I’m doing tennis. I really enjoy it because it’s a good team. I love how American high school has sports and activities after school.”
Charlie: “I did soccer in the fall, which was my favorite. I did the play in the winter and right now I’m doing track and field. We don’t have school sports in Colombia. This is one of the things I’m going to miss the most.”
Allegra: “I would say do it because living in another country is a great experience to grow and improve another language. It improves your skills of being by yourself.”
Charlie: “I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things like culture, language and it’s just a completely new experience. It will stay with you your entire life.”
Students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School wrote and produced the inaugural edition of HVRHS Today, a new publication by and for students in the Northwest Corner.
This inaugural issue of HVRHS Today marks the first student-led journalism effort at the high school in several years. The program is a collaboration between the Lakeville Journal, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the 21st Century Fund.
Anna Gillette, Mia DiRocco, Shanaya Duprey, Madelyn Johnson and Ibby Sadeh volunteered to form the first group of students comprising the staff of the HVRHS Today.
The five girls got to work just before spring break, meeting as a group of reporters for the first time at the Lakeville Journal office in Falls Village on Wednesday, April 9. That night, the team hit the ground running throwing out ideas for their first reporting projects and discussing the basics of gathering news and reporting facts.
In the following weeks, the students gathered weekly every Thursday at the Lakeville Journal office to discuss interviewing, writing and reporting and plan their coverage for the paper. The students took the lead at every turn, choosing which topics they would like to cover and deciding what sources were best for each story.
Anna Gillette, of Lakeville, joined the program out of a passion for research writing and a desire to learn about a potential career path. “I don’t really know what I want to do in the future and I don’t know what career I want to pursue,” Gillette said. “So I think that this is a good opportunity to, kind of, test the waters to see if this is something I would be interested in.”
Gillette contributed reporting on the latest production of the high school’s Unwritten Show, a completely student-led annual production written this year by Sara Huber and co-directed by Huber and Alex Wilbur. Gillette also reported on and profiled the winner of this year’s “Next Top Mountaineer” pageant, a senior named Manny Matsudaira.
Madelyn Johnson, of North Canaan, said she joined the program to hone her writing skills. “My English teacher calls me a ‘stupendously boring writer,’” Johnson said. “There’s not much emotion or anything in my writing. It’s pretty much just fact, fact, fact.” This is a good thing, Johnson said, for Advanced Placement tests, but not necessarily for more creative assignments.
The program pushed Madelyn Johnson out of her comfort zone, something she said her mother has spent her whole life teaching her to appreciate. “My mom has always had me facing my fears,” Johnson said. “Even if I didn’t always like them, I was always sort of forced to try new things. So I’m trying to continue that with the new independence I get as I grow up.”
Johnson profiled the seniors of the HVRHS track team that will be going on to run for their collegiate teams after graduation, and Richie Crane, who won a Sondheim Award for his performance of Old Man Strong in this year’s production of “Urinetown.”
Mia DiRocco, of Cornwall, said she wants to pursue a career in journalism after graduation. “I’m really passionate about politics, and now is a great time for that,” DiRocco said. “And I’m really interested in international relations, linguistics — and I love writing — so, it’s a career that I think encompasses all my interests in one.”
DiRocco focused her reporting on the no-longer-imperiled tennis team and sports involvement at HVRHS in general. Her reporting dug into the benefits of the brand new tennis courts and the efforts required to bring back previously dissolved groups — like the recently reformed cheerleading team.
Ibby Sadeh, of Falls Village, said she expected the program to help her with her social skills. “From the first meeting I definitely thought it could be fun and valuable to learn new skills and build on my social skills,” Sadeh said. “And also help with my writing skills. I’ve only done essays and reflections for class. I haven’t actually written in this form before.”
Sadeh contributed the inaugural reporter’s notebook report, reflecting on this year’s trip to Europe. Sadeh also worked with DiRocco to recap the first year behind the scenes with the Bias Education and Response Team, and with Gillette to produce a Q&A with this year’s foreign exchange students — 17-year-old Allegra Ferri from Italy and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia.
Shanaya Duprey, of North Canaan, like many of her compatriots in the program, wanted to seize an opportunity to improve her writing, but for a career in marine biology. “I’ve always been really interested in animals,” Duprey said. “I’ve found a new passion for the ocean. There’s not a lot of attention on marine conservation so I’d like to do that.” Duprey said style of researched, journalistic work she produced for HVRHS Today could help her in a future career as a scientist writing and submitting grant proposals and research papers.
Duprey focused her reporting over the past six weeks on the 21st Century Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides funding for educational opportunities and scholarships to HVRHS students. Her reporting focused on Silas Tripp, a student at HVRHS that could attend multiple educational engineering camps thanks to money from the 21st Century Fund.
HVRHS Today can be found online at www.lakevillejournal.com/hvrhs-today.
WATERTOWN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls lacrosse played Watertown High School for the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Conference championship Wednesday, May 28.
The cold, rainy game went back and forth with three ties and three lead changes. Watertown was ahead when it counted and earned a 6-4 victory to claim the league title.
Under the lights in Watertown, both sides displayed defensive discipline in a hard-fought match. It was the third meeting between these two teams this season and Watertown completed the sweep in the title game.
Watertown scored first in the opening minute. Housatonic quickly evened the score when freshman Annabelle Carden tucked a shot past the goalie on a fast break. The first quarter ended 1-1.
Freshman Annabelle Carden, no. 9, scored the first two goals for HVRHS in the title game May 28.Photo by Riley Klein
HVRHS pulled ahead with another goal from Carden in the second quarter. A few minutes before half time, Watertown tied it up again at 2-2 going into intermission.
Watertown regained the lead in the second half before HVRHS answered with a goal by senior Tessa Dekker. With seconds left in the third quarter, the Warriors went up 4-3.
As the sky darkened and rain intensified in the fourth quarter, Watertown built a lead. They scored twice in a row to start the final period and entered clock-management mode to drain time. Senior Lola Clayton scored once more before time was out and the game ended 6-4.
Housatonic's defense held Watertown to six points in the championship game. Watertown, the number one team in the WCLC, averaged more than 12 goals per game this season.Photo by Riley Klein
The championship’s most valuable player award went to Malia Arline of Watertown. HVRHS had five players chosen to the 2025 all-league team: Lola Clayton, Lou Haemmerle, Mollie Ford, Neve Kline and Georgie Clayton.
“Incredible finals. Incredible game to watch,” said HVRHS Coach Laura Bushey to her team post-game. “You should all be very proud of yourselves.”
“Holding a team to six points is something to be really, really proud of. Especially a team that’s as good as these guys,” said assistant coach Erin Bushey.
HVRHS qualified for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S lacrosse tournament. The Mountaineers got matched against Wolcott High School in round one May 30. HVRHS won 13-6 and advanced to the second round to play top ranked Lauralton Hall June 3 in Milford.
Lou Haemmerle created offensive opportunities for HVRHS in the league final.Photo by Riley Klein
