Restaurants supporting residents and residents supporting restaurants

 KENT — The Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant is participating in two new initiatives to benefit both town residents and the food industry here.

Elissa Potts, owner of the Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant and Inn, in its 47th year at 53 Main St. in Kent, said they are now part of the Northwest Connecticut Food Hub Restaurant Food Share Program, which is partnering with six restaurants to offer food shares from more than 30 local farms. 

“We are just about to embark,” she said by phone on May 9 as she prepared Mother’s Day orders. “We are connecting the dots quickly with our POS [point-of-sale] system online. This week we will be doing it by email. Within the week, we should be up and running. The opportunity is amazing.”

Similar to what is called a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), the Food Hub provides restaurants with locally sourced foods such as honey, maple syrup, eggs and produce. This is in response to disruptions in the national food supply chain that were already a concern and have peaked due to COVID-19. 

Restaurants in the Hub can contribute to customers’ boxes with items that are a specialty item for an additional fee (the basic cost is $15 for a half share or $30 for a whole share).

Other participating restaurants are Saltwater Grille in Litchfield; The Village Restaurant in Litchfield; Fork & Fire in Farmington; Present Company in Tariffville; and Union League in New Haven. 

The Hub was started in 2017 by Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities. It aggregates locally grown and produced food; picks up produce from farmers around the region; and delivers it to wholesale-buyers. This takes pressure off farmers so they don’t need to do distribution in addition to the hard work of caring for crops.

Potts said her restaurant has lots of produce and “a lot of add-ons, like honey and eggs. The opportunity is really amazing. We have always been local, but now we are really local.”

And at a time when restaurants are still only allowed to offer delivery and take-out meals, “selling groceries helps take-out.” 

Their current take-out menu usually includes items such as filet mignon, seared sea scallops, cheddar burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and desserts. There is also a grocery and  provisions section on the restaurant’s website with everything from fresh produce to condiments to paper products.

Potts said the Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant has also been contributing heavily during this time to the Kent Food Bank, which provides food to town residents in need. Regular customers are invited to make a donation with their order. 

“The first week we got $150 and a case of apples,” Potts said. “The second week we got $1,100 and a wish list of hamburgers and fruits.”

Potts said although the support during the pandemic has been great, she anticipates opening for sit-down business as soon as it’s allowed again. 

“Waiting for the phone to ring is not fun,” she added. “I miss the human, personal contact and the music playing.” 

In the meantime, loyal patrons are still checking in. The Kent Garden Club ordered their annual luncheon from the restaurant, “as they’ve done for 25 years,” Potts said. “They couldn’t have it at the restaurant so they ordered take-out for their Zoom lunch.”

Potts said she has been fortunate enough to be able to retain all her employees — and pay off all the restaurant’s liquor bills.

High Watch hires restaurants

The Fife ‘n Drum is also part of another local initiative. Hiram Williams Jr., vice president of the Kent Chamber of Commerce, said during a May 9 phone call that the eatery is one of six Kent restaurants that has been enlisted to provide meals to the High Watch Recovery Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center at 62 Carter Road.

“This has been meaningful for local restaurants,” Williams said. “High Watch is an example of being a good citizen.”

Williams said May 9 was the first day of the second week of the program. The Fife ‘n Drum, J.P. Gifford, Kingsley Tavern, The Villager Restaurant, Cozzy’s Pizzeria and the Cornwall Inn will provide boxed lunches on a rotating basis for the facility. 

Lunch through the eateries arrives three days a week, with 60 lunches two days a week and 145 lunches on one day, Williams said, adding the facility has told the restaurants to set their own prices for the program.

“There have been other restaurants in town that couldn’t participate due to staffing at present,” Williams added. “The opportunity is still out there.”

Williams, who has been on the Chamber of Commerce since January 2020, said the idea came from Jerry Schwab, president and CEO of High Watch, who used to sit on the chamber.

The Fife ‘n Drum is open Monday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; closed Tuesdays; open Wednesday and Thursday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 860-927-3509, email info@fifendrum.com or go to www.fifendrum.com.