McMuckle’s cures mealtime monotony

Matthew Sadowski serves Mario DiGiacomo.
Kathryn Boughton
Matthew Sadowski serves Mario DiGiacomo.
NORTH CANAAN—The window says it all.
There, McMuckle’s Market proclaims it is a purveyor of “yumminess,” and owner Matthew Sadowski works hard to deliver on that promise.
Word is spreading throughout the region about the quality of the food at the little eatery, located at 85 Main St. in North Canaan, since owner/chef Sadowski quietly opened his doors Dec. 2.
In an online review, Andrew Anderson, enthused, “Came in on a whim, though I had been hearing about this place for a little while. I tried the kimchi & kielbasa fried rice and WOW. Super unique and flavorful. … The service was good, and the ambience was lovely … .”
In another online review, Craig Whiting added to the praise: “Very unique, high-quality food at a great price with a calming atmosphere.”
In a town that once offered little other than Italian restaurants, the range and variety of North Canaan’s cuisine is becoming more nuanced with the glitzy Industry Kitchen and Bar, the cozy Blackberry River Bistro, and the homestyle New England meals served at the Olde School Deli. There is much more than pasta and pizza on the menu now.
“It’s amazing what you can do with fresh food,” Sadowski said as be bustled past with dishes for a neighboring table. “It’s not the fastest thing, but I make as much as I can from scratch.” He even creates his own mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauces.
Many in town watched and waited as Sadowski prepared the location for his new restaurant, taking a year to open. Finally, with the interior freshly redecorated in a lemony yellow contrasted by a dusky blue, a smattering of tables and a long communal bar down one side, Sadowski was ready.
He has been content to let word-of-mouth bring him customers and enjoys it when new patrons enjoy the experience he offers and return. But he does not obsess if people want something else.
“When I started, people wanted Pop’s Diner [the next-to-last restaurant in the space]. But that is not coming back. I like it when get people on board with what I am doing. When they come back, that is a huge compliment, but I don’t want to do what others are doing — let them have that lane.”
What he is doing is simple food, cooked simply and with great skill — with the occasional surprising twist. The product of a Polish home, where pickled foods were frequently served, and a long-term relationship with a Korean woman, he likes to season his foods with pickled vegetables that offer a piquant — but not overpowering — flavor.
“I was turned on to that funkiness as a kid,” he recalled. “It’s natural flavoring without using flavorings that are bad for you. It’s better food and I want to put out a quality product all the time.”
His menu consists of such starters as an egg, “by the each, any time, anyway, with anything” ($2); pickled vegetables, which he terms “yummy probiotic-filled treats to cure a craving and indecisiveness” ($6); a choice of cast iron skillet veggies seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon and fresh herbs ($7); or kielbasa, sliced and pan-seared with tangy mustard for dipping ($5).
A variety of salads are priced at $9, and his hot sandwiches range from $6 to $10. His most expensive entree is a spicy chili garlic shrimp at $19. The Mediterranean sea bass comes just behind at $17.
Sadowski is happy to have people suggest meals. “If you don’t know what you want, I will cook for you and surprise you,” he said. Because all his food is made to order, his biggest fear is becoming too busy and making people wait too long for their food.
Sadowski is used to a much faster pace and happy to have turned his back on it. A cook since he was 12, working at his parent’s mom-and-pop shop with its soda fountain counter service, he drifted into working at casinos in Connecticut and Florida, where he was executive chef at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
“Cooking in casinos is an odd environment,” he said. “You lose track of everything. The work is nonstop and they are not the nicest people.”
Now, in his own restaurant, he feels different as a chef and finds different ideas that “pop out of my head and are more healthy choices.”
McMuckle’s (named for his dog) is open from “about 11” through 8 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday.
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.