New whistlestop in town: Railway Cafe at Geer Village

NORTH CANAAN — The new Railway Cafe at Geer Village isn’t even officially open yet and already the fame of the Friday cinnamon buns has spread so far and wide that on Nov. 4, all the buns were gone by 9:45 a.m. And they had only gone on sale at about 8:30 a.m.

These are good cinnamon buns. And as everyone in the cafe was commenting last Friday morning, “Much better than Cinnabon!” The cake is moist and warm. The frosting isn’t overly sweet and you can taste the cream cheese. They melt in your mouth.

“And they reheat very well,” said baker Carrie Stetson, who noted that people are coming in and buying the buns in multiples so they can serve them to brunch guests over the weekend.

On Nov. 4, Stetson prepared 40 buns and, by 9:30 a.m., was making a second batch of dough so she could feed the demand. Presumably, as time goes on, the first round of baking will yield more of the satisfying treats.

But for anyone who didn’t get a bun, there were plenty of delicious breakfast options available, from classic eggs and bacon or sausage, on a roll or on a plate; pancakes, French toast, fresh muffins, fruit cups, bagels and homemade home fries.

Stetson runs the café with Dawn Sanderson, who has been the food services director for all of Geer for the past nine and a half years, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to cook exactly what her customers want without worrying unduly about food restrictions. 

When the last restaurant at Geer closed down, Sanderson said, Geer CEO Kevin O’Connell had asked her if she would like to be in charge of creating a new eatery there. He gave her carte blanche to come up with the concept and to redecorate the space. Sanderson invited Stetson to join her; Stetson had been the “first cook” at Geer for the past three years, meaning she made breakfast and lunch for the residents. 

Stetson is now working full time in the cafe. Sanderson continues to work as food services director and also oversees the restaurant. All the staff are also Geer employees. 

“When our customers leave tips,” O’Connell said,”we are going to collect up the tips and let the staff choose a nonprofit charitable organization to donate the money to each week. That can be $30 or $40 a day or more, so that can end up as a meaningful contribution.”

He also hopes that local organizations will do fundraisers at the cafe, or with Stetson and Sanderson and their team as caterers. That way, he said, meal tickets can be sold with a portion of the proceeds going to the catering cost and the rest going to the nonprofit. The bigger the better, he said, in terms of how many people can be served. That’s one thing Sanderson and Stetson know a lot about: cooking in quantity while not sacrificing quality. 

Sanderson said that the catering menu hasn’t been set yet but her attitude overall is, “Tell me what you want and we’ll make it.” Before the “soft opening” of the cafe two weeks ago, she and Stetson interviewed community members (inside and outside Geer) about what they want to see on the menu. 

“We are here to serve and please our customers,” she said. “If they’re not satisfied, then this cafe isn’t going to succeed.”

The clientele so far has been pretty varied. A lot of Geer staff come in to get food that they take back to their desks.  YMCA members stop in after working out at the gym. And of course Geer residents come in, as do people who live in the area. Although there are several restaurants in North Canaan, the Geer restaurant has always attracted a lot of people from the community.

“It’s been really great getting to know those people,” Sanderson said. “Many of them come back again and again, they tell you stories and you start to get to know them. That’s been one of the nicest things.”

Repeat customers can keep ordering their favorite items from the menu, or they can choose the daily special. Sometimes its a homemade soup and salad or sandwich; earlier this week there was beef stew with a side of homemade bread.

The most popular time of day so far, Stetson said, is lunchtime.  The most popular item on the menu has been the Loaded BLT, which comes with blue cheese aioli (although Sanderson said that customers are welcome to opt for classic mayonnaise if that’s what they prefer). 

Second most popular so far has been the Railway Chicken Salad, Stetson said. 

It’s made fresh every day and has cranberries and pecans in it. 

“Dawn loves salad, she’s the salad person,” said Stetson, who is the baker. 

Both realize that their clientele is largely a meat-and-potatoes crowd — not literally but in the sense that they want solid, classic food at reasonable prices. 

And that’s what they plan to provide. The official opening will be Nov. 14. but you can stop by any weekday between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. (lunch service begins at 11 a.m.) and get a good, hot or cold nutritious and delicious meal.

— Cynthia Hochswender