NORFOLK — Tasty food, coffee and a friendly atmosphere are drawing people to the ICBX, a new café offering breakfast and lunch.
The ICBX, so named in honor of Norfolk being known as the Icebox of Connecticut, opened on Monday, Dec. 2, after many delays in the installation of an exhaust system.
“Something you’d think would take two weeks, ends up taking three months,” café co-owner Peter Crippen said. In this case it took much longer than three months, closer to two years. He said the bigger companies kept pushing back the job in favor of bigger jobs. Finally, using local contractors was the key and the work was done more quickly.
Marinelle Crippen, Peter’s wife and partner in the business, works at the counter greeting customers and taking orders while Peter is in the kitchen cooking.
“Things have been going very well,” Peter said. “We get busy, we handle it and learn each day how to refine the flow from everything for customer service to food preparation.” Marinelle agreed, saying, “It’s been fun so far.”
The Crippens are not strangers to working with food. They bring their experience running Rex Café in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, managing the Mermaid Inn in Chelsea and Red Rooster in Harlem, to the ICBX.
Peter Crippen, owner of the ICBX cafe at Station Place in Norfolk, prepares to cook a made to order omelet. ICBX opened on December 2nd. Peter and his wife Marinelle run the cafe together and offer breakfast and lunch from 7a.m. to 2p.m., everyday except Tuesday. Robin Roraback
In addition, Peter’s mother makes Mrs. Crippen’s Bourbon and Molasses Fruitcake, which is available at ICBX. His sister ran Irving Farm Coffee House in Millerton, New York, for many years. When Peter and son Rex went on a fishing trip recently, his sister filled in at the grill.
“It is amazing how the Breakfast Burritos have gone over.” Peter remarked. He also said that he has brought back something he remembers from childhood: toasted muffins. He said that once customers have a toasted muffin “it is the only way to eat it.”
David Gourley of Norfolk has quickly become a regular customer. He sat at the counter, chatting with Marinelle. “It’s a wonderful meeting place and a welcome addition to our community,” he said. Of his made to order three egg omelet, he said, “The tomatoes are warmed on the grill first. Delicious.”
ICBX offers coffee, tea, biscuit sliders, oatmeal, yogurt and granola. Breakfast sandwiches can be made to order with a choice of sausage, ham, egg, avocado, bacon, tomato and cheese. Breakfast Chorizo Burritos have options of onion, egg and hot sauce. Vegetable Burritos can be made with green peppers, mushrooms, black beans, egg and hot sauce.
A variety of baked goods is also available, including scones, breads and muffins.
Starting Thursday, Jan. 2, the café began offering lunch. The lunch menu contains two sandwiches, soup and salad.
In December they were open every day except Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and in January extended the hours until 2 p.m. For more information, call (860) 671-0005 or stop by the ICBX at 10 Station Place in Norfolk.
The Salisbury town crew out plowing and salting Monday morning.
Schools, municipal offices, churches and numerous community events were canceled or postponed through Monday as plowing operations continued and temperatures dropped into the single digits overnight.
Despite the severity of the storm, local officials said preparation efforts helped keep roads passable and emergency services operating — though many towns acknowledged the financial toll of repeated storms this winter.
“In December, we had seen as much snow as all of winter last year,” North Canaan First Selectman Jesse Bunce said Friday, before the storm arrived, citing conversations with his highway crew. “Our salt budget is getting thin, and costs like this are tough. But we have to do it no matter what happens. Public safety comes first.”
Bunce said the town had likely exceeded its snow-removal budget even before the weekend storm. Crews logged nearly 30 hours during the Jan. 17–18 weekend alone, he said, after back-to-back storms required repeated plowing and salting.
“A typical snowstorm might mean a four-hour route for our crews — three or four inches that stops overnight, allowing them to head out early in the morning,” Bunce said. “But when storms drag out, it really lengthens the work.”
North Canaan employs four full-time highway workers, with an additional employee on call for larger storms. Bunce said the town has some reserve funds and expects to shift money within the budget to cover overruns.
Falls Village First Selectman Dave Barger said his town is facing similar pressures.
“We will be over budget,” Barger said Friday. “We have used more salt this season than we used all last year — and we’re only halfway through the winter.”
Several officials pointed to a recent rain-to-freeze cycle as particularly costly, turning snow into inches of ice that required heavier treatment. Some towns adjusted their salt usage by mixing materials to conserve supplies. North Canaan, for example, has used a blend of roughly two-thirds salt and one-third sand, Bunce said. Salt currently costs about $120 per ton, compared to roughly $20 per ton for sand.
Kent First Selectman Eric Epstein said his town entered the storm well stocked and operationally ready. “The highway department has been busy and has gone through a lot of material this year,” Epstein said Friday. “We’ve had deliveries, we’re well stocked, and the trucks are in good shape. There has been an increase in costs, but so far, it’s within the budget. We’ll see if this pattern continues.”
Richard Tietjen, a sexton at the Salisbury Congregational Church, shoveled some 16 inches of snow from the church's front steps Monday morning, Jan. 26.By Patrick L Sullivan
Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand said Thursday that highway crews were prepared, while Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan also reported that his town had taken steps to be ready for prolonged snowfall and extreme cold.
Beyond road conditions, the storm triggered broader cold-weather planning at the state level.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Lamont’s office announced that Connecticut’s Cold Weather Protocol would go into effect ahead of the storm’s arrival, activating coordination between state agencies and municipalities.
The protocol is designed to protect vulnerable populations during periods of life-threatening cold, including arranging transportation to warming centers and shelters when needed. Residents seeking shelter were urged to visit 211ct.org or call 2-1-1 for assistance.
Municipalities also reached out directly to residents. The Town of Cornwall circulated an advisory email urging people to check on neighbors and vulnerable residents and reminding them of the town’s Storm Safety Check-In program, which provides advance notice of major weather events and wellness checks when necessary.
As crews continued plowing into Monday, local leaders said the storm underscored both the importance — and the growing cost — of winter preparedness.
"A year like this, with so much activity, it’s inevitable,” Bunce said. “We anticipate going over budget. But we’ll take it as it comes and keep the roads safe.”
With additional reporting by Patrick L Sullivan
