Coffee Roasting, Smoothie Mixing

Cassidy Considine and Kelly Wolfe at Nutrition on Railroad.
Photo by Riley Klein

A short distance away from Northwest Auto, across Railroad Street, we come across the newest business in town, ILSE Coffee. ILSE is a company that has been based in Stamford, Conn. Originally, they were primarily wholesale coffee roasters that shipped beans to cafes around the world. I sat down to interview co-owners Rebecca Grossman and Lucas Smith, who couldn’t be more excited to have brought their business to North Canaan. When asked why they chose North Canaan, Grossman said, “We were coming up on our lease and thinking about where we wanted to be next in the world and North Canaan was always an option. It’s always been a special place for both of us. We had been driving by this building when we would come up and always thought that it would make for such an amazing roastery. So we reached out to the owner and he was interested in renting it to us and we decided to make the move.”
In August of 2022, Isle made its move from Stamford to North Canaan and has been bustling ever since. It was a great fit right away. While in Stamford, ILSE was located in a warehouse, which worked great, but the team was looking for that small-town feel and personality. The new location has plenty of room for the entire wholesale department while having the added bonus of a small room for a store. Leaning into the retail side of things is the direction that they intend on going as well. Opening the retail side has taken more time than they originally thought, but are ready to open this spring. Having that piece of the business be a new opportunity for growth is rather exciting for co-owners Smith and Grossman. Being able to bring to light all the deliciousness that comes with coffee and coffee-related drinks to the folks of North Canaan is something they cannot wait to do. They will also be selling their beans in the store for people who brew their coffee at home and are looking for top-notch beans. Anyone looking for a great cup of Joe and anything else related to coffee, look no further than ILSE Coffee.
Across the street, we have Nutrition On Railroad and KayCee & Co. Gift Boutique, which is a joint operation owned by Cassidy Pelletier and Kelly Wolfe. On the Nutrition side there is a medley of smoothies, acai bowls, and energy-boosting drinks, on the Gift Boutique side there are all sorts of trinkets and other assorted goods. This combo shop, if you will, is something that is completely unique to North Canaan. The birth of Nutrition started with the idea of “What is Canaan missing?” A smoothie and drink bar was the answer. Pelletier doesn’t want that to be the only way people know nutrition though, as she is always focused on “what Canaan needs and will continue to need” in the hope of always being able to adapt to the times. Adaptation is something they both see as growth and progress, that’s why about a year ago they added the Gift Boutique. Breaking down a wall between the two storefronts and becoming one, the stores flourished. Unfortunately, the traffic just hasn’t been there for the Gift Boutique so they, naturally, will have to adapt.
Nutrition is generally pretty busy, with a rush in the morning and around lunchtime with a steady stream of folks in and out in between, they stay bustling. The Gift Boutique, however, is a totally different animal. “The gift shop just doesn’t stand alone right now, whereas Nutrition has always been successful.” Due to unforeseen circumstances, the gift shop struggles to draw a crowd. Cassidy has a couple of theories of her own as to why that is. “ I don’t know if Canaan is just not ready for it, or people just don’t think about Canaan in that way. Honestly, I don’t think there are enough gift shops. No one comes to Canaan for one gift shop. I wish we had three or four gift shops and I think we’d be a lot more successful.” The gift shop is a fantastic addition to the town, and it’s great for people just passing through town that can get a memento to remember Canaan by. It’s just unfortunate that there really isn’t the foot traffic through town to support it completely. This realization has prompted Nutrition to rethink what it wants to do and how to make changes to be more successful. Seeing as one side of the business has a steady stream of customers at this point, it would only make sense for them to lean into that side.
Expanding Nutrition on Railroad will be no easy task, and as such has been planned out thoroughly, the main idea behind it is to really lean into the breakfast side of things. In order to do so they will have to undergo reconstruction, planned for sometime this summer. The area behind the bar is not very large, which is by design. There’s only so much space that one or at max two people behind the bar need, they’re only whipping up smoothies and other drinks. The storage for everything doesn’t take up very much space, they use fresh fruit for every smoothie and fruit bowl so they can’t have too much fruit in stock or else it will sit too long and spoil. So in order to accommodate breakfast they must make some critical changes, which means increasing that space, just not at the cost of the smoothie bar. The smoothie bar offers a unique way for people to come together and mingle as if it were a real bar, but there’s no alcohol and that is something that Pelletier does not want to change about the business. “I feel like it’s a fun place to come sit and what we kinda want to do is have more seating options because it is small.” Along with the expansion will come new merchandise and owner Pelletier teased that there could possibly be a name change. “I feel like Nutrition On Railroad kind of limits me a little bit… just the name Nutrition On Railroad, yes the food is nutrition, but that’s not how I want people to take it, thinking that it’s only healthy options. Right now that’s what we’re geared for and we’re always going to have that, but I wanted to offer things like pastries and sandwiches.” Time changes quickly and waits for no one, so the folks at Nutrition are adapting fast and shaking things up.
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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.
The weekend of Homecoming at HVRHS was packed with events including rival games under the lights, senior night, and a new take on Homecoming that moves it outside — and it wouldn’t have been possible without the students of Housatonic.
Orchestrating was no easy feat, especially considering much of the work was left up to the students.
Historically, HVRHS has hosted night games for boys and girls soccer and the GNH football team, but when members of the soccer team asked the athletic director, Anne MacNeil, she left it up to the students to acquire the lights necessary to host a night game.
“I said, ‘Hey, if you can find the lights, we can make it happen,’” MacNeil said. “I usually take control of it, but I really wanted to have the teams have the initiative and take responsibility for it. I think by having them do that, they have a lot more invested in it.”
Finding lights for the game was a challenge in and of itself, and it fell on the students, parents, and alumni to come together if there was to be a night game at all.
Luckily for the players, Patricia and Dino Labbadia, parents of senior Anthony Labaddia, were able to amass the support of the community and get all the necessary equipment donated for the night game.
“We’re fortunate with our communities. Our parents know people in communities and they were able to ask… [and] find the resources,” MacNeil said. “We’ve got a great senior group and senior parent group who have really taken charge … and really made the whole season possible.”
In the end, the night came together spectacularly, and the senior ceremonies, rivalry games, and nighttime fixtures made for a memorable night on the day before Homecoming.
The action began at 4 p.m. Thursday, when the JV Girls Volleyball team played rivals Lakeview High School at home.
At 4:30, the middle school boys soccer team as well as the cross country team faced Northwestern at Housatonic’s lower field and cross country course respectively. Also at 4:30, the JV boys soccer team took on rival Lakeview at Housatonic’s upper field.
At 5:15, the girls varsity volleyball team honored their seniors at Housatonic’s Senior Night ceremony, including captains Katie Crane and Victoria Brooks, before an intense match against Lakeview.
At 6:15, the boys varsity soccer team honored their seniors, including captains Everet Belancik and Abram Kirshner, before kicking off under the lights at Housatonic’s upper field against the Bobcats.
Friday night changes
Typically, Homecoming is hosted in the cafeteria with a DJ and the entire room open as a dance floor. Dancing is the main event, with a small photo op stationed next to one of the exits.
The typical formal dance filled with LED lights and glitter looked a bit different this year. For the HVRHS 2025 Homecoming, the activities all took place outside. There was a large bonfire for students to hang around, a tented area perfect for dancing, and lawn games to play.
The inspiration for this change comes from the Homecoming hosted during the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions put into place at the time. Senior class President Madison Graney said “Other years passed, graduating classes really enjoyed it and we wanted to give it a try.”
Although the theme of Homecoming remains the same, new tasks came in preparation for the event. Including the Bonfire “adds a whole new component,” Graney said. “[We] have to contact the fire department to ensure that the bonfire is being contained.” Hosting the dance outside also demanded “more preparation the day before … set up the tents and make sure it’s a safe and fun space for everyone to enjoy.”
Opinions about Homecoming’s new look vary amongst the student body, with some excited for change and others comfortable with the familiarity of an inside dance. Alexa Meach, an HVRHS senior, expressed that “Everyone that I’ve talked to’s plan is to get dressed up, take photos, and then change into more comfortable clothes because it’s going to be freezing. I feel like we could have had a different event for the bonfire. I think they could have been two separate events.”
Graney said the change is “A really great way to change up the tradition ... [and] another good way to get to know your peers and your teachers and interact with the student body all at once.”
As the chilly breeze settles in, Halloween approaches and the community yearns for spooky festivities — HVRHS has answered that calling. An event held annually for the past eight years, the HVRHS haunted house has returned.
The event is organized by the current senior and junior year classes — 2026 and 2027 respectively — and held to raise money that goes toward the junior and senior class’s activities such as senior week, prom, the senior class trip, and more.
The haunted house is a significant event for HVRHS students, with the Class of 2026’s Vice President Richie Crane saying it is “actually one of our bigger fundraising events.” The profits raised by the classes are split based on how much either class participates, as Crane explained: “We split evenly between the juniors and the seniors, so if the juniors help as much as the seniors then we split the profit with them.” The profits shared between the classes is typically “a couple thousand dollars,” said Anne MacNeil, HVRHS’s sports director and one of the chaperones at the first haunted house.
In regards to planning such a large event, there are “several meetings that first start off with getting a theme … then finding a leader for each section … and then recruiting the people to participate.” MacNeil said. Costs going into planning the event are minimal, as they try to reuse as much materials as possible. If there are materials that need to be purchased, the cost is covered from the profits made at the end of the event, Crane said.
Working at the HVRHS haunted house provides students with an invaluable experience where they learn leadership skills, organizational skills, and teamwork. During the planning process, some students volunteer for leadership roles, where they are in charge of a designated section of the school and the people within that section. As a section leader, the student is in charge of setting up props, managing their area, and ensuring the people in their section are on task. Leaders dedicate “almost 12 hours of [their] day to a section of Housy” said Crane, giving the students a great opportunity to practice leadership skills.
The HVRHS haunted house is a holiday tradition that brings fun, community, and opportunities to the high school. MacNeil finds it to be “a lot of fun for the students to put on and a great thing for the community to enjoy.” Come support the Class of 2026 and 2027 and see the HVRHS haunted house for yourself on Nov. 1, 2025.