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Date: 12/4/2019
CHESTER – Restaurateurs Erin Patrick and Aaron Allen will bring back a Chester institution when they reopen Carm’s Restaurant and Coffee Shop on 241 Route 20 in Chester, sometime in the next week or two.
Customers will be happy to see that the front room at Carm’s will still retain the classic look of the popular breakfast and lunch spot that closed in 2014, with the same tables and chairs and red counter that graced it over the past 50 years. “The look in the front is not too different,” Patrick said. The façade, along with the flying Mobil horse sign, will also remain the same, although the gas tanks have been removed.
Not everything is the same, however. There are new handicap bathrooms, a ramp, new roof, insulation and fire suppression. Patrick and Allen have been wrapping up the renovations, and working with the town to get the inspections done. They plan on a soft opening in December, and a grand opening after the first of the year. “It was a larger undertaking than we first expected, but we’re almost done,” Patrick said.
Carm’s will feature a classic menu, and offer many of former owner Mary Gauthier’s most popular dishes, including Mary’s Western, with onions and peppers.
Patrick said the bacon cheeseburger omelet will also be back on the menu. Carm’s was named for Carmella, Mary’s great aunt, whose family ran it for a long time. Patrick said that the people in the community have been talking to them about the memories they have of favorite dishes. She said they’ve had a lot of positive feedback, and are excited to give it new life. “We’re still fine tuning the menu,” she said, adding that she loves to bake, and will offer homemade sweet breads, cinnamon rolls, muffins and homemade bread, along with an array of scrambled eggs, her preference, although she will also make omelets if requested.
There will also be some new twists on the old classics, including shrimp and grits, and vegetarian options, Patrick said.
This will be the second Chester restaurant for Patrick and Allen, who also own the Chester Common Table, a community gathering place at 30 Main St. which serves farm fresh takes on comfort food classics. Chester Common Table also features local beers, quality wines, creative cocktails and specials based on what is growing in the neighborhood and their daily whims. The restaurant hosts live music every Friday night from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and is the site for many special events in town.
Carm’s, which will offer breakfast all day and lunch, will be open six days from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Chester Common Table is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Both restaurants will be closed on Tuesdays.
Patrick admits it’s a big commitment. “We love Chester, and the community has been so supportive of us. We’re excited and willing to take on the project,” she said, adding, “We want to make it as amazing as it was.”
The timing of the opening coincides with the recent closing of a popular breakfast spot in Huntington, the Hunt & Hart Café & Bakery, which closed last month. Gino’s Pizzeria next door to Hunt & Hart also closed, and that building is up for sale.
“We were sad about that,” Patrick said, adding that the owner, Helen Crosby-Garcia is a friend of hers.
“We were disappointed that they had to make that choice, and sad to lose the option in the area. We’re hoping we can fill the hole they left.” Patrick said they did get some of their equipment from the Hunt & Hart Cafe, and some of the staff is going to be working at Carm’s. “We’re excited to offer somewhere to sit in the morning and have your coffee,” Patrick said.
Watch for the announcement of the opening of Carm’s Restaurant and Coffee Shop on Facebook, or on their website at carmsinchester.com.