Backdoor Café Heats Up In New Location

By Larissa Lytwyn

The temperature outside may be cooling, but inside the Backdoor Café, a business managed by Newtown High School students in grades 9 through 12, a host of innovations are piping hot.

Among them is the Backdoor Café’s first open house.

After spending several years operating from the basement of St John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook, the Backdoor Café moved to a spacious, culinary-equipped space in Newtown Middle School this past August.

The Back Door serves teachers and staff throughout the district with moderately priced lunches that can be delivered directly to their classroom or office.

The menu features sandwiches including turkey clubs, chicken breast BLTs, Cajun chicken dishes, wraps, salads and even a “Waist Watchers” menu, based on the Weight Watchers dieting program.

Options under the Waist Watchers menu include a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and honey mustard, turkey, roast beef or ham on a bagel. and low-fat broccoli quiche and egg salad.

“While we were happy to be at the church, a problem arose concerning handicap accessibility,” explained the Back Door’s co-manager Drew Saren. “We had a student who needed a wheelchair ramp to enter the building.”

Ms Saren said that the transition to the middle school had been remarkably smooth.

“The staff here at Newtown Middle School has been very supportive of us,” Ms Saren said. “We feel fortunate to be here.”

The open house, she continued, invites the community to “stop by and say hello” while giving Back Door’s students the opportunity to showcase both their culinary and hosting skills.

The students will be trying their hand at serving this year, using a large, oval-shaped dining table to wait on customers.

“Training as a waiter is a way for our students to broaden their skills and increase their sense of confidence and competence,” noted co-manager Gloria Aresenian.

The experience will involve everything from learning how to balance a tray to effectively taking orders while being a friendly, attentive sever.

Kevin Jorssick, a junior, has been involved with the Backdoor Café since his freshman year.

“Being part of the Backdoor Café has gotten me into cooking more at home,” he said. He said he enjoyed delivering food to the teachers.

“I like working with the other kids in Back Door, too,” he said.

The open house will feature a patriotic theme in honor of November’s presidential elections.

“We’ve titled our menu, ‘The Political Palette,’” said Ms Saren.

Entrees include “Bush” Bubbling Homemade Lasagna, “Edwards” Enhanced Chicken Salad and Grapes, “Kerry” Cajun Chicken Salad, and “Cheney” Choice Tuna Salad sandwich.

“We’ve sent special invitations to the first selectman [Herb Rosenthal], superintendent of schools [Evan Pitkoff], and other members of the community and the school district administration,” Ms Saren.

Lunches will all be served by reservation.

Ms Saren said the general public, as well as students and faculty, are welcome to come in for a complimentary cup of coffee and meet the Back Door’s student chefs and servers.

“We also welcome any former [students] of the Back Door to come,” said Ms Saren, noting that over the program’s 15-year history, many Back Door students have returned to visit with their families.

“They are always so happy to see that we are still here and going strong,” said Ms Saren. “We’re looking forward to an exciting year.”

The Back Door Café’s open house will take place on Wednesday, September 23, from 9 am to 1 pm.

Reservations for lunch at the open house should be made by Friday, September 17.

The Back Door Café begins serving its regular and Waist Watchers menu on September 27.

Hours are in conjunction with school times, from 8 am to 1:30 Monday through Friday. Lunch orders are accepted until 1.

The Café is closed on snow days and weekends.

For more information, or for open house lunch reservations, contact the Back Door Café at 270-4555.