Celebrate Connecticut! • CERC 21
Celebrate Connecticut 2016
November 30, 2016
BlumShapiro wants to
congratulate all the 2016
nominees on your invaluable
contributions within the
State of Connecticut.
We applaud your efforts on
improving the quality of life
within our communities and
inspiring positive change.
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
866.356.BLUM
blumshapiro.com
A W A R D W I N N E R S / / / / / N O R T H E A S T
Green Valley Hospitality
Restaurant Group
Green Valley Hospitality Restaurant Group
encompasses three restaurants — Vanilla Bean
Cafe, 85 Main, Dog Lane Cafe — that are
owned and operated by Barry Jessurun and his
brother Brian. The restaurants have become
must-stops for anyone visiting and favorite
go-to places for those who live in the region,
and feature local products and artisans. The
brothers' philosophy: is to "create a place where
we would feel comfortable and serve food that
we would want to eat." Their commitment to
Connecticut-produced products sets them
apart with vendors who include: Devon Point
Farm, Woodstock; Mountain Dairy, Storrs; Rivers
Edge Sugar House, Ashford; Hosmer Mountain
Soda, Willimantic; Stonewall Apiary, Hanover;
Willimantic Food Co-op, Willimantic; and Cato
Corner Farm, Colchester.
1020 Riverside Drive in Thompson
Owners Charlene and Frank Langlois took
a former mill property in Thompson and
converted it into commercial space that now
houses a dance studio with five dance rooms
and a fitness room. The new space also
contains a salon, space for a massage therapist,
and a food outlet for locally produced, non-
processed foods. 1020 Riverside Drive's
renovation is a great example of re-using a
brownfield space that was not contributing to
the employment or tax rolls of a town that has
consistently had a higher-than-average rate of
unemployment.
