A round-up of openings, closings, and other news about West Hartford businesses. 

Business Buzz is sponsored by NBT Bank, and we are very thankful for their support! 

By Ronni Newton

I think the spring weather needs a reset, and thankfully the forecast for this week looks promising.

I started writing this column on Saturday, looking out my office window at a coating of SNOW on the patio and on the daffodils. Most of the week ahead looks a bit more more seasonal, and watching the Masters is really making me impatient for some real springtime weather and the blooming azaleas.

This is spring break week for West Hartford Public Schools. There aren’t many meetings scheduled, and while I don’t want to jinx it, I hope it will be a quiet week where I can finally catch up on some features that need to be written.

I had several fun experiences this past week, including reporting on a dog-related story, modeling in the Kimberly Boutique fashion show, and covering the UConn Women’s Basketball Victory Celebration which thankfully was postponed to Sunday.

Ted and I had a fabulous dinner on Saturday night at Portobello Restaurant on Park Road. Look for a feature coming soon about some updates to their menu and the new patio, too.

Don’t be a troll; follow the rules. Below is our new troll monitor that Business Manager Bob Carr created with some help from ChatGPT. He’s watching for those who attempt to comment without their full name, or using a fake email, or with personal attacks. He may be emailing you soon …

This week’s troll count: three emails.

If you are a long term, regular advertiser on We-Ha.com and have a 60 to 75 word submission for a future Business Buzz please send to Bob Carr at [email protected]. You can also contact Bob if you are interested in becoming a sponsor of a section of the site.

If you have information to share about local businesses, please provide details in the comments or email Ronni Newton at [email protected].

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Here’s this week’s Buzz:

• Earlier this year, Chef Rui Correia had a soft opening for the second location of Piri Piri Q at 2074 Park Road, just across the town line from West Hartford at the corner of Park Street and Prospect Avenue, in a portion of the former J’s Crabshack space. Correia, who recently moved to West Hartford from Greenwich, where for years he was the chef/owner of the renowned Portuguese restaurant, Douro. The first Piri Piri Q opened in Parkville Market, and Correia said that was “kind of a test run,” and it quickly became evident that the community liked the menu with its focus on chicken and ribs – but he wanted to be able to also capitalize on the take-out and delivery side of the business, which isn’t the focus at Parkville Market. “We wanted to deliver to the homes in West Hartford,” he said. He had perfected his own version of piri-piri sauce that he served with chicken and ribs at Douro, and said the menu at Piri Piri Q (a take on “bar-b-Q”) is healthy and affordable eating – something that has been more important than ever to Correia since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease eight years ago. Douro was a full-service, fine dining restaurant, and Correia said it was a great 10 years there. “It was a prominent dining establishment in town, but I couldn’t keep up that pace. I decided to get out on a high note,” he said. He knew Carlos Mouta, owner of Parkville Market, who had been one of his customers at Douro, and decided to test the waters in this area, and officially moved to West Hartford with his wife and two young boys (now ages 5 and 2½) about a year and a half ago. “They’re my inspiration,” he said. “We love the dining scene, and there are great farms nearby,” he added. The menu at Piri Piri Q on Park Street is the same as the menu at Parkville Market, and while there is ample space to sit down and eat at the new space – including at the bar where you relax with a glass of wine or a beer, or on the patio – there’s plenty of free parking on-site that makes take-out easy, and they also offer delivery through local services, provide catering, and are considering launching their own delivery service. “Our focus is to feed people at home,” Correia said, with fast casual food that’s healthy, and doesn’t skimp on quality. Most of the menu is gluten free, and he can make changes to fit anyone’s dietary needs. “It doesn’t have to be boring,” he said, although the menu itself is relatively simple – primarily chicken, ribs, or a combo thereof in various sizes, with side dishes that include housemaid chips, punched potatoes, baked beans (with chorizo, but can be served without), and salad. They also have empanadas, wings, soup and salad combos, rice bowls (available with chicken, pork, or vegan), and “sanduíches” on Portuguese rolls, and bifana – which is pork stewed in spices, topped with onions and served on a Portuguese roll. The piri-piri sauce is also available as “piri-aise” (mixed with mayonnaise) or mixed with honey. The meat is roasted, not overly sauced (although you can add as much as you like), and so tender it falls off the bone, and the portions are reasonable, so that you don’t leave feeling overstuffed. Correia said the type of menu lends itself to franchising, which is his plan. “Our goal is to grow it up here on the East Coast,” he said, but to maintain the atmosphere of a local cafe that doesn’t feel like a franchise, offering good food, good service, and at a price point that people will also enjoy. While he has crafted the recipes and does some prep work, because of his Parkinson’s he is focused on growing the business and doesn’t do much of the day-to-day cooking at Piri Piri Q. That’s the domain of Eric, a chef newly relocated from Nantucket where he worked at several fine dining establishments. Correia does personally offer a prepared meal service – which is based out of the 2074 Park Street kitchen – that can cater to any dietary need. He also hosts trips to Portugal, where he has personal relationships with olive growers as well as restaurant owners. Correia, who came to the U.S. from Portugal as a child, said while many chefs credit their grandmothers for their cooking inspiration, he credits his restaurateur grandma in a different way. “She had the passion for food and the service,” he said, and was “known as the lady in town who had the restaurant.” But it wasn’t the food she cooked that inspired him– but seeing the bond she formed with her customers that has guided his career.

• Fyzical Therapy & Balance Center will be opening on May 1 at 61 South Main Street (corner of Ellsworth and South Main), and Matt Burger, who is owner of the franchise with his wife, Jessica, is looking forward to bringing the business to West Hartford. Fyzical has about 700 locations nationally – most of which are owned by individuals – and while there are four others in Connecticut, this is the first in the Greater Hartford area, Burger said. While Fyzical offers a range of physical therapy services, their focus is on vestibular and neurological recovery, as well as treatment of pelvic floor issues. “At least 50% of the practice is vestibular,” he said, and that’s the “core of the brand.” They treat patients who are recovering from stroke, as well as those with early-stage dementia, Parkinson’s, vertigo, and other balance issues. Burger said he first became aware of the brand, which is based in Sarasota, Florida, after his father (who lives in that area) developed a brain tumor and went to physical therapy for post-surgical treatment and recovery. “It got me into the business side and helping people – the marriage of those two things is personally rewarding and fulfilling,” he said. Burger himself isn’t a physical therapist, but has hired Spencer Simmons, who worked at the Fyzical location in Bristol, to serve as clinical director, and a second PT – who is finishing an educational program in treatment of pelvic floor issues – will start in June. Fyzical has several unique pieces of equipment, including a Solo Step rail that runs along the ceiling and allows patients to practice walking while secured in a harness that can safely support their weight because it’s attached to the steel beams in the ceiling. There are other balance-related pieces of equipment, a recovery-relaxation room where the administer compression therapy, and they are able to create custom orthotics for use in running shoes as well as ski boots with Superfeet Rx. They take all major insurances, and also will treat patients on a cash basis, he said. Burger said eventually they hope to open as many as eight Fyzical locations in the area as well as in Litchfield County including in towns like Simsbury, Rocky Hill, Manchester, Glastonbury, Roxbury, New Milford, and Woodbury.

• The West Hartford Center Business Association is hosting an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, April 19. from 10 a.m. to noon. “Come celebrate spring in The Center by finding eggs filled with candy, prizes, and discounts at all participating stores (while supplies last),” the WHCBA said in the announcement. “Find an egg in every color (8 total colors) and bring your complete set to Fleet Feet to be entered to win gift cards totaling $250 to use anywhere in The Center.  The drawing will happen at noon inside Fleet Feet.” See map below for locations.

• The sign is up for Ceara Market, a convenience store and market, which will be opening in the former Essential Health space at 74 Park Road. I haven’t been able to connect with the owner to find out more details, but there is permit activity on the town’s website.

• A reader pointed out that there was a sign in the window of another of the 74 Park Road spaces for Mindful Transformations – that I have not previously noticed. According to the company’s website, the presence in that location is temporary, while their permanent new space at 17 Talcott Notch Road in Farmington is being built out. According to the website: “At Mindful Transformations, we are more than just a therapy practice – we are a sanctuary of healing, growth, and self-discovery. Our mission is to guide you on a journey toward wholeness, helping you connect with your true self and navigate life’s challenges with grace and resilience. Through a unique blend of mindfulness, holistic therapy, and compassionate care, we empower individuals, couples, and families to achieve their full potential.”

• Permit applications are under review, including for the proposed sign, for Sugar Gen to open in the former State Farm office space at 1123A New Britain Avenue. The State Farm office moved to a few doors down to 1111 New Britain Avenue, the shopping center where Jerry’s Artarama is located. According to their website, Sugar Gen specializes in “Safe, Natural, and Eco-Friendly Hair Removal with a Focus on Sustainability,” using sugar.

• As the West Hartford Center Infrastructure reconstruction progresses, I’ll provide regular updates, including photos, in this column. In the two weeks since the project commenced (see project details here) the street trees on LaSalle Road have been removed (52 new trees will replace the 36 that were taken down), and in the Phase 1A and Phase 1B areas (the east side of LaSalle from Ellsworth to the Memorial Road Connector and the west side between Farmington Avenue and Central Optica) the sidewalk and a portion of the pavement has been demolished. There is construction fencing in place and the sidewalk in those areas is closed to pedestrians. Click here to see the phasing schedule provided by the town.

• I can’t resist peeking in the window of the future Friendly Toast (36 LaSalle Road) every time I walk by. It really looks complete, right down to the silverware and ketchup bottles being out on the tables. I still don’t have any more details than “late spring” but will keep tabs on it.

• The Donut Crazy store at 993 Farmington Avenue has had a “sold out” sign on the door for several days, and according to some Facebook posts took orders from customers who were then met with a locked door when they went to pick them up. Those customers have been trying to get in touch with the owner (it reverted to corporate ownership last fall), and I have tried reaching him via email and at two different phone numbers, but have gotten no response. I did speak with an employee at the Donut Crazy in Shelton, who said the West Hartford store is closed with no reopening plans. I’d like to confirm that through the owner, if he ever gets back to me, but it doesn’t sound good.

• Click here to listen to the latest installment of the “On the Scene” podcast, where On The Scene hosts Tom Hickey and Bob Carr talk about the West Hartford community with Mayor Shari Cantor including how West Hartford works, how it has changed, and her history with the town. Podcasts can also be found at the bottom of the home page on the revamped We-Ha.com website!

• Did you know that you can listen to We-Ha.com articles as well as reading them yourself? At the top of every article, right under the headline, you’ll find a prompt (see photo) to activate the feature, and a friendly voice will read the article aloud to you. The pronunciation and annunciation is decent, too! No time to read? It’s a good way to keep up with the news while working out, or driving, or biking, or if you have vision problems – or forget your reading glasses. Just hit play on the audio player, right below the headline (top left)!

Remember, if you have any business news to share, add it in the comments section below or email Ronni Newton at [email protected].

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