Becoming a mother changes the game. Where you live, how you work, your relationship with your spouse and family - all of it! Nothing is quite the same. Jessica-Lee Sabine knows a thing or two about this. She's recently opened a restaurant in Webster and brought her family (and baby!) along with her.
House made sodas. Homemade Oat Milk for your latte. Locally sourced dairy, meat, bread,... are we in Brooklyn? Nope. Webster, Massachusetts is home to the hippest restaurant within a stone's throw of the quiet corner. The buzz in northeast Connecticut is that this is the best new restaurant for really special food. I knew I had to take a closer look at this mama-run cafe and restaurant. Read on to learn more about The Rose Room.
QUIET CORNER EATS INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA-LEE SABINE
of THE ROSE ROOM, WEBSTER MA
There's a bit of a vintage vibe to your restaurant - tell me about the history!
There is a long family history behind The Rose Room. My paternal great grandfather, Andy Stefanik, owned a bar right down the street from where we are now. The bar was aptly named "Andy's", but there was a function room inside that bar that was called The Rose Room. My grandfather later took over ownership of Andy's and my father grew up in the apartment above. We have a lot of the over-50 community here in Webster that remembers going to bridal showers and baby showers and graduation parties and everything in between at The Rose Room. It's really heartwarming to hear the stories that surround the name.
What drew you to this area to open your restaurant?
I grew up in Dudley and moved home with my husband when we found out we were expecting our first child. I had never, ever .... like never in a million years dreamed that I would be living back in this area and opening my business here. But here we are and we are loving it! We are making the changes that we set out to make. Our goal was and IS to source every thing as locally as we possibly can and to connect our community to delicious locally made/grown foods. It's working! Change is happening. We hope more new small businesses choose to do biz in Webster. The town has all kinds of initiatives and funding to revive downtown and we're looking forward to seeing the growth.
I know this is a family affair - what's it like working with your relatives?
Um. Amazing. Challenging. Every day is an opportunity to learn to communicate better.
It was a big change for me and my hubs. We had previously only worked opposite shifts - I was up early making coffee, he was out late bartending. Even after a year working together every day, we hit bumps. Ultimately I just have to wake up every morning and say: I'm living my ultimate dream and I am totally in alignment with my path and I'm going to do better today than yesterday. And that's how we roll.
We are 110% blessed to have three generations of ladies at the cafe. My mom, myself, and my 18 month old daughter --- and then Bill, my husband, the crucial man in the operations here. My dad will also come and help out when we need a hand, which is so generous! We're living the dream, ya'll, and loving every crazy minute of it.
You've been open a little while now. What's a big lesson you've learned as a new business?
Someone told me this YEARS ago and I'm just starting to get it ---- we're just putting food on plates. I can't stress enough how much of a waste of time and energy it is to stress over the small stuff. Do I still freak over the most ridiculous things? YES. But I can more quickly turn it around and come back to center. No one is going to remember that you had to throw out that burnt batch of whatever, but what they will remember is the way you cared, how they were always greeted with joy, how they believed in what you were doing.
What are some of your favorite menu items right now?
Oh boy, the menu changes so insanely often because of the seasonality of certain goods. Plus the menu is on the small side (just 9 items) so it feels good to mix it up. The Shiitake Bowl will be making its way back onto the menu soon. Chaga broth, VT grown rice, shiitake mushrooms, sesame, pickled onion, miso sauce, and over easy egg. That dish is a total winner! We have a smoked salmon dish available now with cold and hot smoked salmon, housemade english muffin, greens, hard boiled egg and cream cheese. And I'd say you can never go wrong with a slice of our vegan chocolate cake.
You're a mom to a little one. Congratulations!! What's the best part about this age? What does she love to eat?
Yes, Dot! Ohhhhh, Dot. She is just about 18 months. We opened our doors here when she was just 3 months old, so she literally eats everything because she eats with us every day. She has an affinity for sweets and dough from any old baked good and she can hear the freezer door opening from 100 miles away because she knows there's ice cream in there. If i had to say there was a best part it would probably be that she's on the brink of talking and I can see her little brain working to put it all together. Every new word is a total joy.
I know you work with Elm Farm down here in Woodstock. Why is it important to you to use local products? Do you have any others in your menu?
I LOVE MATT PECKHAM. Hahahaha. But seriously, Elm Farm is incredible to work with and we use their whole milk, hard salamis, beef and pork products.
It's our mission to work with local farms and purveyors and to connect our community to locally sourced everything. Local agriculture might seem like a thing of the past to some but it is very much our present and definitely the future. If your food travels 5 miles to get to you, you know it's fresh. The benefits to your health, the benefits for our local economy, the difference in flavor, and the way animals and produce are treated .... I mean, what more reason do you need to eat locally sourced foods?
Couet Fromagerie, Ledgewood Farm, Kitchen Garden Farm, Maker to Main, Four Star Farms, Merrimack Valley Apiaries, Farmer Tim's Foods, Blackmoon Hollow, Longfield Flower Farm, Carlson Orchards, Mycoterra ..... so many others. There are links for many of these farms on our website www.theroseroomcafe.com and also info about the CSA programs we are offering this spring and summer.
What do customers say they love about The Rose Room?
Our housemade oat milk, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal bread, and latte art are the top hits on our facebook. I think our coffee program is incredible. The housemade soda menu is insane. Fresh baked everything, it's a no-brainer. We have a great crowd for pizza nights, which is the second Wednesday of the month from 7-10pm ... mark it on your calendar!
How do we find you?
We're right in Webster at 4 East Main Street! Currently, we're open from 8am - 4pm on Monday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday! , 8am - 8pm on Friday and we are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We've got street parking if you're coming on the back roads from CT, or if you're coming off of the highway you can turn on Prospect Street and park in our lot alongside the building.
Anyone else feeling hungry? This is the sort of place that would work for any mealtime scenario - girls date for coffee and splitting up baked goods (but really eating the whole thing), pop out with the kids, breakfast on the weekends, a "working" lunch, first date dinner, family get together...ANYTHING. Let's go! If you do happen to stop in, tell them you've heard from Macaroni Kid! See you there.
