Merrill’s Food Stories: A Taste of Southington

"Taste" can mean to eat or drink something in small quantities, or to become acquainted with something through experience. This week's Taste of Southington embodied both definitions of the word. Thanks to the efforts of curator Christina Volpe and her assistant Nadia Dillon, the 22nd annual tasting event took place this past Wednesday on the grounds of the Barnes Museum and Homestead. This event is traditionally held on the first Wednesday of August in conjunction with Music on the Green, as a way of giving small businesses in Southington a chance to shine. Thirteen food vendors offered their most popular menu items for purchase. Only vendors that hold food licenses in Southington were invited.

---

Live music provided by the Stanley Street Big Band held the crowd captive and kept it dancing.

MERRILL SANDERS PHOTOS

---

Emma Tuttle, the creator of Emma's Pearlz, bakes beehive-shaped honey cakes that she sells at the Bread for Life table at the Farmer’s Market on the Green. This past May, Emma’s business was featured on WTNH. Emma, seen here with her mother Donna, is an accomplished loom weaver as well as a baker. Her handmade shawls were also for sale at the booth:

---

Many of us have wondered what lies behind the stone walls of LiveWell, the assisted living facility for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease located at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Route 10 in Southington. One answer is a café, The Gathering Place, that prioritizes the individual needs of the residents and the social aspect of dining. It is open to the public; see their website for hours. The staff from The Gathering Place had a booth at the event to promote the café.

---

The Hop Haüs gastropub in downtown Plantsville is know for their hamburgers and nachos. During August, their special is ‘lobstah rolls.’ Hop Haüs shares an owner (Mike Miller) with The Salty Dog sports tavern on the Meriden-Waterbury road, which features twenty different kinds of wings.

---

Paul Gregory’s bistro is run by the mother-daughter team of Theresa and Ashley Malloy, who purchased the restaurant in 2017. No one named Paul Gregory is currently involved with the restaurant, though at one time a man of that name was going to buy it. Many of Paul Gregory's dishes are based on family recipes. The bistro is located on Center Street, in Factory Square.

---

Anyone familiar with downtown Southington has experienced the aroma of the Smokin' with Chris meat smoker, which fills the air on West Center Street. Over the last twenty years Chris Conlon, a former firefighter, has perfected his technique. Chris is largely self-taught and had no restaurant experience when he first opened his establishment.

---

The Manhattan, a speakeasy-themed restaurant and lounge, recently moved from Eden Avenue to its new, more central location on Main Street. Could this paella they made for the event be the biggest Southington has ever seen?  

---

When he is not booked for private events, you can find Marty’s food truck across from the Southington Drive-In. He specializes in burgers and sliced prime rib sandwiches. Are you familiar with Turf or Signatures restaurants in Waterbury? Marty started those! If you want his sandwiches you have to grab them now, since he heads down to Florida for the winter.

Aaron Potthoff and his lifelong friend Chris Barnard embarked on their food journey over 20 years ago. Aaron, shown here, is now single-handedly taking his tacos on the road with Spot on Tacos, a mobile food-truck business. For his taco shells, Aaron uses an old family recipe passed down to him from his parents, who in turn got it from their neighbors.

---

No event is complete without our local clown, Valentine! Diana Sheard has been bringing smiles to people young and old, healthy or sick, for over 40 years now.

---

We also want to record the presence of Mel from Cookie Ranger, which specializes in ‘stuffed’ cookies and nitrogen ice cream; The Polish Plate, which had a long line of patrons hungry for their kielbasa and pierogis; and the owners of Fratelli’s Italian Restaurant, Chef Hector Delgado and his children José and Christina, who welcomed visitors to their new location at the corner of South End Road and the Meriden-Waterbury Road.

If you missed this year’s event, mark your calendars for the first Wednesday of August, 2026!

A Funny Farm Hosts "Oreo" Cows

The Knapp Farm cows PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTOS

The tranquil landscape of barns and meadows that greets drivers at the intersection of Flanders Road and Flanders Street now contains a surprise: three rare cattle whose striking coloration – white belt on a black coat – brings to mind the famous cookie.

The cows belong to a breed known as Belted Galloway. They are the temporary guests of Jessica and Robbie Knapp, who run Knapp Farm. Their owner, Dave Carbone, also lives in town – Carbone’s children chose the names for the two adult cows, Patina and Ciccoletta. (The calf is named Gordy.) Carbone needed a place to house the animals while their field was being reseeded. For that he turned to Robbie, a fellow officer in the Southington Police Department. When asked how they ended up raising Belted Galloways, Robbie responded, "my coworker just dropped them off one day."

Robbie and Jessica Knapp

The trio of cows join a rapidly expanding collection of animals. Jessica and Robbie recently moved back to Southington to live on the farm established by Jessica's grandparents, Jack and Diane Putnam, in 1961. The Putnams purchased the five-acre property from the Olson family, who still own the land across the street. Over the years the Putnam’s land was often used to graze horses. Jessica and Robbie have bigger ambitions: in addition to the cows, they take care of four ducks, five baby goats, 75 chickens, and a vegetable garden, and plan to expand the garden next year and add pigs.

Jessica, a real estate broker, is self-deprecating when she describes her farming expertise: "This is a funny farm and I'm a funny farmer!" She says her children have taken to calling the Belted Galloways "Oreo cows." Even though the cattle are just visiting, the Knapps hope they might have one of their own someday: Patina, the largest, is pregnant, and is expecting a baby in February or March of next year.

According to the Livestock Conservancy, Belted Galloway cattle were originally bred in Scotland in the 1700s and imported to the United States in the 1850s. They are known for their warm winter fur, which enables them to stay outdoors in cold weather, and for their efficient foraging ability. They are relatively rare, with fewer than 1500 individuals in the whole US. The Livestock Conservancy lists Belted Galloway as a priority species for conservation, but describes the species as recovering.

Belted Galloway are often raised for meat – but don't worry about Patina, Ciccoletta and Gordy, Jessica says: "They are definitely pets.”

Trust Them, You Can Sing

Allison and Dipo Oseni Bring LA-style Karaoke to Southington

Dipo and Allison Oseni at SoLA Karaoke PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTOS

“My favorite thing,” says Allison Oseni, who runs SoLA Karaoke on Center Street along with her husband Dipo Oseni, “is when someone comes in here saying ‘Yeah it’s my girlfriend who likes to sing, I don’t really do karaoke,’ and by the end of the evening they’re shouting THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVER, and asking for an extra hour of room-time.”

Such is the transformative power of art – aided by the occasional shot of tequila.

A different sort of transformation has taken over the 3,500 square-foot space in the building at 168 Center Street in Southington where SoLA resides. When the Osenis first signed the lease, it was nothing but a brick-lined cave without light, heat, or even plumbing. Now, after two long of years of planning, permit delays, and construction, it has been converted into a stylish lounge containing nine rooms outfitted with high-end audio/video equipment, and a spacious bar.

Groups of friends or family members rent the rooms by the hour and gather inside (in case you are unfamiliar with karaoke) to sing along to their favorite songs as they play over the speakers. The tracks are normally without vocals, which means you must to take on the role of lead singer; lyrics are displayed on the screens to help if you forget the words. SoLA’s song library covers most genres of music and features tracks in more than twenty different languages.

Despite this wealth of choices, patrons tend to gravitate towards a few classics like Abba’s Dancing Queen or Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. At the moment Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club – a song about a lounge where one can relax and be oneself, rather like a karaoke place – is by far the most requested. “I don’t think a day goes by that someone isn’t playing Pink Pony Club in one of the rooms somewhere,” Dipo observed.

Each room in SoLA – which is short for ‘South LA’ – has been named for a famous Los Angeles neighborhood like Hollywood or Malibu and decorated to evoke its vibe. The art on the walls, which was crafted by Allison herself, includes an homage to a graffiti-covered wall in LA, and metallic collages that resemble the gold records given for best-selling albums:

Los Angeles was where the couple first met. At the time Dipo was a screenwriter – his credits include the scripts for Duress (2009) and Cash Out (2024) – Allison, a hairdresser and self-taught artist. After a few first dates, it was in a karaoke lounge, Allison said, that she felt like Dipo first let loose and showed his fun side; they’ve been together ever since. A few years ago they moved to Connecticut to be closer to family. LA may be an international mecca for music and the arts, but for the Osenis the decision to relocate was not a hard one; they value the quality of life and relative calm of the area.

Since opening in May this year they have done a brisk business, attracting enthusiastic reviews and many out-of-state visitors. They ascribe their popularity in part to a video on TikTok that went viral, garnering nearly one-quarter of a million views. According to local digital marketer Thuy-Linh Phan, the care and imagination that went into creating the space is crucial: “Sola Karaoke is rising in popularity because of its awesome concept of private suites and karaoke rooms… You get to sing your heart out and live your popstar fantasy with zero judgment – just you, your besties, and pure main character energy.” They are often booked for birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and corporate events. Each room is soundproofed, so that multiple groups can use the lounge without interfering with each another.

Given that the Osenis have made music such a core part of their lives, it seemed natural to ask them for a top-10 song list. Here is their answer:

Mr. Brightside, by The Killers

I Want It That Way, by The Backstreet Boys

Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen

I’ll Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That), by Meatloaf

Back to Black, by Amy Winehouse

When He Cheats, by Carrie Underwood

What’s Up, by 4 Non Blondes

Lean On Me, by Bill Withers

Low, by Flo Rida

Lose Control, by Teddy Swims