played a CD of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing in Italian. I can still sing all of those songs in Italian, but to this day have no idea what I am saying.” Once he left Providence, Mike came home and worked for two years at the Candlewood Inn in Brookfield, CT, where he was an Operations Manager and oversaw weddings and corporate parties. In 2004, Mike began working again with James Neunzig, his current business partner, at James’ new restaurant Moosilauke in Kent, CT. James had been Executive Chef at the Bistro Café when Mike had worked there. Mike cooked one night a week at Moosilauke, and really began to get serious about food. Two years later, Mike was working at the IGA grocery store in Sherman, CT. He started in the deli and, within a few weeks, was promoted to Store Manager. Mike had never really thought about working in a market, but it wasn’t too far of a stretch from what he had been doing in restaurants and catering. In 2009, James and Mike came across a commercial space that was available in Kent, CT. They discussed creating their own smaller version of a high-end grocery store with a deli, added James’ catering company to their mix of services, and J.P. Gifford Market & Catering Company was born. The business thrived, so much so that a few years later, Mike and James began to think about opening a fine dining dinner restaurant to complement the market. “In the fall of last year, we learned that a local restaurant
“I wear my Canterbury hat almost every day, and when I make deliveries to (Kent’s) campus, I wear it proudly.”
“Most of my classmates would have probably described me as shy, quiet and reserved…. Later on, I think I gained confidence and realized that I had something to offer. Canterbury drew that out of me.” space would be available after New Year’s,” Mike says. “I talked with my wife Erin about how she would feel about opening a restaurant. It was an interesting conversation, because I had told her for the prior ten years that I would never open a restaurant because it was too risky, the hours are horrible, and I would suffer burn out. Despite my glowing review of what life would be like owning a restaurant, Erin and I both agreed that with our following from the market and James’ following from his former restaurant, the pros outweighed the cons.” “Our new restaurant, Gifford’s, is in a beautifully renovated house from the 1800s,” he continues. “The restaurant is literally 300 feet away from our market, so we had no concerns with not having at least one of us on the premises at any time at either venue. We signed a 25-year lease and opened in late February 2013. Gifford’s currently employs 12-15 people, and we will most likely increase that number over time.” As often happens in the restaurant business, preparations for the opening went right down to the wire, as Mike personally did 70 hours of painting over the final nine days, finishing the last brushstroke literally minutes before the first service, and then hanging the handmade curtains that his mother had created for window treatments. Mike clearly is no stranger to hard
work, but freely acknowledges that it comes with certain sacrifices. “Sadly I haven’t seen most of my classmates since graduation,” says Mike. “The biggest challenge for me in the last five years has been trying to keep my home life relatively normal. I usually work 70-80 hours a week, and anyone that owns their own business knows that just because you are home, that doesn’t mean the work stops. Erin, who works as an X-Ray Technician in the Radiology Department at New Milford Hospital, has been very supportive of my endeavors, and I will be forever grateful to her.” Asked to sum up the key to his success, which has seen Mike and his partner open two restaurants in a legendarily high-risk industry during an awful economy, Mike has a simple and humble philosophy. “I have always been aware that people need to eat, but they do not need to eat at my market or my restaurant,” he says. “I always want to make sure that our customer service and quality of food are excellent. That makes the difference.”
To learn more about J.P. Gifford Market and Gifford’s restaurant, visit jpgifford.com.
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