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SAUGATUCK

Collector Series

Featuring Patrick Sikes Photography

FEATURES

16 Tidal Tradition With stunning photography by Andrea Carson, we take a trip with Norman Bloom, the founder of Copps Island Oysters, to the shore.

24 Coastal Bounty In our second photojournalism feature, we explore Saugatuck’s oyster industry from a first-person perspective.

COLUMNS

4 EDITOR’S LETTER

6 TRENDING LOCAL Summer Nights in Saugatuck

8 THE REFIT Beyond the Blueprint

12 LOCAL PROVISIONS Community Harvest

30 MIND & BODY Rooted in Wellness

32 REFLECTIONS Feast or Fiction

COVER

Saugatuck magazine is thrilled to partner with local photographer Patrick Sikes to bring you fine art covers in 2025. Learn more about Patrick’s work at patricksikes.com.

Photograph by Patrick Sikes

Editor’s Letter SAUGATUCK magazine

FOOD IS one of my favorite subjects to cover, but it’s more than just the bites we consume throughout the day. Although this month’s issue is broadly food-themed, we took a step back to examine the intersection of food with environmentalism, entertainment and local traditions.

Most notably, our two photojournalism features this month focus on oystering, a time-honored aspect of Connecticut’s heritage

and a vital food source for centuries.

Norman Bloom of Copps Island Oyster Company showed us the daily workings of one of the largest oyster farms on the East Coast, as captured through Andrea Carson’s lens.

Earlier this spring, Hunter Peterson of Saugatuck Oyster Company took me and Saugatuck magazine publisher Ryan Pearson and photographer Eric Angione on a shellfishing excursion, where we caught our harvest by hand—the oldfashioned way.

Special thanks to Chef Matt Storch, who served as this month’s guest editor. He acted as a sounding board for our ideas and introduced us to his wide network of friends and colleagues.

Thank you, Matt, for your collaboration.

Colleen Crowley Editor

Publisher

Ryan Pearson

Editor

Colleen Crowley

Creative Director

Kijoo Kim

Guest Editor

Matt Storch

Interns Spring 2025

Ayasha Cantey

Lizzy Carpenter

Gabriella Vilas Boas

Contributing Photographer

Patrick Sikes

Andrea Carson

Eric Angione

WAINSCOT MEDIA

Chairman

Carroll V. Dowden

President and CEO

Mark Dowden

VP, Group Publisher, Regional

Thomas Flannery

VP, Content Strategy

Maria Regan

Associate Editor

Sophia Carlisle

Art Director

Rosemary O´Connell

Advertising Services Director

Jacquelynn Fischer

Operations Director

Catherine Rosario

Production Designer

Chris Ferrante

Print Production Manager

Fern Meshulam

Advertising Production Associate

Griff Dowden

Saugatuck magazine is published by Wainscot Media. Serving residents of Saugatuck and the shoreline communities of Westport, Connecticut, the magazine is distributed monthly via U.S. mail. Articles and advertisements contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. Copyright 2025 by Wainscot Media LLC. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent.

PHOTOGRAPH BY

Contributing Photographer Patrick Sikes

Trending Local Summer Nights in Saugatuck

Top left: Sidle up to the patio bar on a Heller “Bellini” stool.

Above: Chef Stephen Lewandowski.

Right: Heller’s modern outdoor seating adds to the chic atmosphere overlooking the river.

Opposite: Guests at a party on the patio.

With two new outdoor spaces, The Bridge at Saugatuck brings waterfront lifestyle front and center.

By Colleen Crowley

AS WE OFFICIALLY head into summer, the desire to dine, drink and enjoy the outdoors while soaking up the long summer days hits Westporters hard.

Thankfully, The Bridge at Saugatuck, which opened its doors last fall to great acclaim, has now unveiled two new spaces for dining and entertainment: a casual patio, equipped with televisions and a well-stocked bar and effortlessly cool waterfront cabanas and lounge spaces.

“It really is like three restaurants in one,” says chef and co-owner Stephen Lewandowski. “It’s always been the thought process, when we took the space…that’s what drew us to it.”

A RELAXING DESIGN

Tucked between The Bridge and the neighboring pizza spot, the patio offers a more casual, comfortable way to experience Lewandowski’s menu. With a bit more space to spread out, larger groups can gather to enjoy a slightly dialed-back offering, with shared plates and a seasonally focused menu that allows local produce to shine.

“We’re not just a restaurant that puts out great food and has a great wine list with impeccable service, we’re now trying to bring in this lifestyle of hanging out and relaxing,” says Lewandowski. “It’s like an extension of your living room.”

Down by the water, guests are transported to a stylish space with four reservable cabanas that overlook the Saugatuck River. Here, snack offerings and finger food take

a quiet backseat, allowing the atmosphere to take center stage.

“It’s very peaceful, very resort-like,” says Lewandowski. “You can just sit out there, have a cocktail, relax and enjoy the Saugatuck scenery.”

Just above the cabanas is a tiered, casual lounge space, where guests can gather, no reservations needed. The space is tastefully filled with pieces by Heller Furniture, adding to the cool, modern vibe while remaining comfortable and accessible. Additionally, eight boat slips open up opportunities for visitors to directly experience The Bridge from a fresh perspective. With dock hands on deck, guests can easily cruise up the river, hop off their boats and enjoy the new

outdoor spaces—unencumbered by traffic on the roads.

To add to the atmosphere, general manager Patrick Camoro has plans to shake up more than just your taste buds. Theme nights, live music and parties are all in the works. Full disclosure: Saugatuck magazine is collaborating on the Friday night “Magic Hour” live music event series. There’s a DJ booth down by the cabanas, and the patio can easily be cleared to allow for dancing. In this way, The Bridge at Saugatuck is going beyond food and drink offerings to become a waterfront nightlife destination. By opening up these new spaces and avenues for experiencing The Bridge, Lewandowski hopes that guests will get a taste of the Saugatuck lifestyle and come back for more.

The Refit Blueprint Beyond the

Designing a coastal retreat with Laura Gorman Interiors.

By Gabriella Vilas Boas and Colleen Crowley

LOOKING OVER the coast of Saugatuck Island, you’ll find a beautiful new home at 14 Cockenoe Drive. Designed by Tanner White Architects, the exterior of the home blends traditional seaside aesthetics with modern tastes. Inside, Laura Gorman of Laura Gorman Interiors was inspired by Westport’s coastal atmosphere and designed the spaces to feel like a breath of fresh air upon arrival.

In crafting this waterside oasis, “we really wanted to create a property that blurred the lines between the indoors and the outdoors,” says Gorman. “Something that felt like a sanctuary but also felt safe, protected and limitless.” In collaboration with developer and builder Bluewater Home, Gorman set out to turn 14 Cockenoe Drive into a turnkey seaside haven.

Pairing pale wood floors and soft washes of color, Gorman combined a rustic yet modern feel to play into the coastal atmosphere of Westport.

Gorman wanted the eye to be at rest in the space, so she avoided nautical blue and white and instead used sandy tones that mimic the nearby beach.

Although the palette throughout the home is relatively neutral, the use of texture enlivens the space. Chunky knits, soft boucle, braided rugs and seagrass accents bring dimension and depth while stepping back to allow the home’s most distinctive feature—the expansive windows—to shine.

The large picture windows welcome in natural light and the tranquility that Gorman was hoping to create. The abundant use of glass gives the homeowner and guests the feeling of being at one with the landscape and horizons beyond the property. White was intentionally chosen for the interior walls to not only showcase the homeowner’s art collection but to allow the structure to fade from view while one enjoys nature’s canvas beyond the panes.

Despite the dramatic views, Gorman believes the kitchen is the star of the show, due to its emphasis on both form and function. At the heart of the kitchen sits a large waterfall island made of a low maintenance composite material, illuminated by glass bubble pendant lights and surrounded by light wood seating.

“I could just imagine throwing a Fourth of July party with the doors open to the deck out there, grandkids down on the beach or sitting solo with a laptop and working in that space,” says Gorman.

The custom milled cabinetry features a mix of pale wood and crisp white finishes, complemented by a matching white refrigerator. Just beyond the kitchen, a stunning view of the water unfolds from the deck, offering a serene backdrop to the space.

Another standout location in the house is

the primary bath, where sleek modern fixtures and high ceilings come together to create a Zenlike space. Using textured tile to contrast with large format marble, Gorman was able to bring warmth and create the ultimate place to reset with a relaxing bath or a long shower with a view. However, Gorman’s goal when designing and decorating this home was not just about making something beautiful but building a space ready to accommodate someone’s livelihood.

“The last thing you want to do is design something that looks beautiful, but your clients feel like it’s too precious,” says Gorman. “Your home is to live in, create memories, build a life and grow there. It’s important to design for that.”

Gabriella Vilas Boas is a journalism student at Quinnipiac University. She can be found on social media @gabriellavbpress.

Community Harvest

Under Lori Cochran-Dougall’s leadership, the beloved Westport Farmers’ Market nourishes our bodies, our environment and our local communities.

By Colleen Crowley

IT’S 10 A.M. on a Thursday, and already people are filling up the normally empty lot on Imperial Avenue, tote bags at the ready. They’re here for the weekly Westport Farmers’ Market.

Now in its 19th season, the Westport Farmers’ Market is arguably one of the highlights of town, and at its heart is executive director Lori CochranDougall. It’s not hyperbole or flattery to say that Cochran-Dougall saved the Westport Farmers’ Market and, through her leadership, has created a beautiful and thriving community.

Prior to Cochran-Dougall taking the helm in 2010, the leadership situation was in disarray, and the market had plans of closing permanently. Then CochranDougall volunteered one fateful day, after feeling disenchanted with

her corporate career and untethered following a move from Jackson Hole, where she chaired the Wyoming Farmers’ Market board of directors.

That very same day, she was offered a job making $10 an hour, and by the end of the season, she was asked to take over the enterprise.

What has grown from that is a community that involves veterans, children of all ages, local businesses and farmers, musicians, philanthropic organizations and food.

FOCUS ON FOOD

At the heart of the market are its farmers and purveyors. Over 50 vendors (some weekly, some rotating) sell produce, cheese, meats, bread and other staples. All products must come from within

Opposite: Young Shoots photographer

Lindsey Price captured the produce and flowers on display; fresh eggs from Riverbank Farm by Eileen Sawyer Photography.

Left: Lori Cochran-Dougall by Eileen Sawyer Photography.

Below: Sights at the weekly market. Photographs courtesy of the Westport Farmers’ Market.

Local Provisions

a 140-mile radius of Westport. Prepared foods are also popular, and CochranDougall requires these purveyors to make their product from scratch using at least one monthly farmed ingredient.

“We have the responsibility to make sure we’re honoring real farmers who are really growing their food and only selling their food,” says Cochran-Dougall. “We also have a responsibility to guide the other people that are part of a farmers’ market into doing the same by supporting those farmers, because those farmers are the foundation of all of our food.”

To achieve even greater sustainability, the market is 98% plastic free, and the reusable “Friend of the Market” tote bag is practically a status symbol.

Cochran-Dougall is deeply concerned with the state of our natural world and hopes that by providing opportunities for people to buy local, the market is also promoting healthy, sustainable living and sparking deeper discussions.

“One of the benefits of the farmers

market is creating conversation, and conversation is key,” says CochranDougall. “Understanding your health, your environment, your economy, your community…that’s what creates this circular nucleus and a sustainable community.”

One way the market is fostering sustainable community is through their wealth of programming. From the Young Shoots photo competition to children’s activities like Get Growing and musical performances on market days, CochranDougall has created an avenue for children and families to engage with who grows their food and have fun at the market.

Outside of the four-hour market held every Thursday from May until November, Cochran-Dougall and the market team are deeply involved with local philanthropy through food rescue partnerships, donating produce to homeless shelters, supporting female veterans, providing emergency financial assistance to vendors and more.

“We don’t close our doors on Thursdays at three o’clock when we leave that lot,”

says Cochran-Dougall. “We’re just getting warmed up to do something for our community.”

The breadth of work and diversity of programming available is impressive, especially as the market is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

After nearly 20 years, the market has achieved “institution” status in town and more than proved its value to the community and to its participants. “Our market is generating $12,500 every single hour,” says Cochran-Dougall. “This is a true economically viable organization…it’s something that develops small businesses into mid-sized businesses and then launches them into national businesses.”

With all she has achieved, nobody would fault Cochran-Dougall for admiring the fruits of her labor. However, she says she is humbled by the support for her vision. Even after 15 years spearheading and transforming the market, CochranDougall says “it’s such a blessing that I get to do this.”

Lori Cochran-Dougall is joined by WFM board member and chef Bill Taibe on a visit to market favorite Riverbank Farm. Photograph by Eileen Sawyer Photography.

Tidal TRADITION

Andrea Carson’s photographs show us the day-to-day workings at Copps Island Oyster Company.

By Colleen Crowley

YOU CAN’T TALK Connecticut oysters without talking Copps Island.

Chef Matt Storch, guest editor for this month’s issue, graciously introduced Saugatuck magazine to Norman Bloom, aka Norm, the man who started Copps Island Oysters over three decades ago. Bloom has been supplying Storch with his freshest catch for a while now, and in 2022, the two men came together to start the Copps Island Oyster

Shacks (with locations in Norwalk and Stratford) and Oyster Truck.

But Bloom’s history with the mollusks goes back to his childhood, working with his father, Norm Sr., and uncle Hilliard as they began recultivating Connecticut’s abandoned shellfish beds. In 1972, the elder generation of Blooms purchased Tallmadge Brothers Oyster Company.

In 1994, the younger Bloom decided to venture out on his own

and founded Copps Island Oysters by Norm Bloom and Son, LLC. What started with a single boat and the help of friends Gary Dillion, Henry Backer and the Stabel family blossomed into one of the largest oyster farms on the East Coast.

In the 31 years since, Bloom has found immense success, supplying restaurants and fine retailers across the country with Connecticut oysters—all with his children Jimmy and Jeanne by his side.

Copps Island Oyster Company employees go out and harvest oysters multiple times a day, almost every day of the year, regardless of the weather. However, clear skies and calm waters awaited Andrea Carson when she photographed the crew on this spring day.

“This product that Norm is bringing to us is literally coming in that morning and those oysters will be in the restaurant tonight. It does not get better than that.”

- Chef Matt Storch

Thousands of pounds of oysters are pulled from the waters of Long Island Sound every day; Highly skilled employees use a specialized tool to ensure the size and quality of the oysters. Those that don’t measure up during sorting are put back in the water.

This page: Peck Ledge Lighthouse from aboard deck.

Opposite page: Vintage oyster cans adorn the walls of the Copps Island museum.

DEEP ROOTS

Copps Island Oyster Company has fishing grounds all along the Connecticut coast, where Bloom, son Jimmy and his team cycle and shift the oysters, allowing them to mature out on the sea floor for several years before harvesting. This process imbues them with “the robust qualities of a wild oyster and the sustainability of a farmed product.”

Copps Island has also gone beyond just harvesting by partnering with local nonprofits like Harbor Watch to monitor water quality and safety, establishing a hatchery to support the next set of farmed baby oysters and teaming up with other fisheries across the state to share boats and labor.

Once a year in early July, just before the natural oyster spawn, Copps Island

“I always say, if we don’t have clean water, we don’t have oysters, so that’s really important to me…paying attention to what goes into the water.”

- Norm Bloom

takes the recycled and dried shells they’ve been gathering on land and replants them out in the open water to provide wild oyster larvae shells to latch onto and enhance the natural oyster reproduction cycle.

In many ways, Bloom is not only a fisherman but a steward for the waters and ecosystems on which Copps Island Oyster Company depends and an advocate for this time-honored Connecticut tradition.

Photographer Andrea Carson spent a morning out on Long Island Sound aboard one of the Copps Island fishing boats. Her photographs on the preceding pages show us the work that goes into catching, sorting and cleaning the thousands of pounds of shellfish that the employees of Copps Island Oyster Company process every single day.

Norm Bloom silhouetted against the waters of Norwalk Harbor.

Coastal Bounty

Saugatuck magazine joins Hunter Peterson of Saugatuck Oyster Company on a mollusk-harvesting adventure.

By Colleen Crowley

Opposite page: A large quahog clam was the first “catch” of the day.

Below: Hunter Peterson stands on shore on a misty morning.

WESTPORT NATIVE Hunter

Peterson grew up fishing and exploring our local waterways and shoreline. Although he worked on charter fishing boats, it wasn’t until he spent time on an oyster farm that he became professionally interested in mollusks. In the past, Peterson brought friends along on guided shell fishing tours, but word quickly spread, and as public interest grew, he recognized an opportunity. In 2024, Peterson started taking members of the public on excursions, offering locals a chance to take part in a shell fishing practice that goes

back centuries with Connecticut’s first Indigenous people. After finding success selling his harvest at the winter Westport Farmers’ Market, Peterson rebranded early in 2025 from Tide2TableCT to Saugatuck Oyster Company and has been booked out ever since.

A few weeks ago, Peterson invited me and Saugatuck magazine publisher Ryan Pearson out to get hands on in the waters off Canal Beach. We met Peterson early in the morning to catch the low tide, suited up in waders and shoulder-high gloves and set off into a foggy abyss.

This page: The intrepid trio search the shoreline for mollusks.

Opposite: Peterson demonstrates proper technique for prying oysters off the rocks and searching for buried clams with a rake.

DIVING IN

Wading into chest-deep water while fully clothed was an incredibly odd sensation. Despite the impermeable (and extremely flattering) waders, I was convinced I would be soaked as I felt the saltwater lapping at my legs. As we went further out, Peterson instructed us in the techniques for finding clams with both a rake and our feet; when I had little success, he mercifully caught a few on my behalf.

We then began to venture towards a nearby rock jetty to start in on the

main event: the oyster harvesting. Naturally occurring oysters live their lives anchored onto rocks or oyster beds and are important filters in the water columns they occupy, making them good indicators of the health of local waters. Connecticut’s shores have long been famous for oystering, and despite a downturn in the mid-19th century, our local oyster population and oyster fishing itself are making a slow return.

Upon approach of the jetty, we noticed that every surface that wasn’t covered in oysters was

coated in the unappetizingly named (though edible) bladderwrack or barnacle larvae; Peterson informed us that there must have just been a spawning event.

As we pried oysters off the boulders using butter knives, Peterson described the detrimental effects of the boring sponge, which attacks the calcium in oyster shells, often killing the animal inside. Despite this, we harvested several large specimens, which we measured using a gauge to make sure we didn’t harvest undersized individuals.

Clockwise from top right: Two quahog clams are dug up using a rake; oysters are measured using a gauge before harvesting; Bladderwrack is an edible type of seaweed commonly found on our coast; a large oyster, ready for eating.

CATCH OF THE DAY

After about 90 minutes out in the water, our trio headed back to shore and admired our catch. Before this moment, I had never eaten an oyster, much less shucked one, so I allowed the professional to demonstrate the proper technique.

As I held the shell to my lips, I nearly backed out several times, but peer pressure and journalistic curiosity won the day as I quickly sucked down my first oyster. The flavor could be described as a firm splash of citrusy saltwater, although I suspect Peterson went heavy on the lemon juice and cocktail sauce for me. With that came the end of our

excursion. We stripped off our gear (we were, in fact, completely dry) and left behind the little strip of rocky beach, now having had a literal and figurative taste of Connecticut’s shoreline.

Looking to the future, Peterson hopes to build his own oyster farm, but for now, he’s busy with harvesting tours, oyster shucking classes, private raw bar catering and supplying top local chefs with his freshest catch. Tours cost $350 for groups of up to four people, although they are booked out through the summer. Contact hunter@ saugatuckoystercompany.com for more information.

Peterson shucks and prepares the day’s catch for Saugatuck editor Colleen Crowley—her first raw oyster.

Mind & Body Rooted in Wellness

Dive into expert insights on how mindful eating cultivates lasting health.

By Gabriella Vilas Boas

FOUNDED BY Nicole Greene Barrato, NutriGreene provides clients information on their nutrition concerns and easy access to knowledgeable dietitians. Isabella Pratt, one of the dietitians at NutriGreene, has been practicing for five years. We asked for her expert opinion on the latest health trends.

What are some foods that are commonly misinterpreted as unhealthy?

Everyone’s scared of carbs. Carbohydrates are our body’s preferred fuel source for energy. We just have to choose the right types of carbs and the right portions of carbs because there are a lot of highly processed versions that aren’t necessarily helpful for us.

What are the building blocks to creating balanced meals and portion sizes?

Pay attention to your hunger cues! A lot of people want to eat intuitively these days, but they’re not used to what feeling good

around a meal feels like. You shouldn’t ever feel starving. That means that you’ve gone too long without eating. You also shouldn’t feel so stuffed that you have to unbutton your pants. We should walk away from a meal feeling good and like we don’t need to eat anymore. I recommend my patients have small, frequent meals, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. I also recommend focusing more on a source of protein, a complex carbohydrate—like brown rice, some sweet potato or quinoa—and about

half your plate as a non-starchy veggie. For example, broccoli, carrots and tomatoes.

What are some of your favorite realistic healthy snack ideas?

A string cheese and a piece of fruit have been my go-to, or an apple and peanut butter. I also make cottage cheese ranch. Blend up cottage cheese with a teaspoon of Hidden Valley Ranch packet seasoning, plus garlic powder, dill and onion powder. It’s a super high-protein ranch dip—great with veggies.

How does someone calculate how many calories they should be consuming in a day?

The way that we calculate calories is with an equation called the Mifflin St. George using your height, weight, age and gender. That is what we call your BMR, your basal metabolic rate—what an individual with your stats would need just to exist. Then we add an activity factor, so we multiply it based on your average physical activity to make it more realistic to your goals. We then adjust based on whether you want to gain weight, lose weight or stay the same. I typically don’t recommend adjusting more than 500 calories at a time.

NutriGreene is located at 44 Riverside Ave. in Westport and has offices throughout the state. Clients can book in-person and virtual appointments at nutrigreene.com.

Gabriella Vilas Boas is a journalism student at Quinnipiac University. She can be found on social media @gabriellavbpress.

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Feast or Fiction

Summer staples include elements of our nation’s past.

By the Westport Museum Staff

AS AMERICANS, our history can be hard to swallow. For some it’s a lavish banquet. For others, the feast is more modest. And for yet others, our shared history is a table laden with bitter fruit— plentiful but unpalatable. Where you sit at the table of American history depends on a lot of factors.

This is because our shared cultural legacy is built on the fact that food commerce was the chief economic engine in the nation-building period of the Republic. It required land, money and unfree labor to develop. Crisscrossing the oceans, foods like sugar, molasses, rum, wheat, tea, chocolate, spices, dried fish, eggs and so much more represented an enormous mercantile venture that built fortunes and American futures. This was true for those who benefited from the endeavor as well as

those who did not: farmers, fishermen, sailors, food sellers, millers and others— both bound and free.

With facts like these often also comes fiction—including where some of our most beloved foods really come from. Take the beloved cook-out dish New England Baked Beans. Lore says it was a handed down from Indigenous Americans who did, in fact, eat beans and possibly sweetened them with maple syrup. But the brown sugar or molasses that became the hallmark of the dish was the result of the Atlantic slave trade; the bacon came from pigs originally imported to the New World by the Spanish colonizers along with onions, garlic and mustard powder.

Like a lot of American history, our beloved baked beans are not quite what they seem, but that doesn’t mean we

New England Baked Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 3 slices thick slab bacon, minced

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons mustard powder or 1 teaspoon mustard

• 1 quart chicken stock

• ¼ cup molasses

• 1 sprig fresh thyme

• 2 cans white or cranberry beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

2. Heat a large oven-safe pot over mediumheat and add the bacon. Fry until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is almost crisp.

3. Add the onion and fry until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes, then add garlic and fry one minute more.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring oven, then add the mustard or mustard powder, chicken stock, molasses and thyme.

5. Add the beans and mix well. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove lid from pot and cook about 15 minutes more or until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce. Serve as a side dish with hot dogs or barbecue meats.

can’t enjoy them. They offer a tasty way to think about the details of history while sharing a plate with others. Complex conversations often go down easier when we break bread together.

So, this summer when you make our baked beans recipe, share their history. The conversations you’ll have will surely enrich your table.