Connecticut

Customers at this new CT restaurant may never hear the words, ‘kitchen closed’

Published

2 years ago

August 9, 2023

Customers at this new CT restaurant may never hear the words, ‘kitchen closed’

A new Manchester restaurant specializing in homestyle comfort food serves not only dinner and lunch, but also the late night eaters who in most places hear the words “kitchen is closed” after 9 p.m.

Ganymead Restaurant even has late night happy hour that starts at 10 p.m. because owner and chef Ben Phillips knows what it’s like to work second shift with nowhere to eat and get food and drink specials.

He’s hoping to attract second shift workers such as first responders, nurses, doctors, restaurant workers.

“You can get something late so you don’t have to go to McDonald’s,” Phillips said. “My kitchen is open late.”

Ben Phillips, owner/ chef at the new Ganymead Restaurant in Manchester at at 360 Middle Turnpike West.
Ben Phillips, owner/ chef at the new Ganymead Restaurant in Manchester at at 360 Middle Turnpike West.
Ben Phillips, owner/ chef at the new Ganymead Restaurant in Manchester at at 360 Middle Turnpike West.
Ben Phillips, owner/ chef at the new Ganymead Restaurant in Manchester at at 360 Middle Turnpike West.
Ben Phillips, owner/ chef at the new Ganymead Restaurant in Manchester at at 360 Middle Turnpike West.
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Ben Phillips, owner/ chef at the new Ganymead Restaurant in Manchester at at 360 Middle Turnpike West.

The restaurant is only closed on Monday, and opens every other day besides Monday at 11:30 a.m.

They close at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Customers can get dinner right up to closing.

Phillips, 44, opened the 2,000- square-foot restaurant about two weeks ago at 360 Middle Turnpike West.

The eatery has an open kitchen design so that the kitchen is visible from the dining room. In front of the kitchen is a deep American Cherrywood bar built by he and his brother, deep so customers can eat comfortably. The restaurant seats 40 people and has a pool table and jukebox.

Phillips started in the restaurant business 27 years ago as a dishwasher and worked his way up. This is the first restaurant he’s owned.

“I like cooking food – it makes people happy,” he said. “That interaction with other people is fun to me. It’s enjoyable.”

His casual dining menu includes specialties he honed before opening, including tarragon chicken, maple-roasted pork, fish and chips, pulled pork, stuffed meatloaf, vegetarian lasagna, baked macaroni and cheese and side dishes that include red beans and rice, seasonal veggies. The dinners come in sizes of half and full plates.

For decoration he displays the works of local artists.

Longtime catering customer and friend Alec Giggi said friends at his backyard parties “rave” about Phillips’ food.

“Nothing he’s offering comes in frozen, the focus is on prepping tasty food to serve up fresh and hot,” Giggi said.

Giggi said Ganymead Restaurant is the result of many late night talks between he and Phillips, “lamenting the lack of options for service industry workers who’ve finished their shifts serving others and just want a good meal of their own.”

Giggi said there aren’t many options for second shift workers beyond fast food with a limited menu.

“This has been a dream of his for years and years. Of all the friends who’ve talked about opening their own place he’s the only one I know to have actually followed through and chased the dream,” Giggi said.

The unique name, Ganymead, is a nod to Phillips’ passion for astronomy that started when he was a child and grew as a restaurant worker observing the night sky.

He said Ganymede is the largest moon of Jupiter, but he changed the spelling because there is already a business in North Carolina spelled “Ganymede.”

He said in Greek mythology, Ganymede was a server or “chalice holder” to Jupiter, so it also has a restaurant tie-in.

“It’s just fascinating to me,” Phillips said of astronomy, noting he had a telescope as a child.

“Restaurant people are up at night a real lot, so I saw the stars and the moon.”

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Connecticut

Connecticut influencer busted for going 112-mph over the speed limit after sharing video of the stunt online

Published

4 hours ago

May 24, 2025

Press Room

Connecticut influencer busted for going 112-mph over the speed limit after sharing video of the stunt online

A social media influencer in Connecticut who filmed himself driving at a whopping 137-miles per hour got busted after he shared footage of the stunt online.

Giovanni Petruzziello who owns a high-end car repair shop in North Haven, filmed himself driving his Porche zipping through a 25 mph zone at the breathtaking speed.

Petruzziello, 27, then shared the footage with his 250,000-plus Instagram followers.

Connecticut State Police allege Petruzziello reached speeds up to five times the posted limits on residential streets in the towns of Durham, Haddam, and Killingworth, reported the Daily Voice.

Petruzziello also allegedly filmed himself driving a Ferrari at 88 mph in a neighborhood with a 30 mph speed limit, the site reported.

Another video shows him allegedly driving a Lamborghini at 112 mph on Route 79 in Durham, which has a posted speed limit of 45 mph.

Petruzziello also allegedly blew through stop signs and nearly hit other vehicles, the videos showed.

He was arrested during a May 19 traffic stop, and posted $150,000 bond for his release.

He was charged with seven counts of reckless driving and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

The arrest comes a month after a dardeviling Connecticut motorcyclist was busted for YouTube videos he made, speeding down the highway at almost 200 miles an hour.

Petruzziello is the founder and owner of The LAB — short for Legends Auto Boutique.

The LAB customizes luxury and high-end foreign vehicles, according to its website.

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Connecticut

Connecticut expands medical debt relief to 100,000 more residents: Who is eligible

Published

21 hours ago

May 24, 2025

Press Room

Connecticut expands medical debt relief to 100,000 more residents: Who is eligible

More than 100,000 Connecticut residents will soon receive letters notifying them of medical debt relief, according to a community announcement.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced May 21 that the second round of an initiative, launched last year in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, is underway. The program aims to eliminate medical debt for residents who meet specific income criteria.

Undue Medical Debt negotiates with hospitals and other providers to eliminate large portfolios of qualifying medical debt. To qualify, residents must have an income at or below four times the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is 5% or more of their income.

In this round, the state invested $575,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding. Undue Medical Debt was able to negotiate with a secondary market partner to acquire and eliminate more than $100 million in qualifying medical debt. The first round, which occurred in December, eliminated approximately $30 million in medical debt for 23,000 residents.

Those who have been identified for relief will receive a branded envelope and letter from Undue Medical Debt in the mail over the next several days. (To view a sample of what this letter looks like, click here.)

“Medical debt causes additional anxiety and stress when individuals and families are coping with potentially life-threatening health situations,” Lamont said. “Over the next few days, more than 100,000 Connecticut residents who have been struggling to pay their medical bills will feel relief when they receive letters in the mail notifying them that their debt has been erased. I am hopeful that additional medical partners will soon sign onto this program to help more Connecticut families through further rounds of this initiative.”

Allison Sesso, CEO and president of Undue Medical Debt, expressed gratitude for the state’s continued partnership in providing medical debt relief.

“The erasure of these debts of necessity wouldn’t be possible without community-minded leaders like Governor Lamont and his team, who believe medical debt should not be a hindrance to seeking needed care,” Sesso said. “We look forward to continuing our work in the state so families can seek healthcare with dignity.”

State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, co-chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, also praised the initiative.

“Medical debt can be a crippling burden on patients, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet,” Vahey said. “Erasing medical debt for an additional 100,000 residents will greatly ease the stress they are facing and will free them up to focus on their health and well-being. Thank you to Governor Lamont and Undue Medical Debt for their leadership on this innovative program.”

There is no application process for this relief, as the debt erasure occurs through the purchase of large, qualifying bundled portfolios of debt from participating partners like hospitals and collection agencies.

Lamont plans to continue partnering with Undue Medical Debt for further rounds of medical debt cancellation. The governor and the Connecticut General Assembly have enacted legislation that makes $6.5 million in ARPA funding available for this initiative.

This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.

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Connecticut

How to watch the Connecticut Sun basketball game against the Atlanta Dream May 25

Published

2 days ago

May 23, 2025

Press Room

How to watch the Connecticut Sun basketball game against the Atlanta Dream May 25

The Connecticut Sun will take on the Atlanta Dream on the road May 25.

Atlanta finished the 2024 regular season with a record of 15-25, good for fourth place in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference. Following the 2024 regular season, Atlanta lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Liberty 2-0.

The Dream’s roster that was announced prior to the 2025 regular season featured a blend of experience and emerging stars. One of the highlights of that roster was Brittney Griner. Her extensive list of career highlights includes 10 WNBA All-Star Game selections and three All-WNBA First Team selections

Here’s how to watch the Connecticut Sun game against the Atlanta Dream May 25.