Entering À Table feels like stepping into a small shop in the French countryside. Country-blue trim frames the counters and tables. Shelves are stocked with linens, fleur de sel, and French pantry staples. Coolers brim with house-made sauces, salads, sorbets, and prepared dishes that look—and taste—restaurant-worthy.
Opened in 2023, À Table (pronounced ah-tah-bluh) distills more than four decades of French cooking by Bernard and Sarah Bouïssou into a curated 900-square-foot prepared-foods shop in The Marketplace at Copps Hill. At the center of the space is a large showcase cooler filled with seasonal vegetables, thoughtfully prepared starches, and a wide-range of proteins. There are more than 60 dishes—and they’re always rotating.
“When we designed the shop, we wanted it to feel welcoming and effortless,” Sarah says. “From walking in the door to sitting down to dinner at home, the whole experience should feel good.”
Vegetables change with the seasons: broccoli rabe with garlic, ratatouille, roasted squash. Starches include wild mushroom risotto, couscous, and French lentil salad—with potatoes appearing in every elevated form imaginable, from gratin to truffled mash. Proteins vary from duck leg confit to lamb stew, Brazilian coulotte steak to miso-glazed salmon.
The freezers are stocked with family-friendly classics and dinner-party favorites alike: lasagna, beef bourguignon, chicken pot pie, appetizers, sauces, even dinner rolls. Each item is clearly labeled with ingredients and reheating instructions, with gluten-free and vegan options noted. Across the shop, a rotisserie turns steadily, filling the space with the aroma of roast chicken (duck and porchetta are also in rotation).
After years of fine dining, À Table represents a new rhythm for the Bouïssous—one that still reflects their craft, but on their own terms. That rhythm was shaped long before the shop ever opened.
Both Bernard and Sarah found their way to the kitchen early. Bernard grew up in France and decided on his career path at age 11: cooking. He moved to New York City when he was 20 to work for Daniel Boulud, an experience that would shape his technique and philosophy.
Sarah first discovered what would become her life’s passion while waitressing in New Jersey. It was there that she asked the owner if she might start working in the kitchen. Soon after, she traveled to France for additional training. When Sarah returned stateside, it was to a position at one of New York’s most celebrated restaurants—Le Cirque.
It was there, in the intense close quarters of Daniel Boulud’s brigade de cuisine, or kitchen brigade, that they met. Sarah was entremetier, responsible for preparing vegetable dishes and starches for the meat or fish stations. Bernard was the poissonnier, in charge of preparing fish dishes.
Stationed next to each other during the restaurant’s long hours, the camaraderie turned into something more. Shared ambition became love, then partnership.
“Those kitchens were demanding,” Sarah says. “But when you’re building something alongside your person, you understand each other in a deeper way.”
The couple married in 1990 in Bernard’s hometown in southwest France and eventually made their way to Ridgefield with their four young daughters. Their ambition and partnership turned into something more when they opened Bernard’s in 2000. For 23 years, the restaurant was a beloved local institution, earning critical acclaim and building generations of loyal guests.
Bernard's was open every day except Mondays. And so Monday night dinners became a sacred family tradition. When the meal was ready, Sarah would call out: “Allez à table!”—or, “Come to the table!”
“Monday dinners were everything,” Bernard says. “No matter how busy we were, we sat together. That’s where family happens.”
After decades of service, the couple decided to step away before their joy in cooking was lost. When the former Sucré Salé space in The Copps Hill Marketplace became available, the idea for À Table came into focus: a way to keep cooking, keep sharing—without the relentless pace of restaurant life.
“We wanted to make food that fits into real life,” Sarah says. “Food that brings people together. These are recipes we’ve been making for 40 years—now they live at your table.”
With Valentine’s Day approaching, À Table feels particularly fitting. From those early days standing side by side at Le Cirque to the Monday night dinners when Sarah would call her daughters to gather: Allez à table. Now, at their shop bearing that very name, they’re extending the same invitation to Ridgefield.
“For us, food has always been a way to show love,” Sarah says. “Cooking for someone is caring for them.”
So come to the table. Bring your family, your friends, your Valentine. The food is ready, and there’s always room for one more.
À Table is located at 109 Danbury Road in The Marketplace at Copps Hill Commons. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Online ordering and catering information are available at atableus.com, and on Instagram @atableus.