In celebration of our Food Issue, Westport Lifestyle is spotlighting some of the most influential members of our area’s thriving dining scene—in their own words. Enjoy or, perhaps more aptly, bon appetit!
Robin and Jeffrey Selden, siblings and managing partners of Marcia Selden Catering
Culinary destiny: “My mom’s passion for great food, entertaining, and hospitality has been infectious since I can remember,” says Robin (their mother, Marcia, is the founder of the company). “I’m equally as passionate about it and could not love my job more!” Jeffrey agrees. “Our love for cooking and entertaining comes from my grandmother and mom at a young age, where every meal was a party!” he says. Growing Marcia Selden Catering has been a true joy for their family. “We were kids when mom started, so watching her build this incredible business was pretty awesome,” says Robin. “And it gave both Jeffrey and me a work ethic like nobody’s business!”
Prepping with heart: The Seldens work together, yes, but their business is also about creating special memories centered around deliciousness. “Our philosophy lives in the details, and in how we create, present, and serve every bite,” says Robin. “Our food is thoughtful, beautiful, delicious, and delivered with the level of service that defines who we are. It’s designed to spark joy, start conversation, and create a lasting memory.”
For more, visit marciaselden.com
Julie Mountain and Dana Noorily, founders, The Granola Bar
A knack for greatness: “We were drawn to the idea of working together, not food,” says Julie of her longtime friend Dana. “Then food became our mutual love language. A few weeks after we opened in Westport, in December of 2013, we walked around the room and realized we didn’t know anyone in the restaurant. It was at that moment we thought we might be on to something.” Fast forward 12 years, and the Westport location has been joined by locations in Fairfield, Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Rye, Long Island, the Upper West Side, and two more on the way (Massapequa and Midtown Manhattan). Safe to say they were onto something, indeed.
True granola girlys: “Our Crunchy Elvis and Afternoon Delight yogurt parfaits have been on the menu since day one,” they say. “The parfaits have so many variations, they never get old! They highlight our granola, and you can get creative.”
For more, visit thegranolabar.com
Stephanie Berghoff, founder, The Home Cook
Home away from home: “What we’re all about is creating comforting, flavorful meals you can enjoy at home with your loved ones,” says Stephanie of her meal-delivery service based in Westport. “Most of our customers come to us because they crave that home-cooked feel but don’t have time to make it themselves. We rotate a wide variety of dishes each week to keep things interesting, especially for the families who order regularly. I love how supportive people are, whether it’s trying a new dish on our menu or sharing The Home Cook with their friends. It really feels like we’re all feeding each other, in more ways than one.”
Feeding families, and building one: “My favorite memories of The Home Cook always come back to being with our team. We spend so much time together that we truly feel like family. Some days we’re laughing nonstop, dancing, singing, and just enjoying each other. It’s the best part of what we do. From the beginning, I wanted to create a warm, positive environment where people love coming to work every day, and I’m so proud of the culture we’ve built. Good food and good company are everything I love most.”
For more, visit thehomecookct.com
Hugh Magnum and Laura Malone, owners, Rise Doughnut
Embracing community: “We moved here six months before COVID-19, and started this business in the middle of the pandemic,” says Hugh, who built Mighty Quinn’s BBQ alongside his wife, Laura, before moving to Wilton with their three children. (The couple met in culinary school.) “What has been so special about it, besides getting to create and make food (which we love doing), is how Wilton has supported us so incredibly. We went from being a pop-up, to opening five days a week, to now seven. We have customers who are like family to us. There’s something really amazing about being a part of a place that has become a community gathering space. Wilton has been nothing short of miraculous for us since we moved here and started Rise.”
Great doughnuts, done right: “We’re ingredients-focused,” Hugh explains. “Our doughnuts have seven ingredients, and they’re all from high-quality places. Our brown butter vanilla [doughnut] is kind of the gold standard in that way, because it’s our take on an old-fashioned glazed doughnut, using high-quality vanilla. It just shines.”
A family affair: “On any given day where the staffing happens to work out that the front of house is all three of my kids—Quinn, Lucas, and Henry— and Laura and I are in the back with Jamie and Alex, who have been with us since the pandemic…when I have my entire family under one roof, that’s when Laura and I have our most wonderful days. It’s not often you have a family business where you’re all together and having fun.”
Follow @risedoughnut for more
Bill Taibe, owner, Kawa Ni Westport & Kawa Ni Denver
Something special: Kawa Ni has grown to two locations, so they’re obviously doing something right. Bill could feel it from the very first night of service: “Standing in the back, sweaty and wired, watching the room fill up with friends, family, strangers—people taking a chance on something new. The nerves, the adrenaline, the feeling of ‘we built this.’ It was a chaotic blur, but it felt like the beginning of something real,” he says.
Home grown: Though Bill now spends plenty of time out in Colorado, he’s forever grateful for having been forged in the Westport food scene. “I love how the town challenges me to stay sharp, evolve, and stay grounded in community,” he says. “Westport knows how to show up. It’s a curious, opinionated, and loyal town. I’ve built places that feel like extensions of people’s lives—not just restaurants but living rooms, Friday night rituals, places where regulars become family.”
Always an innovator: Bill says Kawa Ni’s tofu pockets are a great encapsulation of his food philosophy. “The inari is stuffed with rice, crab, yuzu, and pumpernickel. It’s thoughtful, layered, unexpected—but still humble. It speaks to my love of Japanese technique with a bit of irreverence, the way I like to blur lines between tradition and innovation, high-brow and casual.”
For more, visit kawaniwestport.com
Karen Hubrich, owner, Gruel Britannia
Warm and welcoming: “The concept of Gruel Britannia is to feel you are in my home kitchen, hanging out with good home-cooked food and great friends,” says Karen, who recently opened the second outpost of her restaurant on Cross Highway in Westport. (The original is in Fairfield.) “What I love about opening in Westport is it is my hometown— I have been here for 37 years.”
Making her own way: “It was by pure accident I got into the food industry. I began cooking professionally at 19, and am totally self-taught. My parents were from Austria and Hungary, and I did not grow up with British cuisine, let alone fish and chips. So we are 75 percent British, and the rest is a mixed bag of food,” she says. “The sun never set over the British Empire, so that gives us a certain amount of leeway!”
Keep calm and carry on: “The first day we opened, I looked at my son Lucas and his partner Rebecca (they own ILSE coffee, the coffee we roast and use) with a sense of gloom and doom. We made about $400 in sales. We all had that awful feeling we would not survive. Good thing we soldiered on.”
For more, visit gruelbritannia.com
Zach Hinman, executive chef, The Whelk and Massi Co
Moving up: Zach recently became the executive chef at both The Whelk and the new Italian spot Massi Co. “Stepping into the leadership role and building real trust with the crew [has been amazing],” he says. “I’ve been with the company for a while, but I haven’t always been the one in charge. Taking over The Whelk came with a lot. Learning the flow, earning respect, figuring out how to lead without forcing it. The best memories are those nights when the staff has my back and I’ve got theirs. When the energy’s right, the food’s sharp, and we all walk out proud. That shift from being part of the kitchen to really owning it has meant everything.”
The real deal: “Westport is small enough to feel personal, but big enough to take risks,” explains Zach. “The diners here are smart, they’ve traveled, they’ve eaten well. So you can’t fake it.” The dishes at The Whelk exemplify that philosophy; for example, this summer’s corn and peach salad “is not trying to be fancy, it’s just honest food that is great if the ingredients are dialed. Seasonal, simple, and built around contrast: sweet, salty, raw, charred. That’s the kind of meal I’ll always show up for.”
For more, visit thewhelkwestport.com
Inda and Solomon Sade, owners, The Blondinit
A taste of Israel: Solomon and Inda bring fresh Israeli flavor to every dish at their downtown eatery, named after the Hebrew word for “blonde.” (Solomon is Israeli; his wife, Inda, is the titular blonde.) Solomon says their hummus best represents their commitment to Israeli food: “Like all our dishes, it’s scratch-made and you taste the quality and freshness with every bite.” For Inda, it’s their baby artichokes. “Burst of flavor, and timeless,” she says.
Support from all around: Owning and operating a restaurant is no easy job, but the Sades feel lucky to be doing it in Westport. “The people are my favorite part [of the food scene here],” says Inda. “Our community is extraordinary.” This past March, the restaurant celebrated their one-year anniversary on a night that Inda says cemented how special our town is. “We lit Shabbat candles with our beautiful community,” she recalls. “It was eurphoric.”
For more, visit theblondinit.com