LUX August 2017

LUX - August 2017 21 RE170036 Bailey’s Backyard is an American farm-to-table restaurant, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut. As the winner of LUX Best Fine Dining Restaurant 2017 - Fairfield County, we invited the owner Sal Bagliavio, to profile the firm’s evolution from its inception in 1999 to the present day. Catering to Your Needs Bailey’s Backyard offers full service catering for weddings, corporate events and communions. Bailey’s Backyard opened in October 1999, in what was a closed-down coffee shop. The mission then, as it is now, was to offer refined, new American cuisine in both a polished and relaxed atmosphere. The next logical step in the popular restaurant’s evolution – taken in spring 2013 – transformed it into a true farm-to-table restaurant. The mission was expanded to include a commitment to creating a menu, based on the freshest and finest local food sources: meat and poultry from Shelton, Roxbury, Bridgewater and Newtown, produce from Ridgefield and neighbouring farms and fresh seafood from waters off Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York as well as from the Chesapeake Bay. I am the primary chef at Bailey’s Backyard, from the day the restaurant opened, in October 1999. Before there was a Bailey’s, I owned a pizzeria in Danbury. I learned my craft mostly on the job and from my Italian- American grandmother - when growing up in Babylon, Long Island. One day, I took a drive around scenic Ridgefield and fell in love with this picturesque village. I opened Bailey’s in what was a closed-down coffee shop; renovating the space myself. My focus then, as it is now, was on casual, new American cuisine. I decided that I would like to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with my three young children. In addition, for a long time I wanted to convert Bailey’s into a true farm-to-table restaurant saying: “In Forrest, I have found someone I can stand with and carry out my goal,” I will work at the front of the restaurant and as I like to say: “Forrest will be executive chef, and I will be executive taster.” In terms of our catering, we have many years of experience with on-and off-premise private event planning and coordination, offering an array of catering options. Bailey’s Backyard is available for private events of every type and size: birthday parties, bar/ bat mitzvahs, all-day corporate retreats, business luncheons, cocktail receptions, dinners and weddings. No matter the size of your party, location, style or budget, we will cater to your needs with both efficiency and panache. Company: Bailey’s Backyard Name: Sal Bagliavio Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.baileysbackyard.com Address: 23 Bailey Avenue, Ridgefield, CT 06877 USA Telephone: +1 203 431 0796