Date: Fri 13-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Doreen-Ciccarello-diner

Full Text:

Sandy Hook Diner, New Owner But The Same Tradition Of Good Food

(with cuts)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

It is 3 pm and the lights inside the Sandy Hook Diner have been dimmed. The

diner closed at 2, but owner Doreen Ciccarello, teenager Lan Currier, and a

customer are still in the dining room talking.

A waitress at the diner for the past five years, Doreen became the new owner

last November, taking over the business from Ellie Lewis, who had operated it

for more than five years. Like any new owner, Ms Ciccarello wants to make the

place her own.

"I want to make the place as comfortable as your own home," she explains,

pointing out the changes she has made: checkerboards under the glass tops of

the tables, tiny tabletop lamps with fabric shades, and a shelf topped with

antique bottles, her great-grandmother's clock and other collectibles.

Twice before Doreen Ciccarello has operated diners.

"The first one, Doreen and Tammi's, was in Danbury for six years during the

1980s," she said. "We had a tiny stage surrounded by white lights and on

Sundays there was a guitar player. I was cooking. I'd shut down the grill and

sing with him."

Later she and a partner briefly operated KD's in Southington.

"There's a lot of work to a diner. It's really 24 hours a day, seven days a

week," she said.

When she took over the diner in Sandy Hook, Doreen had a partner. "He called

me on his day off and said he didn't want to do it anymore," she said. "I

never would have wanted to do it on my own -- but here I am. My parents and my

sister Kim have pitched in. I'm so thankful for my family and friends, and my

boyfriend of seven years, Mike Forte. But I am looking for help. If you are a

waitress or a cook -- call me."

Lan Currier, 16, also has been helping, and Ellie sometimes comes in so Doreen

can get a day off. "Ellie and I have been friends for 15 years," Doreen said.

"It's difficult to fill her shoes."

"Josephine Corrigan and her son Bob, who own this building, also have been

great. Josephine ran the diner for most of its 60-plus years."

Sandy Hook Diner likes to bill itself as "Down Home Cookin' at Diner Prices"

and the theme obviously works. The diner is a busy place, particularly on

weekends. The two-egg, toast, home fries, and coffee breakfast for $2.40 is a

crowd-pleaser as are the $5.50 gourmet specials like the chicken fajita

omelet, crab florentine omelet, New York strip steak and eggs, whole wheat

banana pancakes and the arts omelet (artichokes, mushrooms, onions and cheddar

cheese).

Lunch always features a homestyle meal like pot roast or meatloaf along with

specials, plus freshly made soups, and sandwiches -- even turkeyburgers.

Desserts include such gourmet pies as caramel apple, Heath Bar crunch,

blueberry, and coconut custard.

"It's the same food, at the same prices -- I just added a little bit more,"

Doreen said. "I try to be creative."

Doreen had a band, Nightline, for 15 years, and currently sings in a band,

After Dark, which frequently performs at weddings. She likes to paint --

examples of her work hang in the diner -- and also used to do sculpture,

although she has little time for either these days.

But she is glad to be alive. A cancer survivor, she was given a year to live

in 1973 and spent the following ten years in and out of hospitals. "I had

chemotherapy and radiation and my weight dropped to 56 pounds," she said. "I

was in the UConn Health Center for a year."

Today it is difficult to slow her down. She muses about selling antiques from

the shop, and wants to give away used books at breakfast, and maybe feature

music on the patio in the summer, if the town government approves.

"There's a lot of potential here," she says. "I love this business. I love

dealing with people. I love my customers."

The Sandy Hook diner is open seven days a week: 6 am to 2 pm on weekdays; 7 to

2 on Saturdays, and 7:30 to 2 on Sundays.