Restaurateur and chef Chris Bruno purchased Chris’s American Restaurant in 1990, while it was still operating under the Fiddler’s Restaurant name. Outside managing Chris’s American Restaurant in Brookfield, Bruno served on the board for Family and Children’s Aid. The Connecticut-based agency offers programs and services for children and families, including the A Better Choice Adolescent Outpatient Substance Abuse Program (ABC). ABC provides treatment services individually tailored to each patient and is structured to address all aspects the mind, body, and spirit. Designed to help teens live productive, healthy lives, the program focuses on equipping participants with the necessary knowledge and support to make better choices. Guidance and support comes through an experienced, multidisciplinary team of licensed therapists and alcohol and drug abuse clinicians. In addition, the multilingual team maintains an active involvement in community preventative measures for drug and alcohol use. The program employs numerous treatment approaches, such as expressive therapies, pharmacological treatments, and Life Is Good Playmaker Therapy. Therapists also provide psychotherapy sessions for individuals, families, and groups. To help teenagers identify the contributing factors to problems, therapists address issues that include feelings of loneliness and helplessness, anger management, blackouts, sleeplessness, and behavioral outbursts. Additionally, the program encourages families and guardians to become a part of the treatment process.
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Renamed from Fiddler’s Restaurant in 2003 by chef and former owner Chris Bruno, Chris's American Restaurant in Brookfield received critical acclaim and became one of Connecticut's highest-grossing restaurants of its size before Mr. Bruno sold the restaurant in 2010. Chris's American Restaurant focused on using high-quality local ingredients and meticulous preparation methods to create distinctive dishes, including dry-aged steak.
Known for its strong flavor, dry-aged beef is usually found at high-end steakhouses because the dry-aging process is more time-consuming and expensive than wet-aging. All fresh beef is aged to improve the flavor and texture, but most beef today is wet-aged, which involves placing the meat in plastic shrink-wrap for at least three days. When making dry-aged beef, the meat is aged open to the air so that the dehydration process can further intensify the meat’s flavor. The dry-aging process is more expensive because the dehydration process reduces the meat’s weight and the dried exterior must be removed. When identical cuts of wet-aged and dry-aged meat are roasted for the same amount of time, chefs find that the dry-aged roast offers a more succulent mellow, and meatier flavor than the wet-aged roast does. Increasing the amount of time spent dry-aging beef from three to seven days can noticeably improve the depth of flavor. Chris Bruno is the former chef and owner of Chris's American Restaurant in Brookfield, Connecticut. He owned the location for more than 13 years, initially purchasing Fiddler's Restaurant in 1990 and renaming it Chris's American Restaurant in 2003.
Not only are restaurants highly demanding and stressful workplaces, but they also require employees to excel in skills that range from fine cooking to basic customer service. Due to this chaotic nature, successful restaurants almost always boast a dedicated, organized manager who is committed to the following guidelines: -Proactive scheduling should be a tenant of all restaurant employees. A scheduling mishap between employees can drastically effect the overall quality of service. -The time-sensitive nature of the food service industry compounds the need to have a well-stocked inventory at all times. -The highest possible value must be placed on consistency. While managers should always strive for perfection, it is more important to achieve the desired standard and never fall below. -Managers must be excellent communicators, as they are one of the few employees who can move about the restaurant without set obligations. For example, if the kitchen has run out of the day’s salad, the wait staff must be made aware of this immediately. It falls to the manager to make sure that each member of the staff is made aware of any such development. In addition to operating Chris’s American Restaurant in Brookfield, Connecticut, Chris Bruno spends much of his spare time supporting local organizations such as Family and Children’s Aid (FCA). Beyond his responsibilities at Chris’s American Restaurant, formerly known as Fiddler’s Restaurant, Mr. Bruno served as an FCA board member from 1999 to 2006 and was again elected to FCA’s board in 2010.
FCA offers families an effective therapy program for troubled adolescents and other family members. As one of many social services provided by Family and Children’s Aid (FCA) in Connecticut, multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) is a treatment program for young adults that involves the entire family in the process. As part of a research program funded by the government, MDFT is one in a series of new techniques used to treat young adults for drug abuse and other behavioral issues. Over the last 17 years, this type of approach has become widely accepted as a proven, family-based treatment methodology. Founded in 1809 as the Hartford Female Benefit Society, FCA is one of six regional offices of the Child and Family Services of Connecticut. The organization is dedicated to providing a home for every child and to supporting children who have been abused or neglected, or who might be without parental guidance or support. A chef known and respected throughout Connecticut, Chris Bruno purchased Fiddler's Restaurant in 1990 and renamed it Chris's American Restaurant in 2003. The Brookfield-based restaurant became famous for adding foreign influences to American dishes for unique and tasty dining experiences. Chris Bruno later sold Chris's American Restaurant, but he continues to enjoy inventing new twists on classic flavors.
Some restaurant owners and managers focus so strongly on monitoring the sanitation of the food prep areas and balancing the books that they stumble over smaller yet equally important areas of the businesses. First, managers must communicate efficiently with their staff. They should focus on short, effective communication to employees by setting minute-to-minute goals, as well as the goals of the day. They then need to step back and trust employees to do their jobs. Managers facilitate effective communication by implementing communication strategies. Training is a crucial component of that strategy. Training should begin with managers who step in and teach each new employee the goals and themes of the restaurants. This step reinforces the mood and direction of the restaurant for each new staff member and helps him or her move forward with an objective in mind. It is also important for management to step back and allow seasoned staff to help mold the new employees. Trusting staff with training and other important tasks engenders loyalty and builds community. Chris Bruno, the former owner and chef of Chris’s American Restaurant in Brookfield, Connecticut, helped the local favorite become one of the state’s highest-grossing restaurants. Thanks to his hands-on management skills, he increased the efficiency and marketability of Chris’s American Restaurant when he changed the name from Fiddler’s Restaurant, redecorated, and refocused the menu. However, while being hands-on is an important quality for a restaurant owner and manager to have, cost and time management are just as crucial.
Restaurant managers have to take the time to deal with staffing and scheduling, managing inventory, ordering and receiving orders, talking with customers, and handling many other issues throughout the day. By learning and executing efficient time management, managers can ensure that everything is taken care of while avoiding burnout. Time management can help managers identify areas where processes can be improved or streamlined, thus helping the business manage its costs. Managers also have to watch the financial side of the business, looking out for the costs of food and other supplies, labor, and items like advertising, insurance, and other business matters. Cost management not only ensures that the business has money for the things it needs at the present, but also for future costs like expansion and remodeling. Restaurateur Chris Bruno owned and operated Chris’s American Restaurant from 1990 to 2010. Formerly known as Fiddler’s Restaurant in Brookfield, Connecticut, Bruno changed the name to Chris’s American Restaurant in 2003 as a nod to the restaurant’s American cuisine. A former chef, Bruno purchased the restaurant at the age of 24.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when opening a new restaurant. Do a little homework – It is advisable to conduct a little research regarding the area prior to establishing the restaurant. Knowing in advance whether or not customers in the area prefer fine dining or café-style food will help to determine what type of restaurant should be opened and what measures need to be taken in order to distinguish oneself from the competition. Consider the location – In doing research, one should evaluate the location to ensure it is accessible to everyone. It is unlikely that a restaurant will be successful if people don’t know about it or are unable to get to it. Select the right chef – In addition to investing in the guest experience, it is important to invest in the right chef. The chef and his or her culinary creations play an important role in what delights current customers, encourages them to return, and attracts new guests. The culinary arts are steadily gaining interest in mainstream culture. Shows like Iron Chef and Hell’s Kitchen are entertainment phenomena, but according to the former owner of Chris’s American Restaurant, many individuals are unaware of what defines a chef. Below is an overview of several specific chef types provided by the former owner of Chris’s American Restaurant and Fiddler’s Restaurant, Chris Bruno: Executive - Number one in the establishment, the executive chef oversees all kitchen activity including menu planning, food quality and preparation, and cost control. Sous - Assistant to the executive chef, the sous is responsible for training other chefs. If the executive chef is unavailable, the sous chef fills in as needed. Pastry - Responsible for preparing breads and pastries, this chef plans desserts, coupling them with beverages such as wine or coffee. Chef de partie - Found in larger restaurants, the chef de partie is a chef that performs a specific task. For example, a saucier that creates sautéed food or a grillardin that prepares grilled items. Garde manager - A chef responsible for the presentation of all cold foods. The garde manager is also responsible for buffet table appearance, as well as cold sauces and other dressings. Chris's American Restaurant served progressive, regional food in Brookfield, Connecticut. Owner Chris Bruno sold the restaurant, formerly know as Fiddler's Restaurant, to Eli Hawli. Having served as head chef at Chris's American Restaurant, Chris Bruno offers a few tips for preparing the perfect steak.
The perfect steak starts with the right cut of meat, says Chris Bruno. Prime steak cuts offer the most marbling, which translates to rich flavor. Grass-fed, organic meats are generally of higher quality as well. Pat the meat dry before cooking, and season with your choice of rubs. Even applying a salted crust and nothing more will render a flavorful steak. Chefs diverge on whether or not it's wise to add fat to the meat. Some choose to brush the meat with butter or oil; others prefer not to add any fat at all. Perhaps it depends on the level of indulgence you're going for. Cooking temperature and time will depend on the size and thickness of the meat's cut, though it's recommended to use a fairly hot pan for quick searing. That way, you'll only need to cook each side for a few minutes, preserving the juiciness inside. The perfect steak takes trial and error; good luck, and enjoy! |
AuthorChris's American Restaurant (Fiddler's Restaurant in Brookfield, CT) delivered progressive American food enlivened by international and domestic regional influences to customers throughout the Brookfield, Connecticut, area. Archives
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