Arugula Bistro is standing proud after twenty-five years in West Hartford. Not every restaurant along Farmington Avenue can say that. It has gone through quite a bit over the years, and, although Chef Christiane Gehami says she doesn’t think much of anything outside the four walls of the bistro, the recent nomination as Restaurant of the Year for the region, and Overall Restaurant of the Year has altered things a bit. There’s been more of a buzz of late, so more to think about, not to mention, more to be thankful for. At 65, barely 5’ 1”, with two playful “nubs” (as she calls them) on either side of her head, she beams and bobs childlike about the bistro from the honor and her recently renovated home away from home.
“I had always dreamt of having a bar with tin ceilings and chandeliers,” Chris says. “A bistro that conjures France after the war.”
The new and improved Arugula Bistro, which re-opened in May after being closed for a few months, indeed feels like a French bistro with weathered walls, old photos of family, and a cozy, packed bar. The bar is now affectionately called La Vieille Carotte, which references an inside joke between Chris and her mother.
Many people think there’s more to the name of the restaurant, but it couldn’t be simpler, “Arugula is my favorite green,” she says one Wednesday at the bar over a steaming hot plate of Ful Medames. Everything goes back to the food. Although a restaurant wasn’t necessarily something she thought she’d have (despite going to culinary school), her food memories are rich and endless, so cooking for people has just always made sense. Some of Chris’ fondest childhood memories are of her sitting at the foot of a tree eating the labani sandwiches her mom made, with chunks of watermelon on the side, and reading The Happy Hollister series. For years she thought labani was the only cheese that existed, and to this day, it is still her favorite (see recipe). And, although her marriage didn't last, she thinks fondly of the time when her mother taught her how to cook just three months before she got married.
There’s a story attached to every dish, it seems, hence her recent foray into a little personal writing. Chris is actually working on a project called The Kitchen Girl Anthology. She knows the title is one that might bother other female chefs; however, she believes by sharing her trials and triumphs, she takes a derogatory term and turns it on its head. She says she’s now proud to announce herself as the Kitchen Girl by reclaiming the name and giving it a new face. {Full Disclosure: the author of this article is spearheading The Kitchen Girl Anthology project}
The restaurant has undergone many changes since it first opened in 1996 at the back of an art gallery with just six seats. And, from staffing issues, like having six dishwashers in one week or bartender applicants who can’t distinguish between a Manhattan or a Whiskey Sour, to customer conflicts and skyrocketing costs, co-Chef Mike Kask has been by her side pushing through it all, for twenty-five years. The two have been friends since 1994 when they both worked at the Barney House in Farmington. “Sure, we argue, fight, bitterly at times, but at the end of the day, we have each other's backs.” She continues, “There is nothing I wouldn't do for him, and vice versa.”
She’ll be the first to gush about the rest of the team too. “It’s as if they were hand-picked for me,” she says. Steve Reynolds, the manager, has also been with the bistro a long time, fourteen years, and very much a part of making the renovation a reality. “I could not imagine this bistro without him,” Chris admits. “He’s an excellent server, loves to research, and loves to impart new ideas.” Christopher Hodson of @cookedinconnecticut has given the restaurant a social media presence. “It's because of him that I am now in the 21st century with a POS system. And it's because of him that I am branching out with my menu.”
Top: Dining room with textured walls & family portraits. Bottom: Chef Chris’ favorite new features is the new bar
Luis Garcia came to Arugula Bistro eight years ago after falling on tough times. “I’m so proud of Lu,” Chris says. “It took him a while to see it himself, but I saw potential. From starting in the dish room to doing everything in between, he does it all with passion.” Claudia Hess and Lauren Michelle Cornelio are the newest “Arugulettes”. Lauren is on the bar and Claudia works as a roundsperson, doing a bit of everything from bar, serving, hosting, bussing, etc. “Both are incredible,” Chris says. “They bring knowledge and wisdom I did not know existed.”
People in the industry are just thankful to be working again, to get back to the hum of crowded restaurants, and yet, prices of everything during the pandemic have skyrocketed. It undoubtedly puts a strain on every aspect of the business. “Guess how much a crate of mushrooms was today?” Chef Mike yelled as he walked in after a morning of shopping. Somehow, Arugula is making it work, even with the new addition of their Social Hour and Mezze Menu.
Chef Chris not only keeps bellies full; her sense of humor is off the charts. On one visit, she was at the stove, stirring a giant hot pan of what would soon become an onion marmalade. She was demonstrating the difference between the way she cooks this version to that of a flash fry or sauté. Often describing cooking in terms of relationships, she says, “these are cooked long and slow, you know, like the ones you’d take on a date.”
Mike fuses his passion for Eastern cuisines with the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors of Chris’ roots. He recalls experimenting with cooking from various cultures with his grandmother and together they developed a passion for the complex flavors and spices of Asian and Indian cuisine. Even one look at the restaurant’s most popular dish, The Napoleon, which has been on the menu since the beginning, demonstrates that creativity and passion. If there is one dish that represents the two of them on a plate, it is that one. Essentially, it is deconstructed Baba Ghanoush, including wontons, a curry vinaigrette, and of course, roasted eggplant. It is dramatic, colorful, and full of surprises. And that’s Chris and Mike.
When asking about the buzz surrounding the restaurant’s nomination, new look, new social hour, and updates to the menu, Chris beams. And yet, she’s happy to keep the glee within her four walls. She’s not interested in “conquering towns with multiple Arugulas,” she admits. Right now, she’s excited to remove the old tablecloths and paper from her tables and see the dark wood underneath. Simple pleasures indeed.
- Arugula Bistro is located at 953 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford arugula-bistro.com
Would you like to add your story to The Kitchen Girl Anthology and reclaim the name as a badge of honor and point of pride? Contact KitchenGirlAnthology@gmail.com for more information.
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