Quechee
Pirkey, former owner-chef of Corners Inn in Bridgewater who for the past two years has operated the popular Chef Brad’s Crazy Side food truck and dining bus on Route 12 in Hartland, has struck a deal with Fat Hat owner Joan Ecker to move his eatery into the building adjacent to Fat Hat that most recently was occupied by Pierogi Me.
Pirkey is fixing up the building and expects to open his new dining location, which will seat 20 people, for breakfast and lunch in early November. And next spring, when the weather warms, he will switch to dinners served in the old school bus, which is fitted with tables for 16 diners, in addition to serving inside the restaurant.
“When I moved to Hartland the landlord at the time told me he would need the space in two years, so I was looking around and read … about the Quechee place. I called and was fortunate enough to get it,” Pirkey said, noting the location at the intersection of Route 4 and Quechee Main Street is a major bonus because of the Quechee Gorge tourist flow.
Pirkey said he’s been serving an average of 80 to 100 customers a night in Hartland, but expects to be even busier at the new location.
Ecker said the building on her lot has had a succession of eatery tenants over the years but none have stuck. She said she was impressed both by Pirkey’s business experience and his reputation as a chef-owner.
“Brad has a following, tons of people who know who he is,” said Ecker. She also predicted Pirkey’s eatery would help to “perk up an economically sagging state of dying businesses on Route 4,” where several retailers have closed in recent years.
Pirkey does all the food preparation and cooking himself, and said his relocated eatery will probably be renamed Chef Brad’s Crazy Side Cafe to reflect the indoor seating he now will have. Pirkey expects to have an assistant helping him and someone to clear tables, but otherwise he’s working the line himself, “unless I find a couple of good kids who want to learn the business.”
Sanctuary Farm in Sunapee was named the 2016 New England Green Pastures Dairy Farm award winner for the state of New Hampshire at The Eastern States Exhibition in West Springfield, Mass. The New England Green Pastures award is given every year to an exceptional dairy farm from each of the New England states. The dairy is owned and managed by Jolyon Johnson, a veterinarian, and assisted by his older son, Jared, 26, who recently graduated from the UNH Dairy Program. Jolyon Johnson’s wife, Susan, helps run the veterinary clinic and operates an ice cream parlor on the farm with their youngest son, Beck. The farm was founded on land granted to the family in the mid-1700s in recognition of its participation in the French and Indian War, according to the farm’s website.
Real Steel Fitness has opened at 66 Pleasant St. in Claremont, after several months of interior renovations in the building that most recently housed Esersky’s Hardware. Owner Tim Chapin said the center will operate on the main floor and basement with elliptical machines, treadmills, free weights and other equipment, some of it new and some of it purchased from Twisted Fitness, which closed its doors on Pleasant Street a few years ago. The center will be staffed during the day and early evening Monday through Saturday, but members will have a 24-hour access card. For more information, call 603-287-8468.
Reed Optical has relocated its Newbury operation to 6 Post Office Road in Sunapee. Optometric physician Jeff Smrkovski will continue offering eye care in the company’s Claremont location at 63 Pleasant St., while optometric physician Tina Smrkovski will see patients at the Sunapee location. The Sunapee office can be reached at 603-763-7302, www.reedoptical.com or by email sunapee@reedoptical.com.
Manchester-based commercial real estate and consulting firms Harrington & Reeves and Norton Asset Management, represented in the Upper Valley by Chip Brown, of Etna, have announced plans to merge. The combined company, Harrington & Reeves/Norton Asset Management, will offer commercial real estate brokerage, transactional services and consulting services from northern Massachusetts to the Upper Valley. The two firms began an affiliation and co-office arrangement in 2015. Brown, an associate with the firm, will be responsible for commercial real estate buyers and sellers, as well as lessees and lessors, in the Upper Valley and northern New England. His Upper Valley clients include Dartmouth College, Hypertherm, EverGreen Capital Partners, BaySon Co., Purcell Properties, Ibex and Creare/Edare.
The Upper Valley chapter of SCORE is offering a workshop, Digital Marketing Tools for Marketing Success, on Thursday, from 6-9 p.m., at 20 W. Park St., Lebanon, Suite 316, in the Citizens Bank Building. This workshop takes a look at some of the trends in digital marketing that small businesses should be paying attention to in the year to come. Cost is $40, two for $60. Veterans free. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit www.uppervalley.score.org, email score@valley.net or call 603-448-3491.
The Vermont Woodlands Association and UVM Extension are offering a succession-planning workshop for landowners on Oct. 22 at the Three Stallion Inn in Randolph. “Ties to the Land: Take Steps to Guide the Future of Your Land,” is designed to give participants the knowledge and tools necessary to start planning for the future of their land. The workshop begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and runs from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $35; each additional family member $20. Fee includes coffee, lunch, a planning workbook and worksheets. Pre-registration with payment required by Oct. 14 at www.vermontwoodlands.org. For more information, call 802-747-7900 or email info@vermontwoodlands.org.
The Center for Women & Enterprise is offering a free, 10-week course, Getting Started: Business Planning, for Claremont residents and business owners. The course covers topics such as learning to assess the viability of a business idea, marketing, funding and building a network of fellow entrepreneurs. Access to a computer and knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel is recommended. The course will be held on Tuesday evenings, Oct. 18-Dec. 20, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Fiske Free Library, 108 Broad St., Claremont. Registration is required by calling 617-532-0248 or emailing mmiller@cweonline.org.
The Hartford Area Career and Technology Center is offering an adult education course, Introduction to QuickBooks, covering the financial accounting computing package for checkbook and business account management. The 16-hour course will be held on Tuesday evenings, Oct. 25-Dec. 13, from 7-9 p.m., at the center, One Gifford Road, White River Junction. Cost is $260. Register at www.hactc.com. For more information, visit adulted@hartfordschools.net or call 802-359-4739.