GOOD NEWS RESTAURANT & BAR
Where It All Began
Carole Peck began her love affair with food 30 years ago, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1973. Pioneering a then male-dominated profession, she grew to her now distinguished reputation. After graduation, Peck worked as the executive chef at many restaurants, resorts, and clubs from Cape Cod to Hilton Head to Austin to Miami and New York City. Along the way she continually gained recognition and professional acclaim.
In 1988, Carole and her husband, Bernard Jarrier-Cabernet, returned to Carole’s New England roots and settled in Litchfield County, CT. Carole Peck’s Restaurant was then established-a charming country farmhouse restaurant in New Milford. She was committed to using the finest, locally grown, and produced ingredients presented in an innovative style. The food was fresh, and the flavors were distinctive. The restaurant’s popularity rapidly grew.
With an ever-expanding base of customers and followers, Carole tapped into other creative abilities and started producing exquisite food for large parties. She quickly became a renowned and highly preferred wedding caterer. In 1993, she had the distinct honor of cooking for Julia Child’s 80th Birthday Bash for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in New Orleans.
Having outgrown the New Milford restaurant, she moved to near-by Woodbury, CT in 1992 and opened Good News Cafe. From there all good things continued to happen. In 1997, Peck published her first cookbook, The Buffet Book, to wide acclaim; the second release of her book, printed in 2002, is currently available from Ici La Press. Her restaurant continued to receive attention in numerous magazine articles and outstanding reviews from Zagat’s Guide, The New York Times, Gourmet, Connecticut Magazine, Bon Appetit, House Beautiful, and Travel & Leisure. In 2000, the National Restaurant Association named Good News Cafe the “Restaurant of the Year”; in 2003, readers of Connecticut Magazine chose Good News Restaurant & Bar for “Best American” and “Best Desserts” in Connecticut. In addition, Carole’s home has been featured in a Country Living Magazine cover story. She has also made appearances on the Food Network, Martha Stewart Living Television, and PBS.
Currently, along with the restaurant, catering, and another forthcoming cookbook, she and Bernard have returned to Bernard’s French soil. At the beginning of 2000, they acquired a home in the Provence region of Avignon. Deep in the heart of French gastronomical history and Michelin- star chefs, they are continuing to further their romance with food and cooking in leading bi-annual culinary tours. Always on the hunt to locate a new culinary star and spread the delights of their discovery, this gives them the perfect platform to search. In 2001, along with Connecticut-based typesetter Dennis Pistone, they created Ici La Press which specializes in publishing English-language editions of some of the finest cookbooks in Europe.