[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1270-S1271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECONGIZING SARDUCCI'S

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President. I read an article about Sarducci's 
celebrating 25 years in Montpelier.
  Marcelle and I have enjoyed eating at Sarducci's since it first 
opened and are thrilled with what Carol Paquette and Jeff Butterfield 
have done with the restaurant.
  I remember when they first opened and how Dorothy Korshak, the 
original founder, wondered whether anybody would come in. I remember 
telling Dorothy that, if they keep providing food that good, people 
will show up.
  My mother was born in Vermont, a first generation Italian-American. 
We always ate Italian food, both at my grandparents' home in South 
Ryegate, VT or at our home in Montpelier, VT. It feels like going home 
to go to Sarducci's. It is one of our favorite restaurants.
  I ask unanimous consent that the article from thebridge entitled 
``Sarducci's Celebrates 25 Years in Montpelier'' be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     [From thebrigde Jan. 23, 2019]

              Sarducci's Celebrates 25 Years in Montelier

                            (By Tim Simard)

       On a recent sunny and chilly January afternoon, Sarducci's 
     Restaurant founder and co-owner Carol Paquette relaxed by a 
     front table and looked back on 25 years. Sitting alongside 
     head chef and new co-owner Jeff Butterfield, Paquette 
     marveled at surviving two-and-a-half decades in the 
     restaurant business--a momentous achievement. This past 
     weekend, the Montpelier institution quietly celebrated the 
     milestone birthday.
       Paquette can remember Sarducci's first day quite clearly--
     Jan. 19, 1994. It was a Wednesday.
       ``We opened at 4 pm. It was freezing outside. Dorothy 
     Korshak [founder and former business partner] and I had no 
     idea who might or how many people might stop in. We really 
     hadn't done any advertising to let people know we were 
     opening,'' she said.
       But people knew. Oh, they knew. Within the first hour of 
     business, it was clear that Montpelier was ready for 
     Sarducci's.
       ``The doors opened and people just kept coming in. We 
     hadn't planned on so many that night, but by the end we had 
     served close to 200 people,'' Paquette said, still in awe of 
     that first night's success.
       Paquette attributes Sarducci's early success to a lack of 
     restaurants in Montpelier at that time. She said locals were 
     ``desperate'' for a place where families could sit down in a 
     cozy atmosphere with the whole family and have an amazing, 
     authentic Italian dinner.
       The signature wood-fired oven was also a unique feature for 
     a Montpelier restaurant. Paquette and Korshak--who started 
     their partnership as coworkers at Julio's--researched Italian 
     restaurants in Boston, New York, and Chicago and noted the 
     popularity of these ovens.
       ``We saw the restaurants that had the wood-fired ovens were 
     becoming more and more popular,'' Paquette said.
       Since those first days, Sarducci's has become a go-to 
     dining spot in the Capital City. In its 25 years, the 
     restaurant has renovated its space, added a deck overlooking 
     the Winooski River, and doubled its seating capacity, all 
     while keeping its menu remarkably consistent. Today, 
     Sarducci's enters a new chapter as it celebrates a quarter 
     century.

[[Page S1271]]

       At end of 2018, Butterfield bought in to the business and 
     is now a co-owner alongside Paquette. Butterfield, an East 
     Montpelier native and graduate of the New England Culinary 
     Institute, has been with Sarducci's for nearly seven years. 
     His experience pre-Sarducci's included running kitchens in 
     tourist locales from Charleston, S.C. to Stowe.
       ``When a sous chef position opened [in 2012], I jumped at 
     the chance. I was ready to move back home, and I fell in love 
     with this place on day one,'' Butterfield said.
       Butterfield said that Sarducci's has a family atmosphere 
     amongst its employees that's unique to other places he's 
     worked. Paquette added that several employees have been with 
     the restaurant for years and even decades.
       Butterfield was promoted to head chef in 2014; around the 
     same time Korshak decided to retire, leaving Paquette as sole 
     owner. But the demands of running one of the city's most 
     popular restaurants became challenging for one person. 
     Butterfield pitched himself to be Sarducci's next co-owner. 
     Paquette knew it would be the right fit.
       ``He's so good at what he does, he's super smart, and his 
     ego doesn't get in the way. That last part is very 
     important,'' she said.
       Sarducci's 25-year story is one of growth and consistency. 
     Customers know what they'll get each time they walk through 
     the doors. The pollo al marsala and salmone cucina remain the 
     most popular menu items, as they have since the first year.
       ``Montpelier has changed a lot, but we're still here. We're 
     still serving great Italian food that's affordable, fresh, 
     and locally sourced,'' Butterfield said.

                          ____________________