Randall's Ordinary- Dreams Come True!

There is a very special place in Connecticut that my husband and I fell in love with more than twenty years ago. Back in the 1980's, Randall's Ordinary operated as an inn and restaurant, transporting guests back in time to the 17th century with Colonial cooking prepared on the open-hearth and served by staff dressed in period-style clothing. Rodolfo had just left his native Italy and visiting Randall's made him feel at home, thanks to the farm-to-table atmosphere. It was something like a Colonial-style agriturismo. In fact, this spot became the perfect place to bring friends and family visiting from Italy and we ate there frequently.

I still remember the last time our family had lunch at the restaurant. It was 2004 and by that time, we had two young daughters. They loved to visit the donkey outside at the barn. That day, a cook from the restaurant came by and gave us carrots. The girls' faces lit up with joy at the prospect of feeding the animals. I knew it would be a while, so I turned to look out at the field behind the barn, enjoying the deep sense of peacefulness that this place had always given me. At that moment, I thought to myself- I wish we could own this place someday. John Randall came from England to America in the 1660's with his family to find religious freedom and built his home in 1685 circa. The homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a hiding place for slaves journeying along the Underground Railroad. Sadly, the restaurant and inn have been closed since 2006, and the buildings have sat idle, waiting for a new owner to come along and restore them to their original beauty. That day has finally come. This property not only has a new owner, my dream of ten years ago finally came true! Our family has purchased the 28-acre farm, and has approved plans for the construction of our company's new headquarters. My husband and I have always looked to the past for a better future and we could not think of a better location for developing this mission. Many people have enjoyed the tranquillity of this land over the years and feel saddened by its current state. Today, we are overjoyed to be the new custodians of the Randall farm and promise to be mindful of the historic significance of this property, in every action that we take, for generations to come.

The best news of all, really, is that this farm will bring us closer to you! We will be restoring the buildings, constructing a new test kitchen, planting an heirloom fruit orchard and a field of einkorn. We will also host Jovial's Culinary Getaways here, as well as in Italy at the villa. A craft brewery, famers' market, cooking classes, farm dinners, weekend and weeklong getaways- everything we have planned will be a great opportunity for our family and fabulous employees to spend time getting to know you in person. This will be a place where you can relax, eat well, feel the warmth of nature and the signifcance of American history, but never think twice about foods that you cannot eat. Everything will be perfect. That's our way of saying thank you for supporting our company's mission. We look forward to sharing more photos as soon as we break ground this spring. In the meantime, we invite you to follow our Pinterest board, so you can watch our project move along from inspiration to completion. Resources of the images of Randall's Ordinary:

• http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/saverandallsinn/randalls_ordinary_inn/index.album/dsc00149?i=14
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/mortizgallery/3896689796/?rb=1
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Randall_House