Dining

La Cuisine Market Cafe & Catering

750 E. Main St.
Branford, CT
(203) 488-7100
lacuisine.net

La Cuisine has been in business for close to 30 years, surviving economic ups and downs, and food and health trends. "We've never tried to focus on any trends or what's the next great thing," says owner Ben Bloom. "We try to focus on the food, full-flavored food." At La Cuisine, it's all about the food. Offering a cafe and market alongside their catering service, their food is prepared in an open kitchen. "It's food, it's what you're gonna eat, you should have confidence in that," Bloom says. They extend that confidence in their product further by strengthening ties to local suppliers and farmers, and using in-season ingredients whenever possible. This recent economic downturn has forced the folks at La Cuisine to "get creative and work harder, challenging the staff to be more efficient," says Bloom. "The key is blending the budget with the expectation." They're also starting to pass that creativity onto their customers by offering cooking classes.