Roost Kitchen + Cafe opens in Cos Cob
Will offer from-scratch meals made with local ingredients
GREENWICH — Mike Pietrafeso’s culinary journey has taken him to a number of kitchens over the years, but it’s officially come home on East Putnam Avenue.
Pietrafeso, once a chef at Plum Pure Foods and Catering, recently returned to that same kitchen after 14 years, only this time as the owner of Roost + Kitchen and Cafe, which opened Nov. 5.
“It was nice to come back and go full circle,” Pietrafeso said. “When that space became available, I was very familiar with it so it just seemed like the right fit for us.”
He is not a newcomer to owning and running his own business. His initial culinary endeavor, Ada’s Kitchen + Coffee, opened in Riverside in 2016 and is a three-time winner of the “Best Breakfast” in Greenwich title from Best of the Gold Coast, according to its website. Since opening Ada’s, he has opened two Roost locations in Darien and Stamford. The new Cos Cob location, however, holds a special place in his and his wife, Krista’s, heart.
Both lifelong Greenwich residents, Mike and Krista Pietrafeso are Greenwich High School sweethearts and live 5 minutes away from Roost’s Cos Cob location.
“A lot of the establishments have been there for decades, it’s very much a small business, locally owned and oriented spot within Greenwich,” Krista Pietrafeso said. “We grew up here, so we’ve seen the evolution of the town. I think there’s a lot of desire for folks to have local, small businesses here as well and I think Cos Cob really is a great place for that.
“I think Mike was really happy to be a part of this community that’s had so many longstanding establishments there for some time now and sort of be able to be added to the mix.”
Mike Pietrafeso found there was a need for fromscratch meals made from fresh, local ingredients in Cos Cob and his to-go model is different than the chain restaurants and fine-dining establishments in town. His is a combination of the two, offering only take-out options, while using local ingredients made from scratch.
“We wanted to be able to bring that more mainstream and make it more accessible for a breakfast and lunch place,” he said.
He is looking forward to crafting a dinner menu exclusive to the Cos Cob location, offering healthy plates and bowls for both adults and children.
Some of Roost’s fan-favorite menu items include bar items made with signature coffee from Kestrel Coffee Roasters, Overnight Oats (oats and chia soaked in almond milk topped with homemade cherry chia jam and almond butter), the white bean hummus sandwich (goat cheese, pickled peppers, arugula, and avocado on sourdough) and, of course, any sandwich on a Roost English muffin, which are made from scratch instore every morning.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” Krista Pietrafeso said. “It’s not just a coffee shop, it’s not just a sandwich shop. You have such an array of offerings for breakfast and lunch and everything is fresh.”