The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
From little cakes to comfort food
NoRA Cupcake owner partners with employee on Harrie’s Jailhouse
MIDDLETOWN — The owner and the senior staff member of NoRA Cupcake Co. are launching a new culinary endeavor in the 1850s jail that will aim to tempt fans of gourmet bar food in a casual, “old-time feel” eatery.
Harrie’s Jailhouse, at 51 Warwick St., is located in a historical brick building in front of the Alms House, where orphan children and the indigent were given shelter in the 19th century.
The Pameacha Jail most recently was the home of Bread and Water restaurant.
NoRA Cupcake Co. owner Carrie Carella, who said the concept has been in the works for five years, announced her partnership on the nine-year anniversary of her 700 Main St. bakery, which opened on New Year’s Eve 2011.
Harrie’s will concentrate on gourmet sandwiches, house-made snacks and craft cocktails, with specials such as “Happy Hour Hooch, a shout out to the jail,” co-owner Heather Kelly said.
“In our opinion, there is no better food than a quality sandwich. Not too extravagant, and nothing that you need a dictionary to look up the ingredients for,” according to the Harrie’s website. “Fresh artisan bread, meat, cheese, veggies, or a combo of all three, finished with housemade condiments. Ratios of this trinity are key.
“Harrie’s takes the nostalgia of a classic sandwich and twists it a bit to take it to that next level. Most of our menu items will evoke a fond memory or pay homage to the greats before us,” the site says.
The business partners bring with them an extensive knowledge of desserts and casual dining from their time at NoRA and Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, 695
“Having it in a house rather than a strip mall was very important, because we wanted to have people feel at home here.”
Heather Kelly, NoRA Cupcake Co. co-owner
Main St.
Harrie’s, in a residential area off South Main Street, is a coinage of both women’s names. The joint project was a “no-brainer,” Carella said, because they had worked alongside one another for such a long time.
While she was the manager of Eli’s, under former owner Phil Ouellette, who since sold the business, Carella hired Kelly in 2007. It was her first restaurant job, Carella said.
Once NoRA was opened, Kelly stayed at the tap room and began helping out Carella at the bakery. In 2015, “when NoRA started to expand, Kelly took on more and more responsibilities,” Carella said. “We see things the same way, and have the same end goals and values,” she said.
“I learned everything from her,” Kelly said.
They have had their eyes set on the old prison for some time. “It’s very unique in the way it’s laid out. The building has a lot of character. You can see the old structure of the old jail cell, which is really, really cool,” Kelly said.
“We’ve used [the jail] in a kitschy way, naming some of our menu items and cocktails,” Carella said. “The staff is not going to be dressed up in black- and-white striped coordinating outfits,” she said, laughing. “We’re not going to go too cheesy.”
The cell, which is lined in brownstone, eventually will be used for private functions. There will also be an outdoor dining area once warmer weather arrives, Carella said.
Bread & Water had two kitchens — one on the ground floor, and another in the basement, where Harrie’s will have a bar room, a “nice homage” to a jail cell, Carella said.
“It really gives it a nice, cozy feel to it,” Kelly said.
Carella expects to be able to stay open later in the evening once COVID-19 restrictions ease.
The women had a specific vision in mind, Kelly said. “We were going for this old-school nostalgia of when you would go to a bar back in the day, and there were lots of regulars, and everybody knows everybody. We wanted a very neighborhood feel to it.
“Having it in a house rather than a strip mall was very important, because we wanted to have people feel at home here,” she said.
The idea is to “change gears,” Carella said. “We’ve done cupcakes for so long, it seems a little repetitive. There’s only so many cupcakes to make, and I feel like we’ve made all of them.”
NoRA used to have locations at Blue Back Square in West Hartford and downtown New London, but both have since closed. The bakery runs the Lil’ NoRA Cupcake Truck, which routinely visits farmers markets and other locations, as well as a catering business.
In the fall, NoRA sustained its business by holding socially distanced events at schools. “A lot weren’t having the cafeterias reopened, so they were [swapping out the meal plan for] food trucks to come to campus, and treat the kids to something special,” said Carella, as a way to boost students’ spirits.
That concept of a convivial atmosphere will be a central focus of the new eatery, Carella said. “We wanted something very comfortable and delicious. A lot of the ideas of the sandwiches and menu have come from us being surrounded by cupcakes for so many years that we’re constantly craving food-food. We’ve had a lot of time to develop that, and think about what we want to eat,” she said.
“We’ve been cherrypicking what we like and making it our own,” Carella said. The menu will include salads, burgers, roast beef and cream cheese on pumpernickel, and chicken cutlet sandwiches — all served on house-made bread.
The chicken cutlet will have a “green goddess” dressing. “That will give it an herby, zesty flavor to it,” Kelly said.
There will be eight draft lines, wine and vegetarian offerings.
The Harrie’s logo — a black- and-white circle with an “H” inside — hearkens to both NoRA’s pink, and Eli Cannon’s horizontal red- and-black emblems. “It shows our lineage. We’re proud of where we come from,” Carella said.
For information, visit harriesjailhouse.com, call 860-788-2450 or follow Harrie’s Jailhouse on Instagram and Facebook.