The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Chatterley’s Restaurant closes after 28 years
Owner running for Torrington City Clerk
NEWHARTFORD » A stalwart restaurant in the heart of New Hartford will close for good this Sunday, while its owner, Paul Samle, pursues his bid for Torrington City Clerk in November’s elections.
Samele said Friday that he had decided to close the restaurant to focus on his bid for City Clerk, and will continue his catering business in the banquet hall at Chatterley’s. The restaurant will have a new owner.
“I felt that now was the time,” said Samele.
Samele opened the restaurant in New Hartford nearly 28 years
ago. It was his second, following his successful Torrington venue, P. Sam’s on Water Street.
He said his uncle was in the restaurant business, and he was around it when he was young. The first place worked out well, and there was potential in the space at 2 Bridge St., in a building that dates back to the 1800s.
He and his father started the restaurant, he said, and
it was named after “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” he said, the novel by D.H. Lawrence — a nod to the age of the building.
It will be bittersweet to leave the restaurant behind, he said. Chatterley’s has been a destination for people in New Hartford as well as Torrington and other local towns, who expressed fond feelings for it, and he had built relationships with staffers and patrons over the years. In fact, when a fundraiser or celebration is announced locally, it has often been held at Chatterley’s.
But given his goals, Samele said it was the right thing to do at this point — because the restaurant is a seven-days-a-week business.
“It’s been a privilege to own the restaurant for so many years, to employ so many people, and to welcome so many members of the community,” Samele said.
The space will soon call another restaurant home, Samele said Friday. It has been sold to a NewHartford resident and chef who plans to open up his own eatery in the spot.
Samele, a former member of the City Council, is running for City Clerk on the Democratic ticket.
Carol Anderson is the Republican candidate, while, according to the Republican-American, Drake Waldron is running as a petitioner.
“It is a distinct honor to run for Torrington City Clerk,” said Samele in a release. “I am eager to apply my skills and experience in both business and city government, and to recommit myself to the community where I grew up, raised a family, and built a life.”