Rossi holding Feb. 21 town hall in person, on Facebook Live

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 7, 2023 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi is inviting residents to participate in a town hall meeting in person at City Hall or virtually on Facebook Live at 6 p.m. Feb. 21.

The community event is aimed at fostering communication and transparency between City Hall and West Haven residents.

Residents can attend the town hall in the Harriet C. North Community Room of City Hall, 355 Main St., or they can participate in the meeting on the Facebook Live page called UNH Mayor’s Advisory Commission.

The town hall is sponsored by the mayor’s office and the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, a collaborative, student-driven task force founded in 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations.

The UNH commission is led by Christyllis A. Douglas, a junior studying psychology, and adviser Chris Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.

All members of the community are encouraged to participate in the town hall and ask questions. The moderators are Haynes and commission member Brian Cao.

Participants can send questions before the meeting by email to [email protected] or [email protected]. They can also submit questions during the meeting in the “Comment” section on Facebook Live.

Participants are allowed one question with a one-minute time limit. At the beginning of the question, they must state their name and the subject of their question, with all comments related to the city or government of West Haven.

Participants must keep all dialogue courteous and respectful.

For more information, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510, or email [email protected] or [email protected].

Tropical Caribbean
Tropical Caribbean co-owner Juan Reyes, center left, and West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, holding oversize scissors, clap their hands after cutting the ribbon to celebrate the homestyle restaurant’s grand opening at 703 Campbell Ave. on Thursday. With them are, from left, Reyes’ son Julius, 11; server Altagracia Gutierrez; Reyes’ daughter Brenda, 22, son Justin, 14, and daughter Emily, 20; City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath; city Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli; Rossi Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr.; DJ Felix Solano; and Simon McDonald, the director of membership and marketing for the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce. The new restaurant is co-owned by Reyes’ best friend, Alex Brito. (Geiger/West Haven Chamber)

New city restaurant, Tropical Caribbean, marks opening

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 3, 2023 — Sporting a pair of oversize scissors, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi cut a blue ribbon with Tropical Caribbean co-owner Juan Reyes on Thursday to celebrate the homestyle restaurant’s grand opening at 703 Campbell Av

Tropical Caribbean is the life of the party on West Haven’s main thoroughfare of Campbell Avenue, enlivening the space formerly occupied by the Blue Horse bar and restaurant, about a mile south of the University of New Haven’s main campus.

The new restaurant, co-owned by Alex Brito, serves the tastes of the Caribbean — the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico — and specializes in authentic Latin cuisine prepared by Reyes’ parents, Pedro and Argentina Reyes, including Sancocho Dominicano, a popular Dominican meat and vegetable stew.

Reyes and Brito, who are best friends, hail from the Dominican Republic, where they met at age 7 and now live near each other in West Haven.

Among the time-honored family recipes on the restaurant’s savory menu are Chimi Dominicano, a traditional Dominican burger; Cuban sandwiches, known as Cubanos; Chuletas Fritas, Puerto Rican-style fried pork chops; and Shrimp Mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish consisting of fried mashed green plantains with fresh garlic, pork rinds and sauteed shrimp in a tomato lemon sauce.

Other menu favorites include beef empanadas, grilled meat, known as churrasco, and creamy Cajun shrimp over linguine.

The fusion of house-made Latin fare is enhanced by island-inspired cocktails of notable Caribbean places, events and personalities.

Tropical Caribbean exclusively brews Don Carvajal Cafe coffee, a company founded by Dominican entrepreneur Hector Carvajal, 26, and based in the Bronx borough of New York City.

The freshly remodeled restaurant and bar is decorated with festive furnishings, art and knickknacks that reflect the culture and warm vibes of the Caribbean, including Taino masks made in the Dominican Republican adorning the dining room’s dark shiplap walls, along with lamps fabricated from Brugal rum bottles hanging from the barroom ceiling above the natural stone and stained pine bar.

It is further accentuated by high-top tables and flat-panel TVs.

Rossi and Reyes marked the ribbon-cutting with his four children: Brenda, 22, Emily, 20, Justin, 14, and Julius, 11.

They were joined by City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath, city Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli, Rossi Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. and landlord Skip Voss.

They were also joined by Simon McDonald, the director of membership and marketing for the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce, and chamber members West Shore Associates owner Erin Eberhardt, of West Haven, and Patriot Bank Vice President Robert Creigh, of Milford.

While the restaurant’s opening was grand, the best was saved for last.

Reyes surprised attendees with a special performance by diablos cojuelos — or limping devils, the main character of the Dominican Republic’s Carnival celebration — that had people on their feet and dancing.

The costumed devils danced and scampered to the vibrant sound of DJ Felix Solano’s merengue music mixed with other Latin and Caribbean rhythms.

Much to the delight of guests, the limping devils spontaneously expanded their performance to the outside of Tropical Caribbean, entertaining passersby on bustling Campbell Avenue, including a school bus of children, and turning the thoroughfare into a Dominican street festival for a showstopping moment.

Tropical Caribbean offers happy hour specials on weekdays and brunch on weekends, as well as live music, open mic events and karaoke.

The restaurant has 17 employees, including Reyes’ three oldest children, and is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Diablos cojuelos — or limping devils, the main character of the Dominican Republic’s Carnival celebration — entertain guests at Tropical Caribbean’s grand opening event. The costumed devils danced and scampered to the vibrant sound of merengue music mixed with other Latin and Caribbean rhythms. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
Tropical Caribbean

Nicole Oczkowski, left, and Emily Reyes tend bar at Tropical Caribbean. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
Tropical Caribbean

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi gets in on the fun with the limping devils. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Allingtown Fire Department gets $927K FEMA grant for new radios

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 1, 2023 — The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 27 awarded the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown a $927,333 grant for new radios, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and Chief Michael R. Terenzio announced.

The fire radio replacement grant is part of round 15 of FEMA’s fiscal year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

“Firefighters put their lives on the line and deserve to have the most up-to-date equipment and resources available to do their jobs safely and effectively,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, who secured the funding for the Allingtown department. “With state and local budgets stretched thin, these federal grants help equip our first responders with lifesaving training and technologies to keep us safe.”

DeLauro, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, added: “These critical grants will prepare our first responders for the lifesaving work of fighting and preventing fires. This federal funding plays an important role in guaranteeing they have the tools to protect themselves and the health and safety of the public.”

Terenzio said the regional award will pay for mobile, portable and base radios that will benefit the Allingtown department as well as the West Haven and West Shore fire departments.

“I would like to convey to Congresswoman DeLauro how much I, as the entire fire service does, appreciate all of her efforts in securing much-needed additional funding to purchase vital equipment needed for fire departments to meet their mission goals,” Terenzio said. “Brave men and women who become firefighters are able to meet the challenges presented by emergencies they are called to mitigate by being properly and appropriately trained and equipped to do so.”

Terenzio added: “The funding we were just awarded will enable us to replace unsupported analogue radio equipment that is experiencing communications gaps during firefighting operations within structures and challenge communications efficacy to outside command staff. The new digital technology equipment that will be purchased with this funding will ensure our forces are provided with the most effective communications necessary for coordinating emergency operations and routine incidents that involve firefighters and civilians’ safety while in immediately dangerous to life or health atmospheres.”

Rossi thanked DeLauro for supporting the AFG funding and fighting for West Haven.

“This crucial equipment will assist the Allingtown Fire Department in coordinating response efforts and communication, which improves safety for all residents of West Haven,” Rossi said. “I would like to thank Congresswoman DeLauro on behalf of the city of West Haven for her efforts to secure the AFG funding. I would also like to thank Chief Terenzio for hosting the application and city Grant Coordinator Doug Colter for writing and submitting the grant.”

According to DeLauro, an Assistance to Firefighters Grant is a competitive grant awarded to fire departments and emergency medical service organizations to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public and first responders. Fire departments and EMS organizations can use the grants to buy emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training materials, she said.

The AFG program is part of a coordinated effort by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security to improve the nation’s ability to respond to emergency situations.

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