The History of Cafe George by Paula

Approximately six years ago, I opened "Paula's Deli & Catering" on Orange Street in New Haven. It was my first stab at cooking professionally and in my own business. I had years of restaurant and catering experience in every aspect of the business, but never as a chef.

So I went for it!

A space 450 square feet was my palette and I began to get creative with seasonal produce, fresh meat, fish, and soups made daily from stock. It was a great location and the Orange Street clientele responded quickly and became loyal regulars. I was always able to get as creative as I wanted to, pairing up basic raw ingredients with different sauces, textures, and flair.

I described my cuisine as "American with cultural flair" and still do. My off-premises social and corporate catering business grew. After 2 and a half years in the bulging space, I was connected to Carter Winstanley by my friend and broker, Tim Fagan. Carter had a need for a restaurant in his new building, and I had a need to grow my business, so we made a connection and Cafe George by Paula was born!

The building has grown tremendously since the 500 occupants when I arrived three years ago, and the neighborhood outside became loyal patrons all by word of mouth.

There is no outside sign on the building. As Cafe George has grown, I am proud to say I have the same culinary and service standards as I did when I started on Orange Street, but now I have an excellent culinary team and catering consultant Lia Witten to help me maintain those standards.

Stop in sometime!
Paula