Garden Catering in Old Greenwich, Connecticut – Amanda Scopelliti

Garden Catering is a family-owned fast food joint that’s popular among the residents of Greenwich, Connecticut. This town favorite has been around since 1978, and the most popular item on the menu is their deliciously seasoned chicken nuggets. Since opening in an old train car on Greenwich Avenue decades ago, Garden Catering now boasts locations in Stamford, Norwalk, and Fairfield, Connecticut as well as Port Chester and Mamaroneck in New York. They’ve also gained a large corporate and private catering clientele throughout the years and are known for their stellar catering at parties and events around town. The owner and founder of the restaurant is Frank Carpenteri Sr. who built the restaurant around a top secret fried chicken recipe. Since their opening, the joint hasn’t changed their menu much and is well-known for their “specials” which is a delicious mix of chicken nuggets and fries as well as their infamous “Hotsy” sandwiches.

I ate at Garden Catering over break and was happy to see that there was a line out the door of their Sound Beach Avenue location in Old Greenwich. Garden Catering’s Old Greenwich location is conveniently close to Old Greenwich Elementary School as well as Eastern Middle School, so it has become a popular place for children and teenagers to grab an afternoon snack. While I was in line, I talked to a middle school student who raved about the chicken nuggets and talked about how Garden Catering has become a place for kids to hang out after the school day is done. Global Cities Local Streets talks about how local shops serve as a gathering place for members of the community. This is certainly true with Garden Catering, as many Greenwich residents and students socialize while in line for a bag of Garden Catering’s infamous chicken nuggets.