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NORWALK, Conn. You can forget about Starbucks. Norwalk Cove Marina is now home to an outdoor café overlooking the Long Island Sound, stocked with coffee, smoothies and public Wi-Fi, said manager Neil Ward.
Since opening its doors in June, the Captains Cup has added baked goods from local eateries such as the SoNo Baking Company and Café, Speedy Donuts and Village Bagels as well as fruit smoothies, ice cream and gelato. Hot coffee and iced lattes are provided by the Italian company LaVazza Coffee.
When we launched this past June, we just had coffee, and after that we started bringing in other items when we heard what people wanted, and weve expanded since, said Ward, a fourth-generation member of the Gardella family, who are the owners of Norwalk Cove Marina.
And you dont have to be a boat owner to enjoy the coffee or the view of the Norwalk Islands, for that matter. In addition to the dock, Norwalk Cove Marina has a shuffleboard court and miniature golf course. Also on the property, Friends of the Norwalk Islands, a local nonprofit organization, leads educational boat tours around the Norwalk Islands for children in the Norwalk public schools.
Managing the Captains Cup is even paving the way for Wards aspiration to own a restaurant. Before he started working there, he spent months learning to sautée vegetables, knead pizza dough and cook pasta at Osteria Romana Italian restaurant in Norwalk.
I like to get down here early in the morning to start brewing the coffee, Ward said of his post at the Captains Cup. The smell of the coffee and the smell of the water outside is great.
Its new café isn't the only big news at Norwalk Cove Marina. On Aug. 18, the yachting center will host its Dinghy Poker Run event. Find out more about the event by clicking here.
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