Blue Hen buyout to bring upscale store Middlebury resident plans redesign with April opening

Author: Rache Durfee

The Blue Hen Kitchen and Market will be renamed the Middlebury Market and Café when it reopens in April. A sign outside the Blue Hen on College Street reads, "Closed for Renovations. Reopening in April." Sama Hayyat, a Middlebury resident, purchased the Blue Hen from its former owner in early March and hired an architect to redesign the space, which houses a grocery store in the front and a food service and eating area in the back of the store.

That basic interior layout will remain the same, but the overall look will change, according to the new owner. Hayyat wants to make the brick oven behind the food counter a focal point, and plans to use it to bake lasagna and chicken in addition to the pizza that has become a lunch and dinner staple. The entire store will be trimmed in mahogany in order to give a true "country store feeling" to the establishment.

Hayyat, who was born in Middlebury and is a graduate of Middlebury Union High School, left town for college and then worked in restaurants on Block Island off the Rhode Island coast. After returning to Middlebury, Hayyat first began to discuss buying the Blue Hen in December 2005. The sale became official on March 2 of this year. Hayyat himself will do most of the cooking and serving in the back while his wife will work at the counter up front.

"It's a family affair," he said grinning. As a Middlebury native, Hayyat has received widespread support from Middlebury residents and says he feels a "real sense of community" in pursuing this venture.

One of his main goals as owner and manager is to attract more College students to the store. "People tend to think of [College students] as up on the hill, as really separate from the town, but they shouldn't be," Hayyat said.

He hopes to make the Middlebury Market and Café a place where both College students and Middlebury residents can mingle and be "one big community." He said that the business's location - on College Street just past Twilight Hall - makes it ideal for students, as it is the closest establishment to the College campus. He also added that an expanded seating area in back and the addition of cappuccino and espresso drinks to the menu will make the space more conducive to studying as well.

The new market will be slightly more upscale than the Blue Hen or Baba's, although the prices will remain the same. "It's really important that our customers get the best value," said Hayyat.

New additions include an expanded ice cream scoop shop in the summer months, new bathrooms, grab-and-go breakfast featuring fresh-baked muffins and pastries and a more comprehensive selection of wines. Hayyat also hopes to sell kegs. In general, said Hayyat, "there will be wholesome, fuller foods." The popular lunch items, such as panini sandwiches and wraps, will stay, as will the ATM, grocery items, cigarettes and cigars.

Hayyat had not yet been contacted by Middkid.com about joining the group of local businesses who provide discounts to College students with a Middkid.com card, but said he would be very interested in adding the Middlebury Market to the list. Another business-savvy move of Hayyat's is starting an online business Web site where College parents can order care packages filled with anything - "whether it be candy or beer or whatever" - to send to stressed-out students during midterms or finals week. Hayyat will also offer catering service.

Hayyat described the Middlebury Market as being "traditional American style with a twist" and said that, come April, there will be an overall "more vibrant" atmosphere that will hopefully be appealing to students and town residents alike.