Mead Park’s Apple Cart To Open Friday

As winter draws to a close, one of New Canaan’s favorite seasonal restaurants, The Apple Cart Food Company, is getting ready to open its doors.

Mead Park Lodge, where Apple Cart Food Company has been located since 2006. Credit: Eva Pace

The eatery’s owner, Emad Aziz, was hard at work last Thursday morning, making preparations for the restaurant’s official opening—a task he has undertaken each spring for the past two decades.

“I’m very excited about it,” Aziz told the New Canaanite. “It’s been a very long vacation for me. I took a lot of time to go over everything, trying to get the perfect menu to keep my prices fair and my customers happy.”

In keeping with tradition, The Apple Cart will feature several new menu items this season, including options for those with certain dietary restrictions.

The “Mead Park Breakfast Wrap” is an anchor on the Apple Cart menu, and once earned a “Best Breakfast Sandwiches” nod here: https://newcanaanite.com/eye-openers-new-canaans-best-breakfast-sandwiches-3590

“We’re bringing in a lot more vegetarian items this year, such as battered cauliflower nuggets,” Aziz said. “We also have five different varieties of wraps that are all vegetarian, in addition to our famous falafel and classic wraps that have existed before.”

Other dishes making their first appearance include traditional English scones, pesto chicken quesadillas and chai lattes.

“Falafel is our traditional item, that’s our house specialty,” Aziz said. “I come from Egypt originally, and Falafel is very popular there. I make sure that it is always a staple item on our menu. It’s being done even better now as we try to perfect our recipe a little more each year.”

Aziz noted that false rumors have circulated recently regarding his future business plans.

“I would like to set the record straight,” he said. “There is a rumor going around in town that I am about to retire, leave, stop operating, and that is absolutely unfounded. This is not happening anytime soon. I’m not going anywhere.”

Aziz currently has another two years left on his contract, with the option to extend for an additional five, and has no plans to retire, he said.