Business

Sign of Spring: Emad Opens Friday at Mead Park

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One of New Canaan’s great smiles will appear in town again starting Friday as the genial owner of Apple Cart Food Co. officially opens in Mead Park. Emad Aziz is out of hibernation and opens up the popular snack shack at 8 a.m.

“My winter was spectacular, as always,” the Egypt native and New Canaan resident said on a recent morning as he prepared the kitchen for another season at Mead. Asked what he does during the cold months, Aziz said: “I recover from the madness of the summer.”

“I am excited, looking forward to it,” he said of the working months ahead. “It’s going to be fun.

Faces of New Canaan

Faces of New Canaan: Emad Aziz

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There could not be a better candidate for “Faces of New Canaan” than Emad Aziz. In this feature, we profile residents—typically through a Q&A, though not always—whom we associate automatically with our town, though they’re not people we necessarily know because they are famous or hold prominent local positions. These are people who make up the fabric of New Canaan in a profound, visceral way. This interview with Aziz by far ranked as the most difficult to secure, not just because he’s a naturally private person, but also because despite his truly remarkable journey to New Canaan—you will see, from our interview below, that his story is a triumph of diligence, acumen and instinct—he’s self-effacing, genuinely modest. As with every installment in the series so far, there are some things we knew about our subject that we received confirmation on—in the case of Aziz, for example, that he is one of New Canaan’s hardest-working people.

Government

New Canaan Approves 5-Year Lease for Popular Food Concessions

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a 5-year lease with a local merchant who runs popular snack shacks at town parks. Emad Aziz owns and operates the Apple Cart Food Company, whose food concessions at Mead Park, Kiwanis and the Waveny Pool are fixtures among residents using the town facilities. “I can honestly say that I have never heard a complaint about his service or his food, he’s always positive,” New Canaan Administrative Officer Tom Stadler said during the Board of Selectmen’s regular monthly meeting, held at the Police Department. The board unanimously approved the lease, keeping it at $10,000 per year—half of which goes to the Waveny Pool fund, the other half to the town’s general fund. Raising the rate would simply pass that cost onto residents by forcing Aziz to raise prices, officials said.