Around Town

PHOTOS: Caffeine & Carburetors Returns to Downtown New Canaan

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Thousands of classic and specialty auto enthusiasts visited downtown New Canaan on Sunday morning for the hugely popular Caffeine & Carburetors car show. Founded and run by New Canaan’s Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous coffee shop at Pine and Grove Streets, the three-hour event included a new rule this time around, where those showing their vehicles were required to stay to the end of the show. “People seem to be abiding by the new directive—there are a lot of good questions about it, some people have come and turned around because they do want to leave a little earlier,” Zumbach told NewCanaanite.com as police, volunteers and the Community Emergency Response Team or “CERT” directed pedestrians and motorists safely across Park Street on a clear, cool morning. 

“The show is going very well,” Zumbach said. “Very organized, civil. So it seems to be working out nicely.”

Held on all-pedestrian stretches of Pine and Elm Streets, Caffeine & Carburetors featured about 1,500 show cars, Zumbach said.

Business

Zumbach’s Plans Second Coffee Shop on Burtis Avenue

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New Canaan’s best-established and locally owned coffee shop is planning to open a second location downtown. 

Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee, a hub of activity at the corner of Pine and Grove Streets, is planning to open a shop on Burtis Avenue, according to an application submitted to Planning & Zoning. “Doug has leased a space at the above referenced address where he plans to open a second coffee shop location offering an expanded selection of handmade coffees including cold-brew as well as nitro-brew coffees,” Paul Tully of Imian Partners LLC, representing the property owner, said in an April 14 letter to Town Assistant Planner/Zoning Inspector Sarah Carey. Tully referred to New Canaan’s Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous coffee shop that also founded the popular car show “Caffeine & Carburetors.”

The commercial building at 22 Burtis Ave. is located in the Business A
Zone. Under the New Canaan Zoning Regulations, site plan approval is required from the Planning & Zoning Commission.

Government

Parks & Rec Approves Oct. 22 ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ Car Show in Waveny

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Parks officials last week approved the use of Waveny for a popular specialty and classic car show this coming fall. Caffeine & Carburetors will be held Sunday, Oct. 22 in the park following a unanimous vote by the Parks & Recreation Commission at its regular meeting, held Feb. 8 in Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. 

Referring to last October’s C&C in Waveny, Chair George Benington said, “I should note that the feedback from everybody there, especially the police, was that it was a much better organized event than in years previous, and that traffic flow both in and out worked a lot more smoothly.”

In addition to Benington, Commission Secretary Francesca Segalas and members Steve Haberstroh, Hank Green, Doug Murphy, Keith Richey, Timothy Klimpl, Gene Goodman and Jake Granito voted in favor. 

Launched by New Canaan’s Doug Zumbach outside his eponymous coffee shop at Pine and Grove Streets in 2008, the show quickly began drawing crowds from about a dozen vehicles to 50 and more, outgrowing that small area. In 2023, C&C will run three shows, according to its website—on May 21 and Sept.

Who Knew? New Canaan on Ice

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‘Who Knew?’ is sponsored by Walter Stewart’s Market. Is it too hot for opinions this week? Because I have one.  Everyone can openly adopt precisely one form of snobbery. You can be a wine aficionado, an ardent collector of vinyl, or an art-house cinephile, but combine all three into one personality, and you’d best tread lightly.

Business

Zumbach’s To Reopen Saturday [UPDATED]

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Update 1 p.m. Thursday

Zumbach’s will reopen Saturday, according to the popular coffee shop’s owner, Doug Zumbach. Original Story

A popular New Canaan coffee shop is temporally closed due to COVID-19, according to a sign in its window. Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee is closed until further notice, according to a sign that appeared Monday morning. 

It’s unclear just when the shop closed, how many staff members contracted the virus or whether there’s an anticipated reopening date. Town resident Doug Zumbach, the owner, could not immediately be reached for comment. According to the most recent information released by the New Canaan Health Department, the town had 53 positive COVID cases for the week ending April 30, down from 82 the prior week.