Eats and Sweets moves in next door

After being in business for almost two years, Amoroso’s closed several months ago as a result of facing financial struggles, just as Cafe 165 and Lucia’s had before it. This time around, the new owners plan on capitalizing on their restaurant’s unique location next to North Harford in a way that their predecessors had not.

NH junior Josh Borkoski’s parents, Joseph and Wendy Borkoski, purchased the former-Amoroso’s and have named their establishment Eats and Sweets.

“My mom has been named ninth in the world for her cooking; she was also invited to compete in some sort of national cooking olympics, and she won two years in a row,” shared Josh Borkoski. “And my dad was an executive chef at Ruth Chris. I eat fancy meals at home all the time.”

Mr. and Mrs. Borkoski met in culinary school, but decided to essentially put their culinary careers on hold in order to raise their children.

“With them nearly out of the nest, we thought this the perfect time and Amoroso’s the perfect place… We love kids, and the building is undergoing great changes to make it the perfect place for teens, kids, and families,” shared Wendy Borkoski. “We are removing walls. Well, contractors are removing walls, building eat-at-counters, and putting in black and white floors. Actually, the place is undergoing a complete facelift.”

Not only is the building itself being remodeled, the menu will also be transformed, along with the atmosphere. According to the owners, Eats & Sweets will be a mishmash of an old time candy shop, a 1920’s ice cream parlor, and a 1950’s hamburger stand.

“We will be offering foods that parents, and grandparents and locals will love.  All the food will be scratch made; I have to wait to make the ice cream because I have to get a special permit and we don’t want to delay opening.  But never fear, we will be serving Hershey’s while we undergo the permit process,” assured Mrs. Borkoski.  “The menu will offer everything kids like:  hamburgers, corndog nuggets, chicken bites, fried hot dogs on pretzel rolls, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, and LOTS of candy. We haven’t forgotten the parents. For them, we will offer salads, sandwiches, and specials like pot pie, meatloaf, hot turkey, and the likes.  We are also serving breakfast Saturday and Sunday.”

In order to cater to the student and faculty population next-door to their establishment, Eats and Sweets will be offering the ‘Hawk meal’ for students during after school hours.

“It’ll be something like a basic entree like a burger, then fries and a drink for six bucks,” said Josh Borkoski. “As far as staffing goes, I know that Jake Bemb and I will be working as waiters when it opens.”

Mr. and Mrs. Borkoski are confident that they are putting in the perfect establishment for this location.

“I would be lying if I said I’m not slightly scared about the bad juju the last owners have had,” admitted Wendy Borkoski. “But, I believe we will capitalize on the surroundings (you all).  We plan to play a major role in the schools and community.  Bring on fundraising!”

Eats and Sweets is planned to open by April 1, 2015. If that date proves inconvenient, they hope to be open by the end of April for sure.

“I’m looking forward to a new restaurant with different food,” said senior Hannah Gross. “It looks like Eats and Sweets will be moving away from the typical “pizza joint” atmosphere, so I hope they can find a way to be successful. It’d be good to have a nicer restaurant so close to home and school.”