Finding someone who is not legendary in New Haven is nearly as hard as knowing how to pronounce the local dialect. In its earliest period there appeared epic characters like John Davenport, the town's founder; Roger Sherman, the city's first mayor and only signer of the four major US papers; and Benedict Arnold, patriot and famed traitor. The growing city emerged as a place of innovation and industry with people like Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin; Noah Webster, author of the first American English dictionary; Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber; and William Lanson, a distinguished African American contractor in the early 19th century. As the seat of Yale University and other major institutions, New Haven's men and women continue to make a name for themselves. These legends include Yoshi and Bun Lai, mother and son restaurateurs who create sustainable sushi; Doris Townsend, historian and author; Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, begun in 1925; and Louis Lunch, birthplace of the hamburger. Legendary Locals of New Haven opens the doors to the city's rich history and its continuing legacy as a cultural center.

Finding someone who is not legendary in New Haven is nearly as hard as knowing how to pronounce the local dialect. In its earliest period there appeared epic characters like John Davenport, the town's founder; Roger Sherman, the city's first mayor and only signer of the four major US papers; and Benedict Arnold, patriot and famed traitor. The growing city emerged as a place of innovation and industry with people like Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin; Noah Webster, author of the first American English dictionary; Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber; and William Lanson, a distinguished African American contractor in the early 19th century. As the seat of Yale University and other major institutions, New Haven's men and women continue to make a name for themselves. These legends include Yoshi and Bun Lai, mother and son restaurateurs who create sustainable sushi; Doris Townsend, historian and author; Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, begun in 1925; and Louis Lunch, birthplace of the hamburger. Legendary Locals of New Haven opens the doors to the city's rich history and its continuing legacy as a cultural center.

Anyone who has lived near New Haven, Connecticut, in the past 40-plus years has surely heard of Toad’s Place. With a capacity of 750, Toad’s has served as the perfect spot for musicians who prefer smaller venues. U2 played one of their first US concerts there, on their Boy tour. In 1978, Bruce Springsteen was in New Haven and arrived at Toad’s unannounced, and got up and played. The surprises kept coming and the club was attracting big names, as well as up-and-comers. In 1989, the Rolling Stones played a surprise show on a Saturday night, giving 700 fans the night of their dreams. Nothing could have been better—the Rolling Stones in downtown New Haven was unimaginable! That is only a taste of the stories that are uncovered in this book. Randall Beach and Toad’s owner Brian Phelps recall the legendary shows and behind-the-scenes stories.

Celebrating the Vibrant Local Food Culture of Connecticut’s Culinary Capital—With More Than 50 Recipes from Over 30 Top Restaurants Net proceeds from the sale of this book benefit The Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation (cmhcfoundation.org), which helps people with serious mental illness and addictions live healthy, safe, and meaningful lives in the Greater New Haven community. The CMHC Foundation believes that access to wholesome fresh food that tastes delicious and is well prepared is crucial to the health and well-being of everyone.

Anyone who has lived near New Haven, CT, in the past 40+ years has surely heard of Toad's Place. With a capacity of 1,000, Toad's has served as the perfect spot for musicians who prefer smaller venues. U2 played one of their first US concerts there, on their Boy tour. In 1979, Bruce Springsteen had a concert scheduled in the Hartford Civic Center when the roof collapsed under heavy snow, resulting in the concert being moved to the Colosseum in New Haven. During his time in New Haven, Springsteen arrived at Toad's, unannounced, and got up and played. The surprises kept coming and the club was attracting big names, as well as up and comers. In 1989, the Rolling Stones played a surprise show on Saturday. Giving 700 fans had the night of their dreams. Nothing could have been better. The Rolling Stones in downtown New Haven was unimaginable! That is only a taste of the stories that are uncovered in this book. Randall Beach and Toad's owner Brian Phelps recall the legendary shows and behind the scenes stories.

Pizza in New Haven is the culmination of over 140 years of Italian cultural and culinary influence in this storied Yankee industrial city. Caplan captures a legendary but forgotten past showcasing the toils of immigration and factory work and the bonds created through preparing family recipes. The book opens readers' appetites to one of the earliest and most influential pizza making cities in the country and how these hardworking families built a culinary industry around their shared passion for their native comfort food. The same coal that supplied the world with New Haven's factory fare cooked the delectable pizza that fed mill workers, produce farmers, politicians, college students and townies of every color, creed and carriage alike. New Haven's historic pizzerias dominate the city's food landscape and attract hungry and curious visitors from around the globe looking to satisfy their quest for what is unequivocally the greatest food to ever be made.

Since its inception in 1705, Newtown has been an agricultural community at heart. Small, self-sufficient, subsistence farms grew but not substantially enough to overcome competition from the South and Midwest. Men like Ezra Johnson continued to farm until the beginning of the 20th century; others turned to dairy farming, like Israel Nezvesky, or to wholesale nursery operations, like Charles Newman, or to viniculture, like Morgan McLaughlin. Industry made contributions to Newtown's economic landscape in the 19th century through the efforts of William Cole of the New York Belting and Packing Company and Samuel Curtis of Curtis Packaging. James Brunot, developer of Scrabble, and William Upham, inventor of the tea bag, continued to innovate and form Newtown's unique culture. Community commitment thrives today through people like Laurie McCollum, who continues her grandfather's tradition as manager of Lorenzo's Restaurant, and Diane Wardenburg, who carries on Ginny Lathrop's legacy by guiding the Lathrop School of Dance to serve a new generation of aspiring dancers.