Elm Restaurant Celebrates 10 Years In New Canaan

NEW CANAAN, CT — Elm, a New Canaan restaurant known for its friendly atmosphere and New-American cuisine, celebrates it's 10-year anniversary this month.

Appropriately located on Elm Street in New Canaan's downtown area, the restaurant promises customers a local atmosphere featuring a globally-inspired menu with a focus on fresh ingredients.

Helmed by Chef Luke Venner, who serves as a co-owner and executive chef, many of Elm's managers, bartenders, kitchen and wait staff have worked there for at least four years.

According to Venner, the staff operates much like a family, rather than co-workers, at times.

"We're more of a family than we've ever been," Venner said in an interview with Patch, "I truly believe that culture translates into the food and service, and it's experienced by everyone who comes in the door."

Laura Budd, executive director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, congratulated the team at Elm on their ten-year anniversary, which she noted was quite an accomplishment.

"Elm has elevated New Canaan's restaurant scene, attracting diners from all over the metropolitan area all while maintaining a hometown feel," Budd said in an email to Patch. "Hats off to owners John and Laura Barker, along with Chef Luke Venner, who have created a one-of-a-kind experience with Elm."

Venner joined Elm in 2015 after working in New York City and was immediately smitten with the community of New Canaan and its friendly atmosphere.

"[New Canaan] is small, but it has so much going on," Venner said. "The art scene is so big here, and there's so much history. New Canaan just has a different energy than any of the other towns in Fairfield County in my opinion, and I think that's why it's such a desirable place to be."

As he reflects back on his time with Elm, Venner admitted some aspects of the restaurant have changed over the years as it continues to grow and mature. Still, Elm has developed a loyal customer base, many of whom Venner met in his first couple of months at the restaurant and are still coming in for a meal.

"Nothing feels better than that," Venner said. "We must be doing something right if we've retained individuals over that time period...it does put a smile on my face when I walk out there and know just about everyone in the dining room."

Arguably the biggest contributor to Elm's decade-long success is its crowd-pleasing menu, each item of which has its loyal fans, according to Venner.

"I can barely change the menu anymore," Venner said, "because most things have a following and would be sorely missed if we changed or removed them."

Fans of Elm are likely familiar with their dry-aged burger, which Venner said has developed a cult following in Fairfield County over the years.

"It's kind of like my homage to a fast food burger," Venner said.

He also praised the restaurant's pasta dishes, which includes a spicy Lumache pasta.

"We make all our pastas fresh," Venner said. "The older I get, the more I lean into that simple Italian cooking. It's something that's so satisfying to me."

Elm recently started offering a selection of "from the smoker" BBQ items. Even the menu's salad selection has expanded over the years, something that came about years ago after Venner walked into a full dining room one Friday afternoon and noticed something interesting.

"Everyone was eating the exact same salad," Venner said. "I realized we could probably use more salads. Now we have a salad section."

Almost equally as important as Elm's food is its friendly atmosphere, which Venner partially credited to the restaurant having a consistent staff, many of whom have been with Elm for years.

"People want to see a familiar face," Venner said. "If they walk in here every week and there's someone different [here], I've always found that gives people an uneasy feeling. When you walk in and someone knows your name and they know what drink you want, that really feels different. You know you're in a special place."