Palermo Bakery & Bar opens in Norwich, serving Haitian food and welcoming all

The space that was once 86’d and Water Works now has a new restaurant and a new take on things.

Earlier this month, Palermo Bakery & Bar opened in Greeneville, at 685 N. Main St. Currently, the bakery serves Haitian patties, soup and fritay, or Haitain fried foods. The owner, Jean Anicette, hopes to expand the business into serving fresh bread, and eventually, a bar.

The idea for the bakery came to Anicette because he and his wife would find themselves buying thousands of patties and lots of bread whenever they went to New York. He also wanted to provide more options for Haitian food in Norwich.

“We’re going to try and do something in Norwich,” he said.

The name came from Anicette’s passion for soccer. He’s such a big fan of Argentinean soccer player Martin Palermo that his own nickname became Palermo. Shortly after moving to the U.S., Anicette was in Miami and got a picture of himself with Palermo.

“Everyone knows me as Palermo,” he said.

A lot of people in Norwich might already know Anicette, as his sister owns Mommy’s Delicious Food on West Main Street. However, the only dish the two locations have in common is fritay, as Mommy’s focuses on entrees with rice and beans, Anicette said.

Walking inside Palermo, the walls are painted a bright green, with pictures of food attached by wires to the ceiling. There’s a seating area to the left, but the main area is the counter, where customers can be frequently seen eating patties and other food, and chatting with the employees.

More: Honoring Haitians in Norwich Haitian flag raised in Norwich in honor of Haitian Flag Day.

So far, the business is going well, with plenty of Norwich residents and even some Norwich Police officers trying the food, Anicette said.

“Different kinds of people love it,” he said. “I like that, because it’s not only for Haitians, it’s for everyone.”

Norwich resident Richard LaFlamme was at Palermo for the first time Wednesday, and he tried one of the patties. He liked the patties, and he wants to try the bread once that’s available. He also wants his wife to try it.

“I think it’s great somebody opened something like this,” he said. “I live in the city over on this side, and it’s great.”

Another customer, Norwich resident Celia Dulcine, was back for the second time on Wednesday. She likes the chicken and beef patties.

“It’s something different,” she said.

Anicette encourages everyone to try the food at Palermo, emphasizing that he and his family also eat the food.

“Everyone in my family eats the food that we make,” he said.

Anicette is still looking forward to opening the bar. So kids can still visit the bakery, the bar portion of the business would be on the lower level in the back. Before the bar can open, the business needs a liquor license and to remodel the lower level, once he’s bought the property from the current owner, Anicette said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Palermo Bakery opens in Greeneville; offers Haitian patties, fritay