Pastels Catering to Suspend Retail Hours Beginning January 27

You have just about two more weeks to buy your chicken and grape salad with jarlsberg cheese, toasted almonds and sherried dijonnaise or a chicken tarragon wrap, grilled panini or some soup from the retail operation of .

The catering business is suspending its retail operation — Pastels' Lunch To Go — as of January 27. The company will continue its catering business. (And they cater luncheons.)

“After much discussion, we have found that the time commitment needed to run the lunch business when added to our weekend and evening catering schedule and our personal time with growing families, has been a strain,” wrote co-owners of Pastels Jeanne Mainville Denalsky and Suzanne Sabia in an email that went out to customers. “While we have enjoyed serving you these past three years, we feel that we need to focus and renew our energies on the catering end of our business. We will truly miss our daily customers, and hope that if the need arises for catering, you will call upon Pastels.

It’s been almost 25 years since the two women had a shop on Wilcox Street. After that closed the two focused on the catering portion of their business, while starting and raising their families. It was 2009 when the decided to once again have a retail portion of the business at their location in Simsmore Square, in the back of the building that also houses Meadow restaurant.

But now it will be back to the way it was — if you want Pastels food you hire them to cater an event or drop off prepared items. Think oatmeal dream bars, beef tenderloin with horseradish cream or fruited onion marmalade or whole poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce.

Sabia and Denalsky both grew up in town, graduating from Simsbury High School and attending the University of Connecticut together. It was during that time that they started working for Pastels Catering in 1984. It was a few years later that the two women bought an interest in the business and by 1991 they owned it outright. They both still live in town.

They have a stable of catering helpers that ranges from 20 to 30, but usually hovers around 15 or so. They say what is key to their success is trust in one another and having the same work ethic.

Many of their catering customers have been with them since the beginning, but now their clients can include the children and grandchildren of their customers.

Something that hasn’t changed for them over the years is their focus on healthy food with fresh ingredients. All of it adds up to just the right recipe for a business and a friendship. After more than 25 years, they work seamlessly together, all while having fun and enjoying what they do.

Pastels Catering Co. is located at 532 Hopmeadow Street, Simsmore Square. The phone number is 651-9696. The web site is www.pastelscatering.com.