Jefferson Fry Co. Officially Opens In Vernon

VERNON, CT — From the wide-eyed looks at the portions to the smiles after the meals from a steady stream of customers Thursday, it seemed to be a pretty successful opening day for Jefferson Fry Co. in Vernon.

"Oh this is good," Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne said as he dug into a serving of pulled pork fries. Around the table of dignitaries were bacon and cheese fries, curry chicken fries and parmesan and garlic fries ... and a hot dog. All received rave reviews.

The premise of Jefferson Fry Co. is to put the fries front-and-center on the menu and that's very apparent. There are several different combinations available.

The restaurant is the creation of 36-year-old Emmet Moore, who has teamed up with wife, Lizzy, and partners Jamin DeProto and Travis Pillon, to run what is now four Jeffersons in Connecticut. In addition to the Vernon location in the Tri-City Plaza, they have the original restaurant at 43 Berlin Road in Cromwell that opened in 2018, along with one at 118 Albany Turnpike in Canton and one at 1400 Park St. in Hartford.

Thursday's opening at 35 Talcottville Road in Vernon was about two years in the making, Moore said. One day, a business marketing executive came into the Cromwell location and, after complimenting the food, said he had the perfect spot for expanding east of the Connecticut River, Pillon said. DeProto said he took a ride to Vernon one weekend and marveled at the amount of traffic at Tri-City Plaza. After the business climate settled down amid the coronavirus pandemic, the trio made a move, Moore said.

"An Irishman cutting potatoes ... an easy sell," Moore joked.

In all seriousness, Moore honed the potato thing in his native Ireland, Leighlinbridge in County Carlow, to be exact. It was there that his dad ran a food truck and his family a fish and chips shop. At 12, he once processed 550 pounds of fries — peeled and cut — in 56 minutes.

"The chips, er fries, are the thing," he quipped.

Moore said he figured why not bring the concept of "dirty" fries to America — served with a variety of fixings. Moore said the name Jefferson came from the legend that Thomas Jefferson was a fan of "dirty" fries during his heyday as a an ambassador in Europe and brought the idea home "back in the day."

In addition to the fries and dogs, Jefferson has burgers and chicken sandwiches and a portobello sandwich. It also serves up custom shakes and its own line of sodas.

See the complete menu here.