Pandemic Wiped Out This Westfield Favorite, Now It's Back

WESTFIELD, NJ — For nearly 25 years, Feast Catering was more than just a place to grab lunch. It was a Westfield staple known for its soups, sandwiches, salads and, according to owner Stephen Bigmore, some concepts that were ahead of their time.

Then came the pandemic.

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The longtime café ultimately closed its doors at the end of 2024, leaving many residents wondering whether one of Westfield's best-known local food businesses had reached the end of the road.

It hadn't.

Today, Bigmore and his team are back with a new location, a new name and a new approach.

The business has reopened as The Kitchen by Feast Catering at 405 Cumberland Street, where the focus has shifted heavily toward catering while still offering many of the customer favorites that helped build Feast's loyal following.

For Bigmore, a professionally trained French chef, the reopening is the latest chapter in a business that helped shape Westfield's local food scene long before many trends became mainstream.

"I was the first one to do juice bars, acai bowls and a few other innovations," Bigmore said.

While the café may have closed, the catering business never stopped.

"It's going to be 85 percent kitchen and 15 percent retail," Bigmore told Patch.

Customers can still find many of the dishes that made Feast popular over the years, including its balsamic chicken salad, soups and sandwiches.

"We are going to tighten the menu that we used to have in the cafe, but still all the favorites you love from Feast now at The Kitchen," Bigmore said.

The new location is smaller than the former café and operates with more limited hours, a deliberate move designed to support the business's catering-focused future.

"It's in Westfield, not in downtown Westfield. It's nicely on the outskirts of town. Nice easy parking, you can pull right up," Bigmore said.

The Kitchen offers curbside pickup, takeout, retail items and catering services.

For longtime customers, the reopening is more than just another restaurant story. It's the return of a familiar local business that survived one of the toughest periods the industry has ever faced and found a way to start over without leaving Westfield behind.