Edna Carrington and deLinda Jagne grew up in Hartford, just a mile or so from each other, but didn’t meet and forge their friendship until decades later. Life experiences and job burnout had led them to Lincoln Culinary Institute as older students.
Carrington characterized herself as “fried’ after years in corporate insurance and banking jobs.
“Sitting behind a desk was no longer working for me. I couldn’t make another meeting, couldn’t do any more travel arrangements,” she says. Her daughter encouraged her to follow her love of cooking in a professional setting.
Jagne, who threw dinner parties for her friends as a young teenager, was also looking for a career change after 23 years working for the state of Connecticut.
“I kept seeing Lincoln commercials,” she says, and wondered if it was a sign.
Rejuvenated by the work, the women enjoyed academic success and grew closer during their months studying abroad with a culinary program in northern Italy, where they talked about their dreams of opening a restaurant. In mid-April, they joined forces to make that dream come true, opening Stella’s and Mazie’s in their home city.
The small Capitol Avenue lunch spot, named for their respective mothers, serves an ever-changing variety of West African, Caribbean and American dishes. Each day brings three entrée offerings: one with beef or lamb, one with chicken and one vegan, with a daily soup, dessert and side. Favorites include West African yassa chicken, stewed in a sauce of mustard, vinegar and onion; oxtail and beans with white rice; domoda (a Gambian peanut stew), curry chicken; and spicy spinach soup with ginger and tomatoes.
For those unfamiliar with these West African dishes, Jagne describes their flavors as “spicy, tangy, aromatic.” As the cuisine isn’t prevalent in Connecticut, partners say they’ve welcomed guests from well beyond Hartford — including New York and Massachusetts.
A baked macaroni and cheese with cheddar and mozzarella gets a little extra indulgent twist with cream cheese, and on Fridays, there’s often a fish or seafood option, like shrimp stir-fry or broiled tilapia. Entrees are $7 to $9.50, soups are $3.50, sides are $3 and desserts are $2.50.
Vegan options are well-represented, including a chili made with extra-firm tofu and assorted bean dishes with kale or collard greens. Baking and desserts are Carrington’s strong suit, and each day she presents sweets like apple pie cake, blueberry buckle and oatmeal craisin cookies. (Desserts and cornbread are often vegan as well.)
The restaurant offers mostly takeout options, with a few patio tables available in nice weather. Inside, the walls are decorated with mementos of Jagne’s travels to West Africa. Stella’s and Mazie’s serves only lunch at the moment, but may amend its hours for dinner if there is demand.
“We’ll get a sense of what the community wants us to do, and then we’ll do it,” Jagne said.
The partners say they’re thrilled to have accomplished this goal, and to give back to the city where they were raised.
“I come here and I call this my happy place,” Carrington said. “When you love what you do, it’s not work. … Five years from now, I still want to feel like I feel today. I still want to have this in my heart.”
“Had someone told me 30 years ago that I would be cheffing it up in my own place, I would say ‘OK, whatever,'” Jagne said. “It just means that everything is possible. It’s not too late to live your dream.”
Stella’s and Mazie’s, 461 Capitol Ave., Hartford, is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Search “Stella’s and Mazie’s on Facebook for daily menu postings. 860-308-2175.
