The Pittman family and friends cooked for the Hill Saturday to celebrate a quarter century in business, with separate plans cooking for new ventures in the quarter century ahead. The cookout was sponsored by Sandra’s Next Generation to celebrate the popular neighborhood soul food restaurant’ s 25th year in business. Restaurant owners Sandra and Miguel Pittman have hosted the cookout annually for those 25 years. “This is our way of giving back to the community,” Pittman said. This year’s cookout doubled as an opportunity for Pittman to share news about the restaurant’s next chapter. The Pittmans had previously explored redeveloping the block around 209 Davenport Ave. into a housing complex with 89 residential units — 80 percent affordable, 20 percent market-rate — plus ground-floor commercial space intended for the restaurant. The city did not support the project; a sticking point was about parking requirements. Rather than abandon the housing project, the family adjusted its plans. The Pittmans purchased a new property roughly three blocks away, at 790 Congress Ave. — the former site of Ring One boxing gym. Pittman said the gym’s recently deceased owner Brian Clark helped finalize the necessary paperwork for the sale shortly before he died. The new location, Pittman said, is already zoned for restaurant use, dating back to 1967, meaning the family won’t need special approval from the city to proceed. Pittman said the new restaurant, expected to seat around 110 people, should be ready to open early next year. Restaurant employees would live in apartments above the restaurant, allowed under current zoning. He hopes to complete that project by February. Meanwhile, Pittman said he is not giving up on building new housing in the current restaurant spot at 209 Davenport. He said he’s preparing plans to submit to the city for a five-story building with 110 apartments, without a restaurant. Sandra’s Next Generation traces its roots back to 1989, when Sandra began selling home-cooked dinners to supplement the family’s income while Miguel worked as a car salesman. The business grew quickly, picking up catering accounts with companies including Pratt Whitney and Bayer Pharmaceuticals before the couple opened a storefront restaurant one block from their current location.  The family has since acquired 15 properties throughout the city, Pittman said, giving the business financial independence.  “It allows us the latitude to be independent and not be influenced by so-called powers that be,” he said. “If we have something that we feel very strong about, we could be able to plow through it.” Pittman said his own ties to the Hill go back to his father, a real estate developer who owned 28 properties in the neighborhood beginning in the 1960s.  “I used to go around and collect rent with my father,” Pittman said. “This is our home.” The business has remained family-owned since the beginning. Pittman’s son works as a New Haven police officer and his daughter as a city firefighter, while both continue to contribute to the restaurant in their off hours. Another daughter, Shandrea Pittman, handles human resources, event planning, and marketing for the business. Grandchildren pitch in with small tasks, like wrapping cornbread or filling hot sauce and tartar sauce containers, Pittman said. Shandrea Pittman said Saturday’s spread reflected the diversity of the neighborhood, featuring Italian, Caribbean, and West African dishes alongside the usual soul food staples.  “So all my life I grew up in this neighborhood,” she said. “We’ve been doing it for a long time.” Rodney Williams, who helped serve food Saturday, said he’s known the Pittman family for more than 30 years. Pastor Chip Anderson of Christ Presbyterian Church in the Hill, who has known Miguel Pittman personally for about six years, said he came out Saturday to support a friend and fellow neighborhood fixture.  “Anything that brings the neighborhood together, I appreciate,” Anderson said.  He said he respects that the Pittmans have chosen to remain rooted in the Hill even as their business has grown.  “A lot of people that do well in the community end up moving away,” he said. “He stayed.” Several attendees said they came out simply because they knew someone connected to the restaurant. Bridget Dlamini said she came out at her mother’s suggestion, as her family was invited through her brother Keith Green, who works for Sandra Pittman.  “It’s amazing,” Dlamini said of the event. “We get to see friends and stuff… besides [the rain], it’s awesome. Super grateful.” Carlos Salas, who lives around the corner and was attending for the first time, said he came at his wife’s suggestion.  “Not bad at all,” he said. “Doing it for the community, no?” The original 2024 plan for 209 Davenport. Janice Parker serves plant-based meatballs, sausages, and a spinach salad topped with roasted vegetables at the cookout. Miguel Pittman: Thinking big. The post Sandra’s Cooks Up New Plans For The Hill appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less