For 50 years, The Amber Room Colonade in Danbury has been awarded and rewarded as one of the area”™s popular venues for hosting events from lavish weddings to unique fundraisers complete with ice sculptures and extravagant floral arrangements. Now, in the time of Covid-19, the Amber Room is switching its focus from hosting events to helping those deeply impacted by the Pandemic in the greater Danbury community.
“Faced with so many unknowns,” General Manager Douglas Polistena said, “We made a couple of difficult decisions ”” one was to furlough our front-room team ”” keeping only our kitchen staff. The second was to keep the kitchen cooking and at the same time address the needs of the community. So we did what we do best ”” cook.”
Polistena went through his rolodex and called clients, friends, foundations, everyone he knew to form a collaborative effort to provide nourishing meals to those who needed it most ”” seniors, health care workers, kids, area families and the homeless ”””making sure no one in the greater Danbury area goes hungry if we can help it.”
Danbury”™s Engraved Products, Catholic Charities, Danbury Hospital, The Age Well Council and the New American Dream Foundation collaborated with Polistena in helping to provide 18,000 meals to those in need since March.
In addition to cooking for the community, Polistena has assumed an active role in the newly formed Catering Alliance of Connecticut, an arm of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, to bolster and support the catering sector.
The Amber Room Colonnade is an award-winning catering venue located at 1 Stacy Road, Danbury, on 26 acres.
