A hand-crafted restaurant - At the 1851 Kitchen and Cocktail Bar

by Sarah Barr

Staff Writer

Photos - Submitted

The spirit of independence runs deep at the 1851 Kitchen and Cocktail Bar. Named after the year the town of Cromwell was separated from Middletown and became its own official municipality, the restaurant serves “new American cuisine” reflecting global influences.

Jennifer and Maya Marozzi are the mother-daughter duo behind this new Cromwell restaurant and bar.

“I’m Italian,” owner Jennifer Marozzi said. “My chef and partner, Abraham Moreno, is from Mexico. We have all different ethnicities in the kitchen. You can get salmon and steak or pasta and wings. It’s a lot of fun.”

It’s also all about family. Marozzi’s 23-year-old daughter Maya is the general manager. The restaurant business is in their blood.

“My first job at 15 was a busgirl. I’ve done everything in this business. Even when I was in corporate marketing, I kept one foot in the industry always,” Jennifer recalled.

“For a few years after the kids I didn’t have a second job and I didn’t know what people did with their time,” she said jokingly

But she always found time to have her daughter by her side.

“I’ve always worked with my mom in the restaurant. We have a close relationship and we get along really well,” Maya said.

Cocktails are a house specialty.

She is a business administration major online with Charter Oak College.

“I’ve been with her at Fresca’s for eight years.”

Fresca’s Tequila Bar and Grill in Colchester was Jennifer’s first food establishment when she opened it in 2017. She was looking for a second location for the eclectic and inspired Mexican fusion menu along with award-winning margaritas when she stumbled upon a place that’s a little off the beaten path at 150 Sebethe Dr.

“This location fell into my lap. I was on a Facebook page for restaurant owners. I came out to look at it. I fell in love with the location, but it wasn’t right for Fresca,” Jennifer said.

There is an extensive selection of food on the menu.

She added that a new Mexican restaurant had just opened in town and she didn’t want to step on their feet. But the spot was perfect for something new and different. The 1851 opened this past November 2025.

“It was part of a vision I had. I wanted it to feel like a speakeasy and vintage,” she said of a building located near a golf driving range that had always been a tavern or pub

It has tin ceilings, so she can work on her love of antiques. That’s how the catch phrase “vintage vibes and modern mixology” came about.

It’s a place where you can get a beer and a burger or have a glass of red wine with a steak. Testimonials recommend the chicken milanese, Faroe Island salmon, bolognese and spaghetti squash as well as the pistachio ricotta cake, espresso martinis and mocktails.

From Jennifer’s point of view, the menu is a list of all of her favorites. What’s really tops things for this mother-daughter duo, who live in East Hampton, is the love of working together. That magic is based on basic ingredients.

The 1851 Kitchen restaurant space has a classic, antique look and feel as well as space to get creative for events.

“It’s the trust factor,” Jennifer said. “I trust her. At 23, she’s mature, responsible. I can step away and manage two places and know she is so capable and warm and wonderful. The customers see it, too. They see how she interacts with people.”

“I love working together,” Maya said of what she called their similar personality types. “We approach things in a similar way.”

That includes problem-solving techniques.

“She’s been using situational things in her courses,” Jennifer asid. “Everyone should work in the restaurant business. It teaches you conflict resolution and how to treat people with kindness and respect.”

Maya is also utilizing the mentorship to help grow the business. In addition to being the general manager she is also the events manager in charge of catering and special events. It is in this area that the 1851 really tries to shine and go beyond bridal showers and birthday parties.

The restaurant hosts a Murder Master Dinner, author book signings and vintage flea markets. The banquet space can accommodate 80 people, all geared to bring people down that industrial road called Sebethe Drive.

“I truly think you can feel the energy of the restaurant,” Jennifer said.

“It’s filled with love. My staff is my family. The customers are my family. It’s a very personal business, especially when you are sitting at the bar. Here, you can sit and stay for hours and have a personal connection with your server.”

“When people come in, you are half bartender and half therapist. People want to connect and our staff is willing to connect. It’s a guest-first business,” Maya added.

For more information go to the1851.com, call 860-788-7141, or follow it on Facebook and Instagram. Lunch is served Friday through Sunday. Dinner is available Tuesday through Sunday.