Two of the original collective members still provide the foundation for Bloodroot today. We are Selma Miriam and Noel Furie. We look forward to meeting you.
While the cultural definition of feminism has changed considerably since the 70s, the ethos of Bloodroot Restaurant and Feminist Bookstore has not.
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Back in the 70s, when women wanted to have their consciousness raised, they met with a women's group. These communities provided the safety and comfort necessary for frank discussion of gender politics and liberation.
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But after years of attending such groups, Selma Miriam wanted to take the money she'd saved from her landscape design business and start her own women's center. A bookstore seemed a clear model, but she loved cooking and wanted to add a restaurant. That was how she ended up opening Bloodroot Restaurant and Feminist Bookstore in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1977.
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Meet the Women Who've Served Up 40 Years of Feminist Food — But Can Their Restaurant Survive?
by Jacqueline Raposo - JUN 11, 2019
In the late 1960s, Selma Miriam attended the party of a well-known art teacher. The man talked on about how teachers could help stop racism and why he thought that was such a good thing. "Then, he started telling Polish jokes," Miriam remembers, eyebrows arching in wry disbelief. "I didn't say anything. I never invited him to my house, but I know he didn't know why. And I thought, I'm never going to let that happen again."
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Her restaurant, Bloodroot, put that promise into action.
Whatever category you fall into, we want to please you. So, until you are otherwise inclined, do come and get take-out. To order take-out over the phone, please call us between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm Wednesdays through Saturdays. After 5:00 pm, come to the restaurant to place your order and we will fix it as quickly as possible. Or, you can greet the emerging Spring by dining on our terrace or in the dining room. We are quite serious about masks and about making your safety and ours a priority.
Please note that we are now open for lunch on Saturdays from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and continue being open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Reservations are always appreciated, especially for Fridays and Saturdays.
Normal, what is normal anyway?
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It is likely that it will never again be what we used to think of as normal. Nothing on Zoom can make up for physically being in the same space as the music, dramas, games and people we used to see, enjoy, and be with.
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This does seem to be changing a bit now and perhaps all will be open again soon. Meanwhile, we will do the best we can—in our case, respecting those who are concerned about safety and those who prefer solitude.
So, we will go on making our food available “to go.” But we do continue to miss the connection with people we used to see regularly and with whom we had interesting and lively conversations!
We are glad and lucky to have our work because, as cooks, there is always a new recipe to try or an old one to produce which is surprisingly more delicious than we remembered. Of course, cooked food needs diners and we do hope that is you! We want you to feel safe and hopeful for what the new normal will bring.
