{"id":28880,"date":"2026-09-24T09:45:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T09:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/28880\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T09:45:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T09:45:47","slug":"ct-business-partners-launch-rare-store-butchers-renowned-for-breakfast-sandwich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/28880\/","title":{"rendered":"CT business partners launch rare store: butchers renowned for breakfast sandwich"},"content":{"rendered":"

A pair of Connecticut business owners have decades to true specialty food work between them and it\u2019s an art that is now on the rare side for independent operators.<\/p>\n

Marc Rohlsberger and Don Feiler are owners of Boardman Bridge Butchers in New Milford. They recently celebrated their second year on Route 7, and say business has never been better.<\/p>\n

On a recent quiet afternoon, customers flowed in. A woman bought two pounds of skirt steak. A man chose packages of homemade sausage out of the case, while another perused the stuffed chicken breasts and pork chops behind a glass display case.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, have a good day,\u201d said Gabrielle \u201cGabby\u201d Rohlsberger, 19, to a departing customer.<\/p>\n

She helps at the shop between classes at Western Connecticut State University, where she studies biology and is working towards a medical degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like helping out,\u201d she said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m a full-time employee, but it\u2019s fun here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rohlsberger\u2019s wife is Janineen Rohlberger, a doctorate nurse at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York; Feiler\u2019s wife is Melissa Martini.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey both help out sometimes,\u201d Feiler said.<\/p>\n

\"BoardmanBoardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. The owners are Marc Rohlsberger and Don Feiler. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

The partners have been friends since they met at DeCicco & Sons, a New York-based company with locations in Westchester County, Rohlsberger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a meat manager, and a manager in the business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to his website, Rohlsberger \u201cbegan his butchery journey in the United Kingdom, where he honed his skills in meat cutting over a career spanning more than three decades \u2026 he was in 1992 recognized as the \u201cYoung Butcher of the Year\u201d in the UK.<\/p>\n

After moving to the United States in the 90s, he held numerous roles including meat manager for national grocers as well as DeCicco & Sons Markets.<\/p>\n

Feiler\u2019s story includes more than 30 years of experience. According to the website, he began his career at a small butcher shop in Hartsdale, NY in 1989, and expanded his skills at local delis, shops and supermarkets, working as a meat manager at Grand Union and A&P.<\/p>\n

He later specialized in sausage making and meat preparation, and worked for Turcos, a gourmet market, Benny\u2019s Market in the Bronx and Morley\u2019s Irish Market in Yonkers. He later joined DeCicco & Sons, where he met Rohlsberger.<\/p>\n

Feiler, a resident of Mahopac, NY, said he wanted to get away from the big grocery store business, and work in a smaller shop. Independent butchers are rare these days, as chain grocery stores with in-house butchers have become more prevalent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to work for ourselves,\u201d Feller said.<\/p>\n

Rohlsberger, meanwhile, had the same idea in his head. After relocating to Connecticut, he saw a building that had the potential to become a shop: the former home of Bonni Manning Catering on Kent Road\/Route 7, which had previously closed.<\/p>\n

The location of the building, directly across from the historic Boardman Bridge, as well as a restaurant, held Rohlsberger\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to New Milford (from the Mount Vernon, NY area) 15 years ago, and I drove by this place for years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt stayed empty, so eventually I called the landlord. I called him twice, we met, and I showed him my business plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

After finishing out the year with DeCicco\u2019s, the partners began renovating the space, adding refrigerated display cases, meat and seafood display cases and a big grill and stove.<\/p>\n

In the rear of the shop, Rohlsberger cuts meats for customers and for prepared meals. Beef or chicken shish-kebabs, burgers, steaks, chicken breasts and other outdoor cooking fare is sold daily this time of year.<\/p>\n

The butcher shop opened in May 2024, and was immediately a hit in the neighborhood; its location on the northern Route 7 corridor wasn\u2019t easy to miss. Curious customers on their way home from work stopped in, and quickly learned about the partners\u2019 fresh meat offerings, as well as pre-made dishes and sides, a small selection of groceries, snacks and drinks.<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. The owners are Marc Rohlsberger and Don Feiler. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\"Boardman<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 14<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/p>\n

Feiler, known in butchering circles as \u201cthe sausage king\u201d mans the grill in the morning, when customers line up for his bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches; sausage is also offered. The $7 sandwich is hefty and hot, with two eggs, thick-cut bacon or a homemade sausage patty and American cheese on a hard roll, wrapped in aluminum foil.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been told it\u2019s the best one around,\u201d Feiler said with a smile. \u201cPeople really love them. We also do Philly cheese steak sandwiches, meatball sandwiches \u2026 whatever we\u2019re making, we have it on the sandwich menu. We did breakfast for extra revenue in the beginning, and it brings people in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use really good bacon,\u201d Rohlsberger said. \u201cThat\u2019s the trick to a good sandwich.\u201d<\/p>\n

The seafood choices features cod, salmon, flounder, shrimp, calamari salad with vegetables and other dishes. Feiler said the seafood sells pretty quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t order a lot of it, so we sell it, and after three days, whatever\u2019s left is used for something else; no more than three days,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do that with everything here, so there\u2019s very little waste. We keep it moving through the store.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BoardmanBoardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

When they opened the shop in 2024, the partners tried different types of meat offerings, to see what the public wanted. Whole animals, used for barbecues and pig roasts, were not in demand, and the partners quickly realized that in New Milford, customers like \u201cgourmet and prime meat,\u201d Rohlsberger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey like our salads, made in-house, the stuffed chicken or turkey breasts or pork chops, kebabs, and steaks, roasts, things like that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have aged beef from New York City, that\u2019s the same as the steakhouses in the city order.\u201d<\/p>\n

A large variety of seasonings with the store\u2019s label, jars of tomato sauce, pasta and other basics are sold, along with olive oil, local syrup and snacks.<\/p>\n

As a local business, they support local organizations too. When the Gaylordsville Volunteer Fire Department planned a fundraising dinner, Rohlsberger ordered their hams, and ended up donating them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all volunteers,\u201d he said. \u201cThey help people. I just said, \u2018Just take \u2018em.\u2019 We went to the dinner at the firehouse and had dinner \u2026 they were all so happy to see us.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to support the town you\u2019re in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The butcher shop will grow, the partners said. They bought the building in 2025, and hope to eventually open a full-fledged deli, and perhaps a restaurant. But \u201cthat\u2019s for the future,\u201d Rohlsberger said.<\/p>\n

\"BoardmanBoardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re successful because of the local support,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re expanding what we sell because it\u2019s what people want, and that\u2019s good. I hope that will maintain itself as we go along.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur experience on the job, and our quality products bring people back,\u201d Feiler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd our prices are reasonable,\u201d Rohlsberger said. \u201cWe stay competitive, and we\u2019ve lowered them for some things, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

They say they\u2019ve never had a complaint: except once, a customer said the steak on the Philly sandwich was too thick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take that,\u201d Rohlsberger said, with a laugh.<\/p>\n

And the banter between the partners, who are good friends, makes Boardman Bridge Butchers a fun place to be.<\/p>\n

\"BoardmanBoardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge. (Emily M. Olson)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have fun together; we yell back and forth, and we get to know the customers,\u201d Feiler said. \u201cI think people like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019s got 40 years in the meat business, and decades of experience,\u201d Rohlsberger said. \u201cBoth of us just like selling good food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boardman Bridge Butchers is located at 299 Kent Road\/ Route 7 in New Milford, across from historic Boardman Bridge.<\/p>\n

To reach the shop, call 860-350-1015, visit boardmanbridgebutchers.com, find them on Facebook, or email info@boardmanbridgebutchers.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A pair of Connecticut business owners have decades to true specialty food work between them and it\u2019s an art that is now on the rare side for independent operators. Marc Rohlsberger and Don Feiler are owners of Boardman Bridge Butchers in New Milford. They recently celebrated their second year on Route 7, and say business<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[25191,13110,6650,25187,93,25186,25194,25189,25192,1160,4673,4671,4674,5060,4672,5061,235,2806,10848,25193,71,25190,2714,1226,25188,2187,22324,25196,10482,15465,22103,8779,1900,9802,6728,1573,25195],"class_list":["post-28880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-connecticut","tag-a-p","tag-bacon","tag-beef","tag-boardman-bridge","tag-business","tag-butchers","tag-calamari-salad","tag-chops","tag-cod","tag-connecticut","tag-connecticut-dining","tag-connecticut-food","tag-connecticut-grocery-stores","tag-connecticut-news","tag-connecticut-restaurants","tag-ct-news","tag-dinner","tag-drinks","tag-england","tag-flounder","tag-food","tag-grand-union","tag-groceries","tag-grocery","tag-lamb","tag-meat","tag-new-milford","tag-new-york-presbyterian-hospital","tag-pork","tag-route-7","tag-salmon","tag-sandwiches","tag-shopping","tag-shrimp","tag-snacks","tag-steakhouses","tag-western-connecticut-state-university"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}