Snack Shack opens to fanfare at New Haven’s Long Wharf

New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, retired state Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper. Jr., and Brazis owner Val Capobianco cut the ribbon on the new Snack Shack on Long Wharf. New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, retired state Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper. Jr., and Brazis owner Val Capobianco cut the ribbon on the new Snack Shack on Long Wharf. Photo: Mary OLeary / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Mary OLeary / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Snack Shack opens to fanfare at New Haven’s Long Wharf 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — There is Foxon Park soda, Gelato Giuliana, Ripe Craft juices, as well as sandwiches and salads from a nearby shop, fruit from Onofrios and hot dogs from Hummel Bros., all local businesses.

You can buy New Haven and Yale University memorabilia, get the latest schedules on local theaters and museums and festivals, as well attractions throughout New England, Broadway shows and nearby places to eat.

After being closed for more than a decade, the Long Wharf Info Center and Snack Shack on Long Wharf Drive has reopened under the guidance of Val Capobianco, the owner of Brazi’s Restaurant, which sits close by on Sargent Drive.

Capobianco, the sole bidder to restore the city-owned visitors center, added the take-out restaurant, while upgrading the site with benches and tables on a deck on the harbor side, featuring what the new operator called a “multi-million-dollar view” of the water.

He was joined by city officials, lead by Mayor Toni Harp, who said the renovated center is the latest amenity on Long Wharf, which includes such things as a protected cycle track, a row of food trucks, construction of a public boathouse, Jordan’s Furniture and the Premiere Suites, an extended-stay hotel.

Capobianco said he has been at Brazi’s for 23 years.

“This is just a way for us to give back to showcase what New Haven has to offer to city residents and to the visitors passing by,” he said of his investment in the center.

Matthew Nemerson, economic development administrator for the city, said this example of a public asset with a private operator will be more common in the future given government cutbacks.

“This is a new way of doing things,” Nemerson said, as he thanked members of his staff and the engineering department who oversaw the infrastructure upgrade.

“It has to be the way of the future and I’m so glad that 1 million people can see it,” Nemerson said of the large amount of traffic that streams by on Interstate 95 along the harbor.

Rick Pecka has been hired to keep the center stocked and updated with maps, brochures and posters on upcoming events and to help market the center, and consequently the city.

Capobianco said they will soon install a large digital board people can use to scan for events.

On the food end, he said they will reveal a New Haven flavor of Gelata Giuliana this spring. Also, he said people can now order hot food from Brazi’s for delivery to the snack shop.

“We wanted to do everything local,” he said.”We have so much to offer here in New Haven.”

Retired Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper Jr., who calls Capobianco his godson, said he was the one who encouraged the restaurant owner to pursue the project. Harper is a longtime customer of Brazi’s, enough that a steak dish there is named for him and the justice has booth named for him.

From the time the request for proposals for the Snack Shack was posted, to the awarding of the contract and the construction work was finished, took about two years.

The center will be open a minimum of 40 hours a week between May 15 and Oct. 31, and 20 hours a week between Nov. 1 and May 14.