Connecticut Restaurant Owner Barry Jessurun

A rich smell of coffee roast infused the rustic styled cafe, flowing out onto the quiet streets and mixing with the fresh morning air. Soft jazz music played inside while early risers sipped their beverages and read the newspaper. A cheery man with a funky colored shirt wondered around from table to table greeting customers with a friendly smile. This man was Barry Jessurun.

Barry Jussurun co-owner of the Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret, CT

It was a long time coming before Barry Jessurun, co-owner of the Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret, CT became successful in the food and restaurant business.

The Vanilla Bean Cafe opened in August 1989, with only a seating capacity of 16. Majorly run by his sister Eileen Jussurun and brother Brian Jessurun in the beginning, 27 year old Barry decided that Connecticut didn’t support his dreams and moved out of the state.

If Barry chose to never return, this family favorite restaurant in the Northeast corner of Connecticut may have never reached its full potential.

As a teenager Barry Jessurun dropped out of college in a pursuit of working with others and doing jobs he loved. From cleaning tennis courts, working at liquor stores, to skii resorts, and waterparks, Barry recalled, “Each job always lead to the next. I liked being around people who were having fun doing what they loved, and learning a lot along the way.” Barry believed that every small step in life was a step towards the next big thing.

By 1987, Barry’s parents had bought a barn in Pomfret, Connecticut with an idea of remodeling and creating a business out of it with their 6 children. In order to open a business the Jessurun Family put in hours of heartfelt labor. Barry said, “We named the restaurant after our sister Eileen, who was nicknamed Bean. We called it a “Cafe” due to the new popular demand of coffee culture coming from Eastern Europe into the United States and “Vanilla” because it fit well. It was plain, simple, and sounded good.”

A busy Saturday afternoon at the Bean

A year after the cafe opened and situated, Barry headed west to California for new and different opportunities. Unplanned, after five months in the golden state, his travels were cut short due to his father developing health problems. At this time, Eileen decided to call it quits in the restaurant business. Therefore, Barry and Brian Jessurun took on full ownership, with the intent of selling The Vanilla Bean Cafe after reaching one million dollars in revenue.

This goal took 10 to 12 years from the opening date to achieve. Barry had started taking business classes. These classes made Barry realize that none of the buyers were worthy. That the Vanilla Bean Cafe had a valuable story and was an asset that had value. From the beginning the Jessurun Family made it their goal to provide healthy, high quality, local fresh food. To never serve anything they wouldn’t eat, and the community loved it. The happy response towards the cafe was evident.

Frequent customer Jim Lee of Woodstock, CT elaborated, “Barry seems to be a good boss and appears to not only treat his customers great, but his employees as well.”

The restaurant withheld a valuable reputation, that when Coca-Cola did a random search online for “Vanilla” and saw all that Barry and Brian had to offer, the company decided that The Vanilla Bean Cafe would be the perfect place to launch their new product of Vanilla Coke in May of 2002.

Recently celebrated 30th Anniversary

Today, the cafe can seat up to 180 people with the addition of an outdoor patio and has recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary. Manager Kayla Densmore of Pomfret, CT shared that she has been working for Barry for 17 years at The Vanilla Bean, 20 if you count nannying. She said,“Barry has helped shaped me into the person I have become.” Employee, Leah Mcfarlin, 19 of Woodstock CT has been working for over a year and a half at the Vanilla Bean and said, “Barry has been a great boss compared to where I was. He is very friendly to not only the customers but his employees. He created a very positive environment to work at.”

When not working Barry enjoys spending time with his family. He has two children Sienna and Talia Jessurun with his wife Maria.

Since the Vanilla Bean, Barry has become co-owner of three other restaurants, 85 Main in Putnam CT, Dog Lane Cafe in Storrs, CT, and Fenton River Grill in Mansfield, CT. Over the years, Barry has become a huge success within the local community. Time can only tell what next for this outgoing business man.