When it came to reader favorites this past year in the Living section online, food was one of the hot topics. New restaurant openings, and articles that explained how to make certain kinds of food were big hits. Readers also loved, and loved to share, stories about changes at a shoreline bookseller, a tragic kayaking accident in Long Island Sound, how to start up a dog park, and authors’ thoughts on their new book releases.

Here, for your reading pleasure, is a list of some of our top stories online this past year:

Fun with Food

Our top two stories were both about the new restaurant started up in Branford by the indomitable Greg Nobile. One of the stories is about Nobile himself, and how his entrepreneurial spirit emerged at a young age. It also discusses the difficult time he had in college, setbacks he experienced, and his subsequent success on Broadway. Then, another setback, and a return to his roots in Branford led to more success, and, ultimately, the opening of The Stand restaurant, which is part restaurant, part barbecue pit, and part community center, one that has a hip vibe.

From the story:

Greg Nobile is very quick to admit that he is still making mistakes daily. “We don’t know what we’re doing,” he says of him and his business partner, Eamon Roche, “so that’s created a lot of amazing things.”

In addition to running The Stand, Greg is also working on two shows in New York. One of his shows is a revival of Sweeney Todd, which will take place in the Barrow Street Theatre, by eight characters who will perform around the audience. The show will open on Valentine’s Day.

With most days that end around 1 or 2 a.m. and start at 7 or 8 a.m., Greg has no spare time but says that he loves to be busy. He’s also baffled by the concept of having a day off. “Day off? To do what?” he says. “I don’t know why anyone would want to be off. It’s so much fun to work.”

Looking toward the future, Greg has a long and varied bucket list which includes opening a resort, making movies, working in TV, starting a music festival, and getting a dog. There is also talk of expanding The Stand to another location in Connecticut. Although he said he isn’t sure yet as to what his next project will be, he’s always brainstorming his next move. “Something will be happening next summer,” says Greg.

Despite his string of successes, Greg stays unflinchingly humble. “Just because I have this bar, and the theater business, and a few awards on my mantel doesn’t mean that I’ve got my [stuff] together,” he says.

Also in food news this year, we reported on the news James Farmacy in Old Saybrook, and a renovation earlier this year to The Wharf restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel, which resulted in the creation of a wine room, a communal table, a fireplace, and banquette style flexible seating, in addition to a traditional restaurant area where patrons can sit at tables.

We also reported on the opening of a new café and bakery in Centerbrook called Savour. This was based on a tip submitted by one of our readers, Kristin O’Lynnger of Deep River. “Do yourself a favor and be on the lookout for Savour, a new café and bakery opening in the Spencer’s Corner plaza in Centerbrook. Kim Thomas is a talented chef and baker who has lent her cooking savvy to other establishments and will soon be heading out on her own with Savour. The cafe will feature her delicious baked goods and other treats, as well as gourmet meal-fare. Her cupcakes are the best and most inventive I’ve ever tasted. Thomas’s attention to every detail in her work makes the place a must-try.” We love getting tips from our readers about new restaurants anything else going on in the food world along the shoreline and in the Connecticut River valley, so if you have a tip or suggestion, be sure to send it to me at p.mcnerney@shorepublishing.com.

We also told you about the hot chocolate bar at the Marketplace in Guilford, based on a tip from our Real Estate Advertising Manager Lisa Martin. “This was one of the best cups of hot chocolate! It was still decadent even though I had it made with nonfat milk. The best part was the whipped cream on top with bits of salted caramel candy and caramel drizzle. Worth every penny!” she told us. We also wrote about that perennial summertime favorite, about how to make memories while making Thanksgiving dinner, and about how to throw the best party ever with raclette.

Books, Kayaking, Dog Parks, and More

Another one of our top stories this year highlighted recent changes at R.J. Julia Booksellers, which at one point had been up for sale, but since has been taken off the block. One of the main reasons why bookstore owner Roxanne Coady decided not to sell the store is named Lori Fazio, her extremely capable second-in-command, who loves the bookstore, and all things books, as much as Coady.

“That’s a misconception, that you just turn the key and it’s all here,” Fazio says of the bookstore business. “There really is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes than people realize. And we like that people think it happens effortlessly, we want people to feel that way when they walk through the door. And then there are the finances. A bookstore is not the most profitable business.”

Coady, Fazio, and the other employees at RJJ are tackling the challenges with good, old-fashioned customer service, and innovative experiments that include a new podcast by Coady focused on books, a new website, and a business creating libraries for apartment buildings and hotels. R. J. Julia also recently announced it is opening a new bookstore in Middletown, working with Wesleyan University.

A story about a group of enthusiastic but inexperienced kayakers, who met with tragedy on what started as a beautiful summer’s day, caught readers’ interest as well. Sunday, June 12 started as a sunny, warm day with temperatures hitting the 80s around midday. Some experienced kayakers in Connecticut, who had planned to tackle a paddle that day, decided against it when they checked the weather report, which called for offshore winds out of the north of up to 18 miles per hour, with gusts going much higher. That, combined with water temperatures in the 60s, created potentially hazardous conditions. But a group of four kayakers, which included an 8 year-old girl, apparently did not know that. Most beginning kayakers don’t think to check wind, weather, and tides, and don’t always fully appreciate the impact of an offshore wind when it comes to paddling on Long Island Sound, say more experienced kayakers, several of whom said they made the same mistake these kayakers made, but were lucky enough to only have a rough, scary ride back in to safety.

This group did not. By sunset, it appears as if they knew they were in big trouble. One of the group tried to swim back to shore. He never made it and died trying. The other three continued to drift towards Long Island. At 3:40 a.m. Monday, the little girl and her mother washed ashore, terrified and shivering. They were lucky enough to land on a beach nearby some good people, who gathered them up and ushered them to safety and warmth. The fourth kayaker, also a man, was later found dead about a quarter mile west of where the mother and daughter were found.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flately said it was the third or fourth marine incident so far that year, when the story was published in late June.

“The kayakers get caught up, taken by the tide, and they realize they don’t have the ability to get back in,” he says. “When the tide runs in the Sound, it can be pretty powerful.”

Flately says he loves to kayak, but that he uses the creek systems close to Long Island Sound, rather than venturing into the Sound.

“Quite frankly, who wants to paddle out there?” he asks. “There’s the tide, and other boats’ wakes, and the wind. I’d rather paddle in a nice flat area. Even when it looks calm, Long Island Sound can be deceiving. You have to respect the water. You have to respect the tides. You have to respect the wind and factor all of that in.”

Carl Tjerandsen, who has been paddling for 18 years and has spent a lot of time on Long Island Sound, agrees.

He and a group of experienced kayakers expressed sympathy and regret about the kayaking deaths, while discussing them to find out what they could learn from it.

“Experienced kayakers, speaking in all honesty, will admit to some good luck in surviving some of the foolish things they did early on,” Tjerandsen says. “Scary situations motivate the now-wary paddler to seek training, safer gear, and on-water companions capable of rescuing themselves and others. They don’t take a lot for granted as they refine their judgment and skills. I doubt the folks involved in the recent mishap on the Sound were foolish people. I expect they didn’t have the kind of experience that might have kept them safe. As luck would have it, two of them didn’t get a chance to learn from their mistakes. Very sad.”

On a more cheerful note, another readers’ favorite focused on how to build a dog park. Building on the experience of a ground of dedicated dog lovers who created a dog park in Guilford, the story also provides a list of dog parks in Connecticut, and some tips on how to play nice when you and your pooch get there.

Even for those dog owners who read and heed the rules, there will be variations in how dog owners treat their dogs and their interaction with other dogs. For a dog park community to be successful, not only do the dogs have to figure out how to get along, their people do, too. During his many visits to the Guilford Dog Park, Guilford resident Bruce Hrozenchik says he has observed this.

“There are helicopter dog owners, and live-and-let-live dog owners,” he says.

In addition to reading and following posted rules, the first thing dog owners should do, before visiting a park, is to make sure their dogs are comfortable with the rough and tumble play that can occur in a dog park.

For a full list of and links to some of our best read stories online in 2016, visit www.zip06.com/LivingYearInReview2016.