After close to 20 years in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, Belle Peppers Café permanently closed its Congress Street doors on Feb. 11. A day later, news emerged that The Stockpot Restaurant on Bow Street would close by the end of April. Even more recently, Victory on State Street announced it would close at the end of February.

Belle Peppers owner Larry Trager said he decided to sell the café’s downtown location and focus on his other businesses at Pease International Tradeport. Belle Peppers Too will remain open at 1 New Hampshire Ave. and Tradeport Pizza is still at 14 Manchester Square. Belle Peppers will also continue to offer catering.

Trager said the decision to sell his downtown spot was personal and had little to do with the economic downturn. “It was solely personal,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for nine years and came to the realization a few months ago that having three good restaurants, being a good husband and being a good father is virtually impossible.”

Belle Peppers maintained a storefront at 41 Congress St. for close to 20 years and Trager owned it for nine years. A new gluten-free café called Anello’s will soon take over the space, Trager said. The same owners run another gluten-free establishment called Anello’s Pastries in Wells, Maine.

Trager said all his employees from the downtown café have either accepted jobs with Anello’s or transferred to one of his other businesses at Pease. But he admitted that closing the downtown storefront has come with a mixed bag of emotions.

“I’ve heard from a lot of customers that were very sad that have come to my place daily for the last nine years,” Trager said. He noted that the same meals will still be available at Belle Peppers Too. “If they really need something they’re used to getting, they can still get it. They just have to drive out to Pease.”

The Stockpot, too, has been a downtown fixture for around 20 years. Owner Meredith Stolper said the owners of the building at 53 Bow St. decided not to renew the restaurant’s lease when it expires in April. The property owners will instead open a restaurant of their own, Stolper said, perhaps even buying the Stockpot name and its recipes.

The two-floor restaurant includes an upstairs bar and a deck on the waterfront with an expansive view of the Piscataqua River. Stolper and her husband have owned the business for 10 years. She also owns The Loaf & Ladle in Exeter and Portsmouth, both of which will remain open.

The Stockpot closed for several weeks during the summer after a sewer system failure forced the business to make renovations. The restaurant struggled to recover from the temporary closure, but Stolper said business had otherwise remained stable.

Depending on when the building owners decide to move forward with their restaurant, The Stockpot could close as early as March, Stolper said. Although she is sad to lose the establishment, she is keeping her spirits high. She said business has been strong at the two Loaf & Ladle locations, which she believes offer a “recession-proof menu” of soup and sandwiches. Most of her Stockpot employees have submitted applications with the building owners.

“Everyone says everything happens for a reason, and I’m just going for that,” Stolper said. “I’m hoping for the best.”

Victory, a fine dining restaurant established at 96 State St. in 2003, will go dark on March 1. Owner and chef Duncan Boyd said the business will be auctioned off on Thursday, April 2. Boyd hopes a new restaurateur will then take over.

Boyd said he decided several months ago to put the restaurant on the market so he could pursue other business interests. The economic skid sealed his decision.

“I’m not going out of business because my business is no longer viable,” Boyd said. “But at the same time, we’d spend quite a while getting back to ground zero again.”

Boyd said keeping Victory open would require him to stop purchasing food from local farmers and turn to cheaper corporate options. He said he would rather shut down than cut corners.

Boyd plans to stay involved in the community. “To all the regulars, friends, guests who came in the front door and to all the staff, purveyors and vendors who came in the back door, thank you,” he said in a press release.

Seacoast seniors unite to end hunger

At a time when poor economic conditions both increase demand for food donations and decrease supply of charitable gifts, Seniors Aid New Hampshire is teaming up with the New Hampshire Food Bank to reduce hunger in the state.

The group of seniors who reside in long-term care and independent living communities raised more than $42,000 in a similar campaign last year—enough to eliminate 2.5 days of hunger by covering some expenses at the Food Bank. Through March 13, Seniors Aid will be holding a fundraising event called Seniors Feed New Hampshire, including raffles, silent auctions and bake and craft sales.

The idea for the group began in 2007 with residents who lived at the Pleasant View Nursing Home in Concord. They sent an e-mail to residents in all New Hampshire Health Care Association communities, asking them to join in a coordinated effort to support the Food Bank.

In addition to fundraising for charitable organizations, members work with the owners, administrators and staff of their communities to enhance quality of life for residents. They also work with key state leaders and legislators on policy issues affecting long-term care and independent living residents.
Melanie Gosselin, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, said in a press release the seniors group “is truly dedicated to improving lives.” 

The goal this year is to eliminate as many days of hunger as possible by covering the Food Band’s $17,547 daily operational cost. Visit www.nhhca.org/sanh for ways to help.