New in Killingworth: From “Cooking Company” to “AristoKraft Kitchen”
By Clark Judge
(February 4, 2026) — In the spring of 2024, a patron at the James Madison House asked its new owner, Frank DeFlippo, if it was true that he was interested in buying the Cooking Company in Killingworth. DeFlippo said it was and that he hoped to close on a deal in the near future. And, so, he did, buying the 2,400 square foot building in May. But that was nearly two years ago. So, what’s happened since?
Nothing.
And everything.
For most of the past 24 months, the building’s been shuttered, with black “JMH” trailers parked outside, locked doors and no signs of a reopening visible –that is, until now. Because now the trailers are gone, there’s activity inside, food and drink deliveries arrive daily and a sign reading “AristoKraft Kitchen” was posted in front of the property over the weekend.
“What’s going in the old Cooking Company spot?” someone asked last week on Facebook. “Looks close to opening.”
That’s because it is.
According to DeFlippo and wife Angela MacCallum, their latest acquisition could host a soft opening by mid-February. But that still begs the question: What in the world took so long?
Ah, that’s where our story begins.
THEN …
Until 2022, DeFlippo was involved in a variety of pursuits, none of which had to do with restaurants. The 54-year-old Clinton native worked retail locally and in New York City, owned his own landscaping business, had a snow removal company and installed fences. Angela, meanwhile, grew up in Madison, earned a business management degree from UConn and oversaw her father’s rental properties.
In short, neither of their resumes included anything that rhymes with “Bon Appetit.” Yet they dared to buy and operate the James Madison House, a giant leap that begs the question: Why?
“My wife and I took it on as a joke,” DeFlippo answered. “A legit joke.”
The way he tells it, the two sometimes stopped in at the Madison House “for a drink or snack” after shopping at Robert’s, the grocery store next door. Eventually, they became so comfortable with the owner that they didn’t hesitate to offer unsolicited advice.
“I‘d tell him, ‘We can’t eat this,’ “ DeFlippo said of a certain selection, “and he’d say, “Then I’ll take it off the menu.’ I told him, ‘That’s not the point. We’re trying to help you. We want a better product.’ After the fifth or sixth time, he said, ‘Why don’t you just buy me out?’ “
He was joking. Or so it seemed. But sometime in 2021 … or, as the COVID pandemic began to recede … the owner again suggested that Frank and Angela buy him out. Only this time, he wasn’t kidding.
“So we did,” said DeFlippo, who completed the purchase in 2022. “Angela and I both love food. So we looked at each other and said, ‘We can turn this thing around.’ “
And they did. In fact, they were so successful that when the Cooking Company went on the market in 2024 they jumped at the chance to strike again. Little did they know what lay ahead.
… AND NOW
Entering the Cooking Company … er, AristoKraft Kitchen … today, it bears little resemblance to its former self. Two fireplaces operate at opposite ends of the building, including one that was concealed behind dry wall … stainless steel appliances and shelves are everywhere … five 36-inch monitors hang over the deli line … the kitchen is spotless … the ceiling is latticed … the flooring is new … there’s seating for 24 customers … and the place looks, well, “more inviting and warmer,” said MacCallum.
Bingo.
“We touched every single surface in this building,” said DeFlippo, “from the equipment to the walls to the ceilings to the floors. I don’t think there was anything in here that we haven’t touched. Nothing was really salvageable.”
Correction: Two freezers were. But that’s it, a testament to a labor intensive conversion that consumed thousands of hours and a lot more money to reach the finish line.
“It definitely was more of a project than we expected,” said DeFlippo.
“Then it turned into a very expensive project,” said Angela. “We had to take it piece by piece so we could afford to put it back together.”
When the two acquired the Madison House, it took three months to reopen. This was nowhere close, mostly because of the extensive work involved. But the delay also had something to do with their schedules. They still had another restaurant to manage and sometimes staff, with Angela last week stepping in at the Madison House for an absent employee to help her son wash dinner dishes. Let the record show that she’s waited tables and run the bar there, too, while Frank has been called to help in the kitchen. Seldom apart, the two also work weekends together on the “JMH” food truck.
“How do we get along so well?” Angela asked. “We work together 24/7. Everything we do is as a team.”
That team doesn’t stop there. It extends to the rest of the family, where all but one of their six children has worked at the Madison House.
“But Angela,” her husband said, “is the glue behind the entire operation. We wouldn’t be able to do anything without her.”
So now comes the next challenge — an “eat-in” or “carry-out” operation that resembles the Cooking Company but, in reality, is nothing close. The menu will have what DeFlippo termed “an Italian flair,” with a variety of that features a square, deep-dish Sicilian pie that manager A.J. Acampora spent the past month trying to perfect to gain Frank and Angela’s approval. Slices were also walked across the parking lot to the Killingworth Pharmacy, where co-owner and manager Keith Lyke gave them the green light.
“I’d be happy to be their guinea pig or taste tester anytime,” he said.
Think back to what Frank and Angela first told the former owner of the Madison House about his menu, and maybe you understand how important that hurdle was to clear.
“We think we have it nailed down,” a relieved Angela said. “Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
As you might expect, more … much more … will be available. There’s what DeFlippo called “grab-and-go meals,” prepared foods from the freezer, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, coffee, desserts, doughnuts, bagels, pastries, a breakfast menu … you name it, it’s there. The kitchen will be open Monday-Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with plans to push mornings to 6:00 a.m. once AristoKraft is firmly established.
“The food’s going to be different than James Madison,” said DeFlippo, “but with the same characteristics and a lot more options for ‘take-home.’ We’re going to have deli meats, so you can have a pound of baloney, roast beef or turkey. You can get a sandwich or order your dinner. Essentially, you have everything right here. It’s going to be convenient for people who stop in and get what they need.”
And Frank and Angela: What about them? After two years of labor, did they get what they needed?
“Yes,” DeFlippo said. “We took our time, but we’re doing it right. We wouldn’t go backward and change what we did by any stretch. But we might’ve negotiated a cheaper price.”
Photos by Clark Judge
