When Theresa Manning was a child, her mother would always have a warm meal waiting for her and her five siblings.
“My mom was a great cook, and it was all homemade food.” Ms. Manning said.
She watched her mother prepare fish, beef stew and chicken pot pie for dinner parties of 20 or more. Not only did Ms. Manning learn to cook from her mom, she inherited her passion for nurturing those around her.
Now Ms. Manning is cooking up comforting meals at her new restaurant, Quitsa Kitchen, which opened in January. Located in the former Life at Humphrey’s Bakery in Vineyard Haven, the kitchen serves up comfort food like blue corn waffles, biscuits and gravy, honey fried chicken sandwiches and French onion grilled cheese.
“Almost every day, I’m thinking of something about my mom that she taught me,” she said.
Ms. Manning’s food is no stranger to the community. She is the co-owner of Cliffhangers in Aquinnah and has been running Quitsa Catering for the past 15 years.
She named both her catering business, which is still operating at full capacity, and her restaurant after Nashaquitsa Pond, which separates Aquinnah, where she lives, from Chilmark. It’s an homage to her friend, who lived in the neighboring town. The two would host dinner parties to attract customers before her catering business kicked-off.
Quitsa Kitchen has a cozy environment with floral wallpaper, window benches, comfortable chairs and long tables. The atmosphere is inspired by Ms. Manning’s time working in public service. She was the program director for the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force for 15 years and worked for other nonprofits where she didn’t have an office space.
“I often had to benefit from the generosity of having free Wi-Fi and a spot to have a meeting or an interview,” she said. “We really wanted to build a space that had [many] tables and private areas.”
Quitsa Kitchen is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and their kitchen serves hot meals from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.. A long case of baked goods prepared by head baker Amy Miller is filled with chocolate chip, peanut butter, M&M, ginger and maple glaze cookies, and bacon gruyere scones, popovers and cheese bread.
One of the baked goods is a Brazilian joelho, or sweet dough stuffed with ham and cheese. It’s named after Kelly Silva, one of the cooks for the restaurant. Ms. Silva worked at Humphrey’s for eight years before it closed and has now found a home at Quitsa Kitchen.
“I really love Theresa,” Ms. Silva said. “She’s like my family.”
Ms. Manning said Ms. Silva has been instrumental in preserving aspects of the former Humphrey’s bakery. She helped curate menu items, including a house roasted turkey sandwich topped with stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayonnaise — an homage to Humphrey’s beloved gobbler sandwich.
Ms. Manning said she knows the community held Humphrey’s close to their heart. While she doesn’t have the capacity to sell donuts, which the former bakery was known for, she donated the donut fryer she inherited to the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
“I was really happy to be able to make that something that continues in the community,” Ms. Manning said.
Aside from the main menu, Ms. Manning sells grab-and-go dinners such as baked ziti bolognese, house roasted pulled-pork with mac n’ cheese, beef stroganoff and chili. Many of the recipes are reflective of her mother’s cooking.
Ms. Manning said she hopes the community can find a home at Quitsa Kitchen.
“To create a warm, welcoming space where people can depend on going there and see a smiling face behind the counter, have some good food, meet up with folks, I think is such an important component of our community,” she said.
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