Local restaurant owner Carolina Mimo indicated that, growing up, her grandmother’s kitchen served as everything from a confessional, to a board room, to a comedy club. Family and friends often gathered in the big, open kitchen to chat, gossip, laugh; and cook, of course.

Mimo says the banter in her grandmother’s kitchen always “came with the aroma of something savory on the stove and a conversation quickly interrupted with ‘taste this, it needs something,’ as bodies smoothly move around between the stove, the sink, the fridge, and the spice cabinet.”

“Most of my family memories are in my grandmother’s kitchen,” said Mimo, co-owner of Mimo Bistro & Market, located at 138 Main St. The Berlin eatery, which celebrated its ribbon-cutting in the fall of 2022, sells salads, soups, sandwiches, bowls, and much more. The website for Mimo Bistro & Market states, “We hope you enjoy our charming and welcoming spot in your neighborhood to enjoy a meal that combines a blend of comforting favorites with exciting new flavors. Meals that are nutritious, balanced, and above all ... delicious.”

Mimo co-owns the eatery with her aunt, Livia Coll, who fled Venezuela in search of a better life in the U.S.

“[O]nce she came, it was ‘okay, now I have more family here,’ which I never had before, and it just felt right to do something like this with family and to also help each other,” said Mimo.

Mimo Bistro & Market, 138 Main St., Berlin, is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit the restaurant online at mimobistro.com.