NORWICH – For the last two years, The Caboose Restaurant has been serving homemade food for breakfast and lunch in a unique setting that keeps alive a reminiscence of the once-productive railways on East Main Street.

Kris Passafiume, owner of The Caboose, has been the sole cook, baker and waitress of the century-old boxcar diner since re-opening upon the departure of previous owner Millie Mercurio, who retired after 34 years in business.

“Business has been pretty good for me,” Passafiume said. “I have my own regular customers – some of them carried over from when Millie was here, but now, others are coming on a regular basis too.”

Passafiume has certainly made The Caboose her own, introducing home baked goods on a daily basis, offering new kinds of scones and muffins every morning and experimenting with new recipes that are sometimes made part of her daily menu by popular demand. It’s all part of keeping things new and exciting and maintaining the nostalgic atmosphere of a traditional diner where people can relax and enjoy the conversations, she said.