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FAIRFIELD – Jim and Teresa Huffman have added to Fairfield’s fine-dining scene with their new restaurant Char Steakhouse, on the north side of the Lincoln Center that they purchased from the school district just last year.

Char Steakhouse opened its doors on Nov. 11 and has been busy ever since. The restaurant is open in the evenings from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and Teresa said that patrons should expect to make a reservation if they wish to eat on Friday or Saturday, since the place is packed on those days.

Jim and Teresa own JC Huffman Cabinetry on the west edge of town on Burlington Avenue, and this marks their first foray into the restaurant business. Teresa said she’s wanted to run a steakhouse for decades, and after she and Jim purchased the Lincoln Center in the summer of 2024, they’ve been hard at work remodeling it.

The first stage of remodeling got the building ready to host the Huffmans’ annual “Ho Ho Ho Wholiday” extravaganza featuring food, activities, and photo ops with Santa, the Harry Potter universe, the Grinch and the rest of Whoville. The second stage focused on the northeast corner of the building, converting what were once three classrooms into a world-class bar and restaurant.

That required gutting that portion of the building, knocking down interior walls and installing new plumbing, heating and electrical on top of tearing up the floors and ceiling. Teresa estimates they worked on the building for about eight months before opening night.

In the one month that the restaurant has been open, it’s no surprise that its best-selling item has been its steaks.

“We’ve heard numerous times from people that it’s the best steak they’ve ever had in their life,” Teresa said. “We source our meat locally from Packwood Locker, and I think that makes a big difference in the quality we’re using.”

The restaurant’s executive chef is Kevin Kline, who has extensive experience working as a chef in New Orleans. Teresa said he’s often getting her to try food she’s never heard of before, and surprising her with how tasty it is.

Teresa said she’s been bowled over by the community’s support during this first month in business.

“I think people were ready to have a nice steakhouse that they could come to, sit down, and have a reason to dress up,” she said. “It's not formal, but a lot of people dress very nice when they come in. We have a lot of wonderful restaurants in this town, for sure, but none of them were a steakhouse where you could just go and get a filet or a New York strip or ribeye.”

The business has 16 employees, including every member of the Huffman family. Teresa manages the restaurant’s back end and takes care of hosting, assisted by her granddaughter Kinzley. Jim does everything from maintenance to helping with the bread, while their daughter Chasity and granddaughter Mareyn work as servers.

“Our son-in-law Travis [Dunkin] gets roped in, too,” Teresa joked.

Teresa was the one who came up with the name “Char Steakhouse” because she liked how it sounded. She also picked out the restaurant’s logo of a bull, which was inspired by young Chasity’s love of Western dressing, which she could never remember the name of, calling it the “bull with horns” dressing.

Erreth Hunter is the bar manager and front of house manager, and according to Teresa, is known for “putting together phenomenal specialty cocktails.” The restaurant has 19 tables and can seat as many as 105. Teresa said that, down the road, she’d love to add outdoor seating, too.

Teresa said that she and Jim essentially have two fulltime jobs. They start their days at 6 a.m. at JC Huffman Cabinetry, then Teresa makes her way to the restaurant at about 3 p.m., and they both work until 10 or 10:30 at night, then get up the next day and do it all over again.

WHOLIDAY

Now in its second year at the Lincoln Center, the Huffmans have reprised their Ho Ho Ho Wholiday celebration. The have one weekend already in the books, Dec. 6-7, and the next one will be Dec. 20-21, from 4-7 p.m. that Saturday and then 1-4 p.m. that Sunday. This year’s event features new photo backdrops in the gymnasium including on Santa’s sleigh, in Santa’s house, a new 12-foot Christmas tree, and more. Admission comes with hot cocoa, sugar cookie, and a magic potion activity in the Harry Potter room.

Teresa said the admission price of $15 per person does not come close to covering the family’s cost to put on this event, which they do to support the community. She said that paying for all the materials, the insurance, the utilities, would probably require charging $35-$40 per ticket to make a profit.

“I lose money every year, but it’s never been about the money, and it will never be about the money,” Teresa said.

The event has become known throughout the area as one of the premier Christmas activities, and recently received national exposure on NBC’s Today Show on Dec. 8.

Something new this year is a brunch featuring Santa and the Grinch, will Char Steakhouse will host this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14. That event will have two seatings each day, between 9-10:30 a.m. and one from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.