New Owners Will Open
Village Store in Tunbridge
By Martha Slater

Jean-Pierre and Judy Debeuf are the new owners of the Village Store in Tunbridge. The Debeufs, who moved to Tunbridge two years ago, hope to open the doors of their new business venture in mid-April.

Judy is from Boston, Mass. and her husband emigrated to the U.S. from Nice, France. The couple previously owned a restaurant in New Hampshire, but say they’ve always wanted to have a store. A gourmet chef, who currently works at Carpaccio in Hanover. N.H., Jean-Pierre trained at the top catering school in France, graduating at the head of his class. He and Judy will run the store together full-time when they open.

Jean-Pierre says he plans to do catering from the store and will serve breakfast and lunch daily in a small restaurant seating area there. The store will also offer dinners to go.

Judy, who has also been in the restaurant business for many years, says she’ll be the "front of the house person, doing whatever needs to be done," including serving people, helping in the kitchen, etc. While they get the business up and running, it will be just the two of them working there, along with their 17-year old daughter, Christelle, a student at the Sharon Academy. Christelle, whose specialty is making cappuccinos, expressos and lattes, has been in latte art competitions where the contestants make designs out of the latte foam.

Some of Christelle’s fellow students from the Sharon Academy are planning to pitch in to help the family get the building ready. Jean-Pierre plans to renovate the upstairs of the store building and will ask local artists to exhibit their works (which will also be for sale) there. The 15-seat restaurant area will be located downstairs in the front and the couple says the store section "will stay as it is."

"We’ll keep general groceries in stock, and also have some specialty foods, wines, and cheeses," Jean-Pierre explains. "We’ll have a special sandwich every day, and also offer homemade pastas and ice cream."

Wanting to get involved with the community, the Debeufs have already agreed to sponsor the canning and pickling section at this year’s Tunbridge Fair. They plan to host a community gathering in Tunbridge in early April to get feedback from town residents as to what items they would like to have in the store.

The Village Store will be open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

"It’s lucky that we only live two miles away!" Judy said with a laugh.

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