Arts & Entertainment

Behind the Counter: Bette Toomey

Village Cafe waitress is artist, dog rescuer, grandmother and more

Bette Toomey is a familiar face at The Village Café and Bistro. She's been a fixture at the restaurant since it opened in November 2007.

"It was nice being in on a new business venture from the start and watching it grow," she said.

Before that she worked at Truffles, located in the same spot in the Canton Village Plaza on Route 44.

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But while her dry humor, quick smile and customer service may be fairly well known, some may not realize Toomey is a mother of five, grandmother to just as many, an artist, an avid reader of historical fiction and an advocate for pit bulls.

Toomey grew up in Philadelphia and has spent time in Chicago. While she is a one-time Collinsville resident and has lived elsewhere, most of her years in Connecticut have been in Avon, where she moved in 1976.

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She raised five kids in Avon and still spends time helping them out and watching her grandchildren.

But Toomey has also pursued many other activities.

In 1992, she received an associate's degree in graphic design and photography from Tunxis Community College. Some of her photographs have won awards at art shows.

And while she is still a photographer, more of Toomey's recent artistic energy has been spent creating hand-cut glass mosaics. She designs, cuts and assembles the glass in antique frames. She hopes to soon offer some for sale at the restaurant.

Toomey said she thinks of her art in a way that's reflected in a quote she read from a musician to the effect of "don't let the music die within you."

"I realize that being creative, whether through my photography or mosaics, is within me and I can't lose that part of me," Toomey said.

In addition to art, Toomey has volunteered with Hot Water Rescue, a Collinsville-based group that helps mostly pit bulls. She has served as a foster parent for two animals that were eventually placed in other homes. Toomey has also taken in two pit bulls herself.

"I try to educate the public that pit bulls are not monsters," she said.

One animal she adopted, Libby, died in January. Her story, however, lives on "Angels Come in All Forms," a story Toomey wrote for Lost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories About Pit Bulls.

Still with Toomey are Dugan, a nearly 3-year-old pit bull she rescued from a pound, and 5-year-old Belle, a Collie shepherd.

And, of course, she spends a few hours a week visiting her kids and watching grandchildren.

Some of Toomey's other interests include:

  • Movie: Peggy Sue Got Married
  • Books: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Pillars of the Earth
  • TV: National Geographic, Discovery channels
  • Music: Grateful Dead, Bluegrass, Philadelphia Doo-Wop

 


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