We have a packed newsletter today! Including new sections.
Port Chester's $161M school budget passed with a wide margin on Tuesday, and Save the Sound just dropped its annual beach grades (good news for Rye; maybe skip Harbor Island for now). Plus, Maman is coming to Purchase Street, Rye Baseball hit the section semifinals, and a Shark Tank winner is opening inside a historic Port Chester bank.

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Port Chester–Rye Union Free School District voters approved the 2026-27 budget Tuesday, 853 votes in favor to 312 opposed. The $161.3 million spending plan — a 4.4% increase over the current year — passed with a clear 73% majority. Harrison Central School District voters passed their budget the same day.

Top-seeded Rye (16-5) moved into the Section 1 Class AA semifinals Tuesday after sophomore Clayton McCarthy threw a complete-game shutout against Eastchester, striking out nine in a 4-0 quarterfinal win. McCarthy allowed just two hits and three walks across seven innings. The Garnets scored the runs they needed in the first. A Jamie Morris single, a line-drive RBI by Luke Ontaneda, and a sac fly from Ben Fineberg, then added insurance on a solo homer from Harry Ellis in the fourth.

Rye hosts either No. 4 Horace Greeley or No. 12 Carmel on Friday. It's a deep run taking shape in real time.

Save the Sound released its annual Beach Grades today, and the results for the Sound Shore are a study in contrasts. Six of the nine Westchester beaches to receive an A or B grade are in Rye. American Yacht Club and Shenorock Shore Club earned the county's only A grades — an A+ for both. Westchester Country Club and Playland Beach each received a B. Manursing Island Club and Rye Town Park–Oakland Beach came in at B-.

For families planning Memorial Day weekend swims, the picture isn't uniformly rosy. Coveleigh Club in Rye received a C. Harbor Island Beach (Mamaroneck) received a D+. Hudson Park (New Rochelle) earned a D-. And one Westchester beach — Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club — received an F 😬.

The grades are based on water samples collected throughout the 2025 swimming season. Save the Sound's director of healthy waters flagged stormwater runoff as the core problem. Rain washes fertilizer, oil residue, and fecal bacteria from streets and parking lots directly into the Sound. Rye's track record suggests its coastal management is working. The bigger pattern, eleven of sixteen struggling beaches are in the western Sound or Westchester, deserves attention before the summer season opens this weekend.

Full results at Save the Sound's Sound Health Explorer. https://soundhealthexplorer.org/swimmable/

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Saks Fifth Avenue is consolidating its three Greenwich storefronts into a single location — and the standalone men's store closed its doors Friday. The women's shoe department will follow, relocating into the main Greenwich Avenue store in June. The company says the move is a planned restructuring of local operations, unrelated to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy Saks Global filed in January to address roughly $3.4 billion in debt following its merger with Neiman Marcus.

For Greenwich Avenue, it's a visible shift. Three storefronts becoming one means retail square footage disappearing from one of the most watched shopping corridors in Fairfield County. Whether the consolidated store holds its ground, or whether this is the beginning of a longer retreat, is the question worth watching this summer.

Greenwich — Speed cameras head to the RTM on June 8. Following last week's packed public hearing, the town's updated school zone speed camera safety plan will go before the Representative Town Meeting on June 8 for formal approval, then to the state for review. The goal remains a restart before September. No decision yet on refunds for the 7,225+ drivers who paid fines before the April 2 suspension.

Port Chester — PCHS seniors celebrated at College & Career Signing Day. Port Chester High School recently honored its graduating seniors at its annual College and Career Signing Day — recognizing every pathway, from four-year universities to trade programs and career commitments. A reminder of what the district does well when the spotlight isn't on the budget.

Rye — School budget passes 80-20, turnout below 5%. Only 536 votes were cast out of roughly 11,000 eligible voters — fewer than 5% turned out. Shaun Kloepfer (incumbent) and Emily Borell (new candidate) won the two uncontested BOE seats.

Maman, the French-inspired café chain with 55 locations across the U.S. and Canada, is set to fill that space within the next few months, marking its first foray into Westchester. The brand is known for its rustic-chic aesthetic: mismatched vintage furniture, exposed brick, warm light, and a linen-draped menu built on things like croque monsieurs, tartines, seasonal grain bowls, and coffee that actually earns its price. Its chocolate chip cookie was named one of Oprah's Favorite Things.

What makes this notable isn't just the brand, it's the fit. Maman has built its reputation in neighborhoods like SoHo and the West Village, where people want somewhere to sit and stay a while, not just grab and go. Purchase Street, on its best mornings, has always been that kind of street.

"We're always looking for neighborhoods that naturally align with maman's sense of warmth and community, and Rye really stood out to us." — Elisa Marshall, maman co-founder

Worth knowing: 64 Purchase St., Rye. Seating for about two dozen. Opening date not yet confirmed — follow @mamannyc for updates.

The Saw Pit, Port Chester — The wine bar and café slated for the Metro-North station at Port Chester still shows "Coming Soon" at thesawpit.com. The site went live with a 2026 copyright and promises coffee, pastries, açai bowls, pizza, and locally made beer. No confirmed open date, but the MTA lease has been signed and the space is being built out.

Lunar Greenwich — A new restaurant has registered at 420 W. Putnam Ave. in Greenwich — the site of the former Panda Pavilion — under the name Lunar Greenwich LLC. No details yet on concept or timeline, but the space is one of the more prominent restaurant addresses in that corridor.

Rye Farmer's Market — The 2026 season is underway, Sundays 8:30am–1pm in the parking lot off Theodore Fremd Ave. Three new vendors joined this year: The Wild Radish (prepared foods), Liquid Fables (locally sourced canned cocktails), and Squeaky Clean Snacks (nutrient-rich kids' snacks). Twenty-seven vendors total, running through Thanksgiving.

Greenwich Town Party — 15th Anniversary Where: Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, 1 Arch St, Greenwich, CT
When: Saturday, May 23, 10:00am–10:00pm
More info: greenwichtownparty.org

Playland 98th Season Grand Opening Where: Playland Park, 1 Playland Pkwy, Rye, NY 10580
When: Saturday, May 23, 12:00pm
More info: playlandpark.org

Harrison Public Pools Open for Summer Where: Ron Belmont Pool Complex & Brentwood Pool, Harrison, NY
When: Saturday, May 23
More info: harrison-ny.gov

Town of Rye ECOFest 2026 Where: Crawford Park, 122 N Ridge St, Rye Brook, NY 10573
When: Saturday, May 30, 11:00am–4:00pm
More info: patch.com/new-york/portchester/calendar

Brad Williams: Stand-Up Comedy Where: The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY
When: Sunday, May 31, 7:00pm
More info: thecapitoltheatre.com

At 133 North Main Street in Port Chester, a nearly 100-year-old bank building has been a lot of things: the Port Chester Savings Bank, a Wells Fargo branch, and then an empty shell with teller windows stripped out.

This fall, it reopens as Jane Foodie Café. The owner is Jane Carroll, a Westchester entrepreneur who appeared on ABC's Shark Tank in spring 2025 after her Guinness Beef Stew won the outstanding new product award at the June 2024 Fancy Food Show.

The concept Carroll is bringing to Port Chester is built around what billionaire Mark Cuban told her on Shark Tank: the model of producing food in a central kitchen and serving it café-style. Carroll plans to use the Port Chester kitchen to produce flash-frozen, preservative-free meals that can be served on-site or taken home. The high-ceilinged main banking hall will become a dining room. A glass wall will let guests watch the kitchen work. There's also a 12-space parking lot, a luxury on North Main Street.

Carroll's best sellers include the award-winning Beef Stew, Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower, fresh bread, and cinnamon rolls.

A stylishly updated colonial on a quiet cul-de-sac in the heart of Old Greenwich — walkable to the train, the beach, and the village. Grand ceilings, a chef's kitchen with center island, a library with coffered ceiling, three fireplaces, and an 800 sq ft rooftop terrace with outdoor seating and a fire pit. Built 2005, fully updated 2020. Eastern Greenwich is a seller's market right now.

53 Park Ave, Old Greenwich, CT — $3,895,000
4 bed / 3.5 bath · 3,248 sq ft
Open house: Saturday May 23, 2–4pm
View listing

What matters most when you choose a local restaurant?

🍽️ The food — quality and menu first, everything else second
📍 Walkability — I want somewhere I can get to on foot or easily
💰 Value — I'm watching what I spend and it shows
🏡 The story — local owners, interesting history, a reason to care
📱 Reputation — reviews, word of mouth, social media presence

Vote here!

Last week’s poll results: What do you want to see more of in Sound Shore Dispatch?

📅 More events — 21%
🍽️ More tips on places to eat — 15%
🏡 More real estate — 15%
🏫 More schools coverage — 13%
🏛️ More local politics — 10%
👤 More profiles — 10%
🏅 More coverage of local sports — 8%
📰 Keep it exactly as it is — 8%

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