Kenneth E. Bassett

Kenneth Bassett, 80, husband of Joan (Popick) Bassett of Storrs, passed away on January 5th, 2017. He was the son of the late Keith and Laura Bassett. A graduate of the New Haven Culinary Institute, Ken was very proud of his lifelong career which included Executive Chef positions at The Sachem House, The Stone House, Chellos Oyster House, The Hartford Hilton and American Cruise Lines. He and his wife were the owners of Chowdertown Restaurant in Vernon which was selected by Connecticut Magazine as the "Best New Restaurant in Tolland County". Ken's chowder was the very best ever and his recipe was a closely guarded secret until he finally shared it with his eldest granddaughter. During his long culinary career he had the distinction of being chosen as a Chief Trainer for the Food Service Industry Training Project. He was also awarded the 1979 Chef of the Year Award by Associated Restaurants of Connecticut. Besides his wife, Ken is survived by his sisters, Sandra Richards and Bonnie Bohnet, his 7 children and their spouses, Kenneth and Krisztina, Doug and Donna, Brian, Laurie and Dave, Vicky and Bob, Jackie and Chris, Kim, 18 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by his granddaughter Cailyn and his son in law, Tom. The family would like to express our deep gratitude for the care provided by the doctors, nurses and staff of St. Francis Hospital (particularly Dr. Neal Lippman and Dr. Sabeena Arora) and The Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. There are no calling hours. There will be a private family gathering later this month.