A.C. Petersen Farms (1940)

A.C. Petersen Farms is a landmark restaurant and creamery at 240 Park Road in West Hartford. The company‘s origins go back to 1914, when Andrew C. Petersen, a Danish immigrant, purchased several milk delivery routes. He soon expanded his business, acquiring the property on Park Road, where he produced milk and ice cream. In 1939, Petersen moved two houses on the site to nearby Washington Circle to make way for the present ice cream parlor and restaurant. Over the years, A.C. Petersen’s would grow as a business to have thirteen locations in the greater Hartford area. These would eventually close, leaving only the original with the Petersen’s name. In 2000, Andrew C. Petersen’s grandson sold the restaurant part of the business to the Rhode Island-based restaurant chain, Newport Creamery, while a group of local businessmen acquired the ice cream plant and continue to produce Petersen’s ice cream. Two years later, the restaurant was acquired by Catherine Denton, who had been A.C. Petersen’s longtime accountant. In 2013, the company acquired a second location in Old Lyme. In 2016, MSN named Petersen’s milkshake the best in Connecticut.