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Woman and black-owned vegan Arsenal-themed pub 'The Cannon' brings pride to New Haven

All food items at the pub are made in-house to ensure quality.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A new woman and Black-owned vegan Arsenal pub officially opened in New Haven to provide healthier food options to the community.

It's called The Cannon. According to a news release from New Haven, The Cannon gets its name from the English soccer team, Arsenal, and is the home pub for local Arsenal fans, the New Haven Gooners.

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It's located in the Dwight neighborhood, on the corner of Dwight and Chapel streetsFounders and Co-owners Kevin MacKenzie, Tessa Davis, and Skyller Melton said opening a bar like this was something they always dreamed of creating in the city. 

"We just wanted to create a friendly neighborhood bar," explained Davis. "This used to be a dry cleaner years ago, and being in a residential kind of eclectic neighborhood, I think it was important for us to create something that was also going to help within the diversification. "

The Cannon is also women and Black-owned, bringing affordable vegan and vegetarian options to the community. Melton said to ensure food quality, everything is made in-house.

"In the inner city community, you don't really see a lot of that, so it makes sense for this to be something affordable, a nice area, and everyone can be exposed to it," said chef Melton.

The Cannon officially opened its doors in March. 

Founders said they wanted to bring their business to the next level by taking a different approach than other restaurants in the neighborhood.

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Their goal was to create a unique vibe for their business by blending healthy foods, local beers, cocktails, and a sports-friendly atmosphere all under one roof.

"Having the platform to be able to bring certain things into the intercity, I love it; I love it every day is a gift." Said Melton.

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A gift they all hope will bring a sense of community to the Elm city. 

"I hope people can see us as a way to bring people together, and people really want to give a little bit more than just serving drinks and food," said MacKenzie.

Raquel Harrington is the race and culture reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at rharrington@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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