Interest rates have risen and are predicted to rise more, this year. The current 30-year fixed rate for conforming
and jumbo loans is 4.25% at some local lenders, but you can still get a 15-year or adjustable rate (ARM) loan below 4%. For those of us who remember double-digit interest rates of the 1980s, these rates still seem astonishingly low. The rise in rates has not dampened the enthusiasm of buyers looking for a new home, and sales continue to be brisk not just in the Somerville/ Cambridge/Boston markets, but also in the surrounding suburbs. Once again, our strong local economy is rooted in many of the new businesses (software, pharmaceuticals, engineering, robotics, bioengineering, etc.) based in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville. The result is a growing population of people who want to live near their workplace. With our limited housing stock and lack of buildable land, that puts a lot of pressure on the housing market, and prices keep rising accordingly. Some buyers have resigned themselves to looking in communities farther out; but many are committed to submitting offers on properties in their target area until one is accepted. There is a high percentage of buyers who have very large (25% or more) downpayments or can pay cash. This has made the market especially challenging for those mere mortals putting down “only” 20% or less. More inventory is in the pipeline for the spring and summer, but our sense is that it is not enough to saturate buyer demand.
New Listings 111 Spring Street, #2, Medford This lovely, pet-friendly, 2-level condo offers lovely wood details, an updated kitchen, shared yard/patio, garage parking, and exclusive loft space in the garage. The first level has a contemporary open plan living/dining area, 1 bedroom, office/nursery, and full bath. The top floor has an open plan, built in bookcases, large walk-in closet, and a half bath. Walk to Wegman’s.
24 Belmont Street, Somerville 42-44 Gordon Street, Somerville Well-maintained, classic West Somerville two-family that has been in the same family for decades. Each unit has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Driveway and yard.
Commercial 62 Bow Street Unit #60-b, Somerville for sale at $299,000 or for lease at $2,800/month
This highly visible, centrally located, street-level commercial condo is in the heart of Union Square with residential condos above it. Open room with exposed brick, picture windows onto the street, half bathroom, and separate area. Currently used by the owners as a small music lesson/performance space, previously used as a drop-off (no plant onsite) dry cleaner, it could be used for other retail or office purposes. (Buyers should review Somerville zoning code and condominium documents for any restrictions on use) Near restaurants, grocery stores, businesses, offices, residential neighborhoods, universities. Quick access to Boston and Cambridge by public transit, car, bike, or foot. On several bus lines, including the CT2, 85, 86, 87, 88, and 91. Steps from longawaited Union Square Green Line Extension subway stop (now slated to open 2021). Close to several highways, including Routes 93, 38, 28, 90, 16, and 2. Excellent opportunity at an exciting time.
122 Sharon Street, #102, Medford Spacious 3-bedroom, 2-bath loft in converted schoolhouse in ideal West Medford location. Entry hall leads to kitchen and dramatic open living space with enormous windows, wood floors, very high ceilings. Laundry off kitchen. Master bedroom with bath en suite. Central air, ceiling fans, private storage, and common exercise room.
366 Somerville Avenue, Somerville $35 nnn
Class A office space in prime Union Union Square location with 2 dedicated parking spaces in the parking lot next to the building. The 3,918 sq.ft. space is fully built out, consisting of most of the first (above ground) floor of an elevator building, including 3 large private offices, kitchenette/breakroom, storage room, and 2 bathrooms. Shared use of front reception area with bathroom and partial use of 33’x21’ conference room. Second floor space may also be available. MBTA bus stop in Union Square include the CT2 (to Kendall, Ruggles, Sullivan); 85 (Kendall, MIT, Lechmere); 87 (Arlington Center); 91 (Sullivan, Inman, & Central Square); and 90 (Davis Square, Assembly Row, Wellington Station). Future Green Line stop nearby.
Spacious, 3-level townhouse with high ceilings, central air, private driveway, deck, and yard. On the first level, open living/dining rooms separated by gas fireplace; kitchen with large dining area and sliders to deck; half bath; and door to large, unfinished basement. Two bedrooms, full bath, and separate laundry room on the second floor. Master bedroom with full bath en suite and Boston views occupies entire top floor.
Somerville PorchFest 2018 Saturday, May 12th Enjoy free music outdoors on porches throughout Somerville between 12-6 pm. At our office, we’ll be hosting
THE SORRY HONEYS from 12-2 PM in our driveway at 128 Willow Avenue. Stop by! Go to www.somervilleartscouncil.org/ porchfest/map/2018 to views bands and locations across the city.
Coming Soon lovely porter square condo – 2 bedroom, 1 bath with porch, parking, and yard space large davis square townhouse – with parking and garden by bike path magoun square contemporary townhouse – near bike path with 3 bedrooms,
Thalia Tringo
President, Realtor ® 617.513.1967 cell/text Thalia@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
2 1/2 baths, central air, private yard, 2 parking spaces and driveway
Free Classes
Niké Damaskos
Residential Sales and Commercial Sales and Leasing 617.875.5276 Nike@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
First Time Home Buyers:
an overview of the buying process Wednesday, May 23rd
6:30 – 7:45 pm
If you’re considering buying your first home and want to understand what’s in store, this is a quick and helpful overview. Led by our agents and a loan officer from a local bank, it includes a 45-min presentation and 1/2 hour Q&A session. Handouts and refreshments provided.
How to Buy and Sell at the Same Time:
Residential Sales Specialist, Realtor ® 617.943.9581 cell/text Jennifer@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
for homeowners contemplating a move Thursday, May 31st
6:30 – 7:45 pm
If trying to figure out the logistics of selling your home and buying a new one makes your head spin, this workshop will help make the process understandable. This workshop, led by our agents and a loan officer from a local bank, includes a 45-min presentation and 1/2 hour Q&A session. Handouts and refreshments provided.
Eco-Friendly/Green Homes Wednesday, June 6th
6:30 – 8:00 pm
If you’re dreaming of a home that’s the ultimate in energy efficiency, join us for a presentation about green homes, also known as passive homes. We’ll discuss the lingo associated with this technology, show various examples of homes that use the passive home design/standards, and the various programs currently available to retrofit your home. Presented by a local Architect/Designer, Tagore Hernandez with Group Design Build. One hour presentation and 20 minutes Q&A. Handouts and refreshments provided.
Mitigating Water Issues on Your Property Monday, June 4th
6:30 – 7:45 pm
Every year, homeowners struggle with the consequences of water infiltration through foundation, roof, siding, flashing, or elsewhere. Repairing the damage can be costly and time-consuming and can result in more serious issues, including mold. Join us to learn ways to diagnosis and prevent water issues before they occur, whether from street flooding, ice dams, poor drainage, roof damage, and other causes. Lead by our team and a local home inspector.
How Individuals Can Buy Property Together as a Group: a primer for non-traditional homebuyers Monday, June 11th
6:30 – 8:30 pm
When two or more people, whether or not they are related, buy property together, what are their options for taking title? How do you determine each one’s financial contributions, percentage legal interest in the property, and expense allocation? What kind of arrangements can be made in the event one or more parties want to move on but others want to keep the property? What type of financing is available? We will address these and other questions, followed by a Q&A session. Lead by our team and a local real estate attorney. If you are a first time homebuyer, please attend the First Time Home Buyers Workshop (May 23rd) or make an appointment with one of our agents so you’ll have your prerequisites for this class.
To reserve space in any class, please email Adaria@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com. Admission is free, but we appreciate donations of canned goods for the Somerville Homeless Coalition.
Best Real Estate Agency
Jennifer Rose
Best Real Estate Agent
Lynn C. Graham
Residential Sales Specialist, Realtor ® 617.216.5244 cell/text Lynn@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
Brendon Edwards
Residential Sales Specialist, Realtor ® 617.895.6267 cell/text Brendon@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
Adaria Brooks
Executive Assistant to the President, Realtor ® 617.308.0064 cell/text Adaria@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
About our company... We are dedicated to representing our buyer and seller clients with integrity and professionalism. We are also commi ed to giving back to our community. Our agents donate $250 to a non-profit in honor of each transaction and Thalia Tringo & Associates Real Estate Inc. also gives $250 to a pre-selected group of local charities for each transaction. Visit our office, 128 Willow Avenue, on the bike path in Davis Square, Somerville.
“
As we finally head into summer, we need to remember that affordability extends beyond housing. When we can help our residents reduce other expenses and seize new opportunities, we can give them more pathways to afford the rent or mortgage. Somerville will be the first city with an integrated strategy on affordability. We must recognize that factors such as transportation, wage inequality, job training, healthcare access, and more, affect whether our residents have a real opportunity to live here. I’m proud of the work Somerville is doing to address affordability holistically – taking a systems approach by tackling needs ranging from job training and food access to energy efficiency. We might disagree over the details, but in this city we know you have to work together and be for things to make it happen.”
– MAYOR JOE CURTATONE L E A R N M O R E A B O U T M AY O R J O E AT J O E C U R TAT O N E . C O M P A I D F O R A N D A U T H O R I Z E D B Y T H E C O M M I T T E E T O E L E C T J O E C U R TAT O N E
DR. KATIE TALMO received her DMD from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 2010. Upon graduation, she joined her father, Paul Talmo, in his practice located in the historic English Tudor house at 180 Highland Avenue on the corner of Highland Avenue and Benton Road. Dr. Talmo graduated first in her class from Tufts and continues to be involved in her alma mater where she teaches parttime as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Care.
Her patient-centered treatment philosophy focuses on prevention and conservative treatment modalities. She is a member of the American Dental Association and the Massachusetts Dental Society and is a fellow of the International College of Dentists. She is engaged in the community, serving as the Advisory Committee Chair to Somerville High School’s Dental Assisting Program. Dr. Talmo also travels to the Dominican Republic to provide dental care as part of a global outreach mission project. Schedule an appointment to visit Dr. Talmo in her newly renovated office space.
• FAMILY AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY • TEETH WHITENING
BEST DENTIST
• CROWN AND BRIDGE WORK • RESTORATION OF DENTAL IMPLANTS • VENEERS • CLEAR ORTHODONTIC ALIGNERS
2017 WINNER
2016 WINNER
2015 NOMINEE
2014 WINNER
DR . KAT I E TALMO , D .M. D . • 6 1 7 . 8 6 4 . 6 1 1 1 • 1 8 0 HI G HL A ND AV E N U E
MAY 15 - JULY 8, 2018 ::: VOLUME 51 ::: SCOUTSOMERVILLE.COM
Step Into A Wood-Fire Kitchen
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD! 18 // INCUBATING COMMUNITY, ONE JAR OF YOGURT AT A TIME The Somerville Yogurt Making Coop’s members make yogurt once every couple of months, and they get a steady supply of homemade yogurt and a do-ityourself community in return. 20 // A GLUTEN-FREE LABOR OF LOVE Tucked away in an unassuming home kitchen in West Somerville, the Clancy family works up to 12-hour days to create some of the best glutenfree baked goods in the region. 26 // DITCHING THE DESK: MEET THE SOMERVILLIANS FOLLOWING THEIR MEAL PREP PASSIONS Erin Baumgartner spent the last the 10 years working at MIT, but her attention kept getting pulled back to food.
32
32 // THIS LITTLE PIGGY... While prepping a whole pig, La Brasa chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez lays out the four key elements that guide him as he cooks.
contents 8 // EDITOR’S NOTE 10 // WINNERS & LOSERS On the bright side, potholes in the city might be a thing of the past. On the downside, snow days might be, too. 12 // WHAT’S NEW? We’ve got a new bus schedule, fresh bowling lanes, and a controversial moratorium on recreational marijuana.
16 // NEWS: FOOD SYSTEM REPORT EXAMINES LOCAL AFFORDABILITY, AVAILABILITY The comprehensive assessment looks at four facets of the city’s food system and aims to be an informative tool for policymakers. 57 // JUST VISITING 58 // CALENDAR 62 // PHOTO CONTESTS
44
38 // HOW SOMERVILLE’S OLDEST RESTAURANTS STAY RELEVANT IN A CHANGING CITY Scout took a tour of some of the city’s oldest restaurants to see how they’ve thrived throughout the years. 44 // FAR FROM THE VINE Meet the couple that runs a vineyard 9,000 miles away. 48 // A FEAST FOR YOUR EARS Locally made podcast “Gastropod” tackles culture, history, and biology through food. 50 // ‘LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE’ Community Servings crafts medically tailored meals for some of the city’s most vulnerable populations.
Photo, top: Skirt steak at La Brasa. Photo by Sasha Israel. Photo, bottom: Arié and Beth Ann Dahan. Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz. On the cover: Family Dinner’s pasta carbonara. Photo by Chris McIntosh.
Sometimes our crew thinks we’re completely nuts, but some things work great, so you have to try. That’s definitely the feeling we have running the vineyard.”
JUNE 24
3 TO 7 P.M.
(DOORS OPEN AT 2:30 P.M.)
AT CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS 2020 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, CAMBRIDGE
6
Lots
COOKING DEMOS
OF BEER AND WINE TASTINGS
1
1
A L L TO B E N E F I T: FOOD TRUCK
FINAL COOK OFF COMPETITION
(between selected event attendees)
COOKING DEMOS BY:
TASTINGS AND SAMPLES FROM:
COMMUNITY SERVINGS servings.org
Not-for-profit food and nutrition program providing services to Somerville, Cambridge and throughout Massachusetts and in Rhode Island to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses.
FOOD FOR FREE foodforfree.org
Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach under-served populations.
COMPETITION DIRECTED BY FAMILY DINNER Teams of two can show off your honed skills or try out something you’ve just learned at the event. Creativity, taste, skill and presentation will be assessed as participants create a dish from a box of farm fresh ingredients provided by Family Dinner. Founders Erin Baumgartner and Tim Fu will be available for feedback and a little direction. WANT TO BE A CONTESTANT? Apply via email to scout@scoutmagazines.com with a note or video explaining why you and a partner would like to participate.
TICKETS $75. GET YOURS AT: TINYURL.COM/LOCALFLAVOR18 Sponsored by Scout Magazines and Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.
EDITOR’S NOTE
W
hen I tell people we’re coming out with a food issue, their faces light up. Somerville’s homes and squares are packed with delicious food from all over the world, and in this issue we dive into how that food reflects the city that cooks it. What’s more Somerville, for example, than a yogurt-making coop where members reduce plastic waste and work hard to source their ingredients responsibly (p.18)? What’s more Somerville than a Portuguese-bakery-turned-favoritebrunch-spot that serves up the best cream of wheat around (p.38)? What’s more Somerville than ditching your steady day job for your dream of curating meal delivery boxes (p.26)? What’s more Somerville than acknowledging that food access in our city is far from equitable, and Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz. gathering the data we need to reduce food insecurity (p.16)? You’ll find stories on all these topics, and more, in the pages of this issue. You’ll read up on a three-generation family that came to the rescue when one of its members was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and that now serves up some of the best gluten-free baked goods in the region (p.20). You’ll learn how La Brasa’s chef prepares a full pig roast (p.32). And you’ll get the chance to hear about a nonprofit that’s embracing the healing power of food (p.50). We hope this issue makes your mouth water and that we’ll see you at our Local Flavor event on June 24, where we’ll be featuring the people you read about in this issue and other local restaurants for a day of demos and tastings to benefit Community Servings and Food For Free. You can find more details about the event on our calendar (p.58).
Reena Karasin Reena Karasin, Editor-in-Chief rkarasin@scoutmagazines.com
8 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
PUBLISHER Holli Banks Allien | hbanks@scoutmagazines.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Reena Karasin | rkarasin@scoutmagazines.com ART DIRECTOR Nicolle Renick | design@scoutmagazines.com renickdesign.com PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Adrianne Mathiowetz | photo@scoutmagazines.com adriannemathiowetz.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jerry Allien | jallien@scoutmagazines.com STAFF WRITER AND SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Tim Gagnon | tgagnon@scoutmagazines.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Abigail Feldman, Dana Forsythe, Eddie Samuels, Emily Frost, Eric Francis, Kat Rutkin CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris McIntosh, Mark Ostow, Evan Sayles COPY EDITOR Joe Palandrani BANKS PUBLICATIONS 519 Somerville Ave., #314, Somerville, MA 02143 FIND US ONLINE scoutsomerville.com somervillescout
scoutsomerville scoutmags
Office Phone: 617-996-2283 Advertising inquiries? Please contact hbanks@scoutmagazines.com. GET A COPY Scout Somerville is available for free at more than 220 drop spots throughout the city (and just beyond its borders). Additionally, thousands of Somerville homes receive a copy in their mailbox each edition, hitting every neighborhood in the city throughout the year ... sometimes twice! You can sign up for home delivery by visiting scoutsomerville.com/shop.
SAT / JUNE 2 / 11–6 EAST CAMBRIDGE WATERFRONT
An exuberant celebration of the arts along DCR Cambridge Parkway and Lechmere Canal Park
MORE INFO cambridgeartscouncil.org
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food!
9
W&L WINNERS
LOSERS
DITCHING SCHOOL (FOR PROTESTS, OF COURSE) Gun control reform has unprecedented momentum after February’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Over four hundred students from Somerville High School and surrounding schools staged a walkout on March 7, WBUR reports, observing 17 minutes of silence for the 17 students and teachers murdered in the Florida shooting. Organizers hope to have hundreds of students visit the State House in the future to lobby legislators, according to the Boston Globe.
MICHAEL CAPUANO’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN Congressman Michael Capuano’s campaign hit a snag when colleagues failed to formally announce their support for the 10-term incumbent in the congressional primary. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Niki Tsongas, Mayor Marty Walsh, and Sen. Ed Markey gave Capuano “an unexpected cold shoulder,” the Boston Globe reported in March, after City Councilor Ayanna Pressley announced her bid for the congressional seat. Capuano and Pressley are, per the Globe, “two liberals with little daylight between them on policy issues,” so the race appears to be a contest pitting Capuano’s years of experience against Pressley’s growing name recognition since becoming the first woman of color to be elected to Boston’s City Council nine years ago.
FRESHLY PAVED ROADS Rejoice, bicyclists and drivers: The days of dreaded, car-wrecking potholes in Somerville are (hopefully) numbered. State Senator Pat Jehlen recently announced that over $1 million is headed to the city for road and bridge repairs as part of the Senate’s multi-year, $600 million funding for repairs across the Commonwealth, the Somerville Patch reports. The three-year plan allows plenty of time for cities and towns to fully flesh out construction plans, but the Patch says the Somerville funding is slated for fiscal year 2019. SOMERVILLE’S RESPONSE TO ICE The Somerville Response Network, recently launched by the Welcome Project, alerts people about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the area, according to the Somerville Journal. The alerts are sent out before and during raids, the Journal reports, and lets users who are not in danger of deportation know where to bring resources for families divided by deportation. “Though we can’t put a halt to the actions of the federal government, we can be prepared to help families in our city affected by ICE arrests or deportation move forward in the face of uncertainty,” Welcome Project coordinator Kenia Alfaro said in a statement.
SNOW DAYS Look, kid Scout readers, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but snow days as we know them might be a thing of the past as Somerville Public Schools look into a “blizzard bags” policy … and it might be a good thing. “Blizzard bags” would have kids complete remote assignments and have teachers available online for assistance if a snow day is called, the Somerville Journal reported after a string of snowstorms in March. The effort intends to decrease makeup days tacked onto the end of a school year and has already been implemented in Burlington and Wakefield. Somerville school officials are still in the “very early stages” of considering the policy, according to the Journal. CONWAY PLAYGROUND As spring weather (hopefully) sweeps in, locals will have to avoid Conway Playground and Field. The Department of Environmental Protection detected hazardous contamination—including lead—in the park’s soil, and has ordered additional testing, the Somerville Journal reports. Conway is effectively closed until further notice.
Someone rustle your jimmies or tickle your fancy?
Let us know at scoutsomerville.com/contact-us, and we just might crown them a winner or loser. 10 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
SCOUT TO THE SOUTH Here’s just some of what you’ll find in the “Food, Glorious Food!” Issue of our sibling publication, Scout Cambridge.
SEASON’S EATINGS Amy Larson mixes family traditions, timely feasts, and today’s activist climate into handmade monthly cookbooks.
MEET THE FOOD TRUCKS ROLLING INTO CAMBRIDGE Taco Party is one of 16 food trucks that are slated to be part of the City of Cambridge’s food truck pilot this year.
CAMBRIDGE’S CANDY-MAKING LEGACY Candy was once the second-largest industry in Cambridge. Here’s how the city’s “Confectioner’s Row” came to be, and what’s left of its candy legacy. Know someone who you think is a real leader in our community? We want to hear about them! Email us at scout@scoutmagazines.com to recommend people for our next issue: Do-Gooders, Key Players, & Game Changers.
Come in as a customer
, leave as a friend.
Ride with Pride. Call John directly on his cell at
617-512-5511
181 Somerville Ave (across from Target)
johnsautosales.com
QUALITY USED CARS BOUGHT AND SOLD FOR 40 YEARS
40 Prospect St • Cambridge
ImprovBoston.com • 617-576-1253
See a Show! Throw a Party!
ass!
Cl Take a
Host a Corporat e Workshop ! Best Comedy Show or Club
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food!
11
WHAT’S NEW?
THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
DAVIS SQUARE
SWAPIT
T
ired of gravitating toward the same old styles but don’t want to end up on a reality TV show getting your wardrobe torn apart by some celebrity stylist? SwapIt, a self-proclaimed “‘New to You’ Clothing Boutique,” is joining the consignment store world with stylists sharing their expertise (sans judgment, of course). The twist? The boutique’s focus isn’t on selling clothes, but on sessions that help women “better understand what they have, how to style it properly, and how to swap some of the things that aren’t working,” according to a press release. A standard 45-minute style session including five items comes out to $50, but SwapIt also offers a 25-minute, “Supported Styling” mini-session at an unbelievably low $1.
DAVIS SQUARE
had, it might be wise to line up early for a bowl.
sandwich bread with ... wait for it … a scallion pancake.
Somerville isn’t dealing with a shortage of ramen by any means, but Tsurumen opened COMING MOVED in April with an interesting SOON approach to tweaking supply and demand: the shop sells only 50 bowls of ramen a day (for now). Taking the former Snappy Ramen/Snappy Kitchen space on Highland Ave., chef Masuo Onishi brought Tsurumen’s ramen to Japan, Hawaii, and New York before landing in Somerville, Eater Boston reports. If Tsurumen’s proclaimed “thick broth” feels like just what you need after the cold spring we’ve
SPRING HILL
SPRING HILL
TSURUMEN
12 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
DUMPLING KITCHEN
Quality soup dumplings in Somerville without an afternoon-long trek out to Chinatown required? COMINGAlmost MOVED sounds too good SOON to be true, but with more than a dozen dumpling and bun options, we’re feeling pretty optimistic about our new neighbors at Dumpling Kitchen. If dumplings aren’t your thing, don’t fret: the menu has plenty of other offerings, including a roast beef sandwich that subs out your standard
HEALTH CLUB
Gym owners might need to up their game—there’s a “Health Club” in town that’ll COMING SOON
MOVED
make guests smoothies without attaching a high monthly fee on top. The “fast-casual superfood” spot is run by 3 Little Figs owners Katie and Andy Rooney, who are taking on the rising grain bowl trend with some flair. The “All Green” bowl, for example, jazzes up kale and broccoli with verde sauce, avocado, pepita granola, and some additional kale chips for good measure, according to a press release. Throw in a smoothie loaded with house organic cashew milk and tell yourself that you’ll be fine without a gym as long as you do a few crunches at home.
Photo, top left, courtesy of Jon Washer. Photo, bottom left, courtesy of Health Club. Photo, top right, courtesy of Daddy Jones. Photo, bottom right, courtesy of Teddy and Alyssa Applebaum.
ADDITIONS AND SUBTRACTIONS
FAMILY RECIPES WITH
MODERN TWISTS.
SERVING SOMERVILLE HAND-CRAFTED LATIN AMERICAN CUISINE MADE WITH THE FRESHEST INGREDIENTS
PUPUSAS
Authentic Salvadoran pupusas made fresh to order for better quality. Great vegetarian option, also gluten free and our new vegan pupusa made with homemade refried beans.
MAGOUN SQUARE
DADDY JONES SPRINGS FOR LATE-NIGHT ’ZA
Even if every neighborhood restaurant decided to offer latenight pizza, we here at Scout would never dare complain, so we think Daddy Jones entering the late-night pizza game sounds like a promising move for the GreekAmerican restaurant. The menu includes four cheese, veggie, and pulled pork, all served until 11:30 p.m., but Eater Boston details future specials like a shredded chicken, tomato sauce, tzatziki, and salsa flatbread that’s bound to haunt our pizza daydreams.
ELMENDORF IS SIFTING THROUGH CAMBERVILLE FOR A HOME
Some fixate on different types of coffee. For Alyssa and Teddy Applebaum, it’s all about the grain. The married duo tells Scout that grain will be the backbone of Elmendorf Baking Supplies, a home baking equipment and ingredient shop focusing on world baking that they hope to open in Cambridge or Somerville this year. Bringing their collective experience working at Formaggio Kitchen, Oleana, and Eataly,
the Applebaums plan to have a kitchen in Elmendorf where they can have local experts teach everything from cake baking 101 to pasta making. SPRING HILL
MOROCCAN HOSPITALITY RESTAURANT IS SERVING LIQUOR
If you think “hospitality” should include booze, you’re in luck. Celebrating a new liquor license with a post on its Facebook page showing a spread of wines, Moroccan Hospitality also plans to serve some of the area’s finest local beers, including Lord Hobo and Jack’s Abby, according to Eater Boston.
WAXY O’CONNOR’S SOMERVILLE PLANS FALL THROUGH
Irish bar chain Waxy O’Connor had plans to open up in Assembly Row, but after its Brookline location closed in January rumors that the proposed Somerville spot wouldn’t come through began to circulate, according to Boston Restaurant Talk. A source close to Assembly Row confirmed to Boston Restaurant Talk that “another restaurant/concept is now being pursued for that space.”
Check the new Section in our menu with all of our Vegetarian/ Vegan options including our new vegan taco: PIÑA FAJITA TACO.
ORDER ONLINE on our website:
laposadasomerville.com 20% OdeFF or rs online with code SCOUT20
La Posada is Somerville’s spot for delicious, hand-crafted Latin American cuisine. Chef Johe Posada and his family crew develop and prepare original meals with the Best Tacos freshest ingredients daily. The menu is filled with unique family recipes and classic Latin American dishes.
505 Medford St. Somerville • 617-776-2049 www.laposadasomerville.com scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 13
WHAT’S NEW?
LATE STARTS, RENOVATIONS, AND REBRANDINGS BALL SQUARE
EAT AT JUMBO’S BECOMES SASSAFRAS SOMERVILLE
L
ooks like Jumbo the elephant is trading balancing pizzas on its trunk for … well, vegan-friendly pies, most likely. Eat at Jumbo’s owner Grover Taylor announced that the pizza and sub shop would be rebranding as Sassafras Somerville, Eater Boston reports, and going forward with an all vegetarian/vegan menu. Sassafras joins Taco Party in a little pocket of veg-friendly spots in Ball Square, but if you’re still unsure about ditching meat, a fried veg-chick’n sandwich and, per Eater, “a meatless Big Macinspired burger made with the Impossible Burger” should win over even the biggest meat lovers. MAGOUN SQUARE
LA POSADA GETS A “RUSTIC” FACELIFT
DEBATES, PROTESTS, AND DISAPPEARING TREES TUFTS UNIVERSITY FACULTY PUSHES FOR WEAPON DIVESTMENT The Arts, Sciences, and Engineering faculty at Tufts voted in March to press the Board of Trustees to divest from companies that “produce, distribute, or sell military-style assault weapons,” the Tufts Daily reports. The vote was nearly unanimous, although the Daily writes that it’s “unclear” whether the university currently invests in gun manufacturing companies.
SOMERVILLE ENACTS MORATORIUM ON RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA
Roughly 70 percent of Somervillians voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in 2016, but Somerville’s Board of Aldermen declared a moratorium to further plot out zoning restrictions for growers and sellers. Legalization activists and advocates spoke out in disappointment 14 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
after the moratorium was announced, the Somerville Journal reports, with some believing that Somerville officials are not taking the proper steps to ensure the new industry thrives in the city. The moratorium will extend zoning discussions and planning until Dec. 21.
BEACON STREET KEEPS LOSING TREES
After residents were outraged when a cluster of trees within the reconstruction project on Beacon Street were removed without notice in October, Somerville’s Urban Forestry Division called a meeting in April to discuss the removal of several additional trees on the street. The trees were already marked for removal within the project’s plans and would be the last trees removed for the project, according to an announcement in the Somerville Patch, but the tree warden offered the chance for objections “submitted in writing prior to or during the hearing.”
The 2017 Scout’s Honored winner for best taco spot is taking the early part of 2018 to renovate “basically everything” in the Magoun Square space. The new interior will take on a “rustic look” with new floors, walls, and lighting, a La Posada representative told Scout in an email, along with a new sign and logo on the outside. While the restaurant will remain open during regular business hours, the renovations are slated to be completed early in the summer and will likely include a small bar once a liquor license is in hand. TEELE SQUARE
WEST 7 BISTRO REVERTS BACK TO AMELIA’S CUCINA Originally opened as Amelia’s Cucina in 1995, the staple Italian restaurant in Teele Square made it 18 years in business before chef/owner Delio Susi rebranded it as West 7 Bistro with a slightly altered menu in 2013. West 7 appeared to be aiming for new crowds with a new bar, but the bistro quietly began shifting back to Amelia’s late in 2017. The relaunched website formally announced the family style restaurant’s return earlier this year,
showing a complete return to its classic menu of paninis, pizzas, and pasta, alongside burgers and steak tips for anyone looking for something outside of straightforward Italian cuisine. ASSEMBLY ROW
LUCKY STRIKE SOCIAL
After its original opening date came and went last fall, Lucky Strike Social is, COMING at last, ready MOVED SOON to grace Assembly Row with games and lanes. With locations in New York, Hawaii, and in nearby Fenway, the bowling alley/ arcade chain isn’t exactly your old neighborhood bowladrome that reeks of shoe polish and spilled beer. Lucky Strike’s newest spot boasts bowling lanes, over 130 arcade games, a restaurant serving up bar standbys alongside Asian-American cuisine, and multiple bars.
Photo, top left, courtesy of Eat At Jumbo’s. Photo, bottom, courtesy of Lucky Strike. Photo, top right, courtesy of Bernie Birnbaum.
BLUE LINE, GREEN CHEMISTRY, AND BUSES FROM THE ORANGE LINE
Bikes, Accessories, Service, and more!
CrimsonBikes is NOW OPEN in Harvard Square! MENTION ‘SCOUT’ FOR $10 OFF ANY PURCHASE OVER $50.
THE RED LINE CONNECTS TO ... THE BLUE LINE?
1001 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, CAMBRIDGE 617-958-1727 | CRIMSONBIKES.COM
I
t sounds almost too logical: You head across the river to Charles/ MGH, hop off, walk down a flight of stairs … and you’re greeted by the Blue Line, waiting to whisk you off to Wonderland. The proximity of the Red Line to the Blue’s Bowdoin stop has been a subject of connective possibility since “at least the 1970s,” the Cambridge Patch reports, but in early April the MBTA announced a formal, three-month study to figure out how such a transfer could feasibly work. Boston’s bid for the second Amazon headquarters foreshadowed the study, stating that it’s a “clear goal” to connect the two lines.
GREENTOWN LABS GETS A NEW WET LAB
Cleantech startup incubator Greentown Labs added a wet lab to its center in April, just a few months after opening a Global Center that doubled its square footage. The company received a $100,000 grant from Governor Charlie Baker’s Collaborative Workspace Program in part to build the 24-bench wet lab last year. The lab will focus on experimentation in “sustainability and clean energy,” a press release outlined, allowing companies to explore innovations in green chemistry.
4GoodVibes is a new gift shop located in Somerville, directly outside of Union Square, owned and operated by young women entrepreneurs. This is not your typical gift shop! With over 10,000 items and 125+ local artists, you can find handmade items you have never seen before for every occasion and holiday. Even shop for personal gifts with thoughtful items that are meaningful!
THE MBTA’S EARLY MORNING BUS ROUTE
Greater Boston tried out and lost late-night T service, but the MBTA’s latest experiment is for the early-morning crowd. Bus service on select routes now starts at 3:20 a.m. during a year-long pilot program that began in April, the Cambridge Patch reports. As of now, the 104 and 109 are the only Somerville buses that’ll get earlier routing, but the MBTA might expand the program after the pilot year.
4GoodVibes has multiple unique hands on workshops monthly, and even offers Childrens Birthday Parties! Shopping at 4GoodVibes does not only help you find the perfect gift, but allows you to support 125+ local artists’ families.
/4goodvibess @4goodvibesma
Shop online at www.4goodvibes.bigcartel.com • 483 Somerville Ave.
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 15
NEWS
FOOD SYSTEM REPORT EXAMINES LOCAL AFFORDABILITY, AVAILABILITY BY ABIGAIL FELDMAN | PHOTOS BY EVAN SAYLES
H
ome to an abundance of restaurants, specialty food boutiques, and food trucks, Somerville has no shortage of food. Yet even in this environment access to affordable, nutritious foods is not guaranteed. Shape Up Somerville and the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) set off to assemble a comprehensive assessment of food access in the city a year and a half ago. They recruited a 16-member working group to develop the report, which is scheduled to be released in early May. “When we talk about food access, what we mean by that is not just geographical location,” Shape Up Somerville Director Lisa Robinson says. “We wanted to understand better what it meant from an affordability and availability [perspective]—specifically how it aligns with people’s preferences, whether they be cultural preferences, diet preferences, or religious preferences.” The report looks at four facets of Somerville’s food system: equitable and just access, population health, economic development opportunities, and resource utilization. Rather than an action plan, the report’s creators intend it to be an informative tool for policymakers and community organizations going forward. 16 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
FAIR ACCESS
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hen the report’s authors refer to “food insecurity,” they include not just people who don’t have enough to eat, but also people who don’t have a way to maintain healthy nutrition, Robinson says. The 2008 recession precipitated a larger need for food assistance from local pantries, according to Lisa Brukilacchio, director of the Somerville Community Health Agenda at CHA. Data from the report found that people living in Winter Hill and East Somerville were particularly vulnerable to poor food access, since these areas don’t have optimal access to a full-service grocery store. Schools in these neighborhoods are able to provide free universal lunch and breakfast through federal funding from the Community Eligibility Program, the report’s leaders say. Census tract data provided by the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) indicates that the most profoundly impacted areas of Somerville could have food insecurity rates of up to 19.6 percent. Female-headed households, seniors, children, immigrant populations, lower-
income populations, and communities of color are also more vulnerable to food insecurity, according to the authors. While it’s still too early to draw final conclusions from the food assessment’s data, the findings support existing evidence that a wide range of societal obstacles—such as housing insecurity, gaps in access to transportation, and structural racism— have serious impacts on food security, say Robinson, Brukilacchio, and CEO of Northbound Ventures Holly Fowler, who helped facilitate the research. For example, focus groups revealed that racist remarks made by local bus drivers were an additional barrier for people who used public transit for food access. This is something the city needs to grapple with, even if there is more research to be done, Brukilacchio says. “It’s the system piece that we needed to better understand,” Brukilacchio says. “And now we know that we don’t understand.” In terms of transportation, having access to a car is closely tied to best food access, Robinson says. Walking, biking, or taking the bus to stores means juggling bags, and makes shop-hopping impractical, she explains. Moreover, it can discourage shoppers from
Photo, top, Taj Mahal Desi Bazaar, between Winter Hill and East Somerville. Photo, right, Lisa Brukilacchio, director of the Somerville Community Health Agenda at CHA.
buying in bulk, which often provides the best unit price, Fowler adds. Robinson notes that the report’s asset maps emphasize walking time to grocery stores, rather than driving time. Though 100 percent of the city’s population lives within a 10-minute drive to a full-service grocery store, most lower-income residents don’t have access to a car, she says. “There was a grocery store on Lower Broadway that closed,” Brukilacchio says. “Now, it doesn’t seem that far to make it to the new Super Stop & Shop. But if you live in Mystic Housing, what’s between you and that Stop & Shop? A six-lane highway, among other things.” As a result, a Lower Broadway pharmacy became the main grocery store in the area, she says. Cases like these led the working group to focus on neighborhood markets and their role in providing quality food to local people, Robinson says. “We were curious as to how do these stores fill a need,” Robinson says. “In these conversations, they’re often overlooked.” Federal politics has also impacted food access locally, according to the report’s leaders. Fears among immigrant communities about being seen as a “public charge” have led to a decrease in the number of people taking advantage of federal benefits such as SNAP, Brukilacchio says. Some local food retailers and health service providers have noted this drop, the report’s leaders say.
THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE
T
he report’s data come from focus groups, economic analysis, retail assessment, and asset mapping. To map food assets in the city, working group members laid out the physical locations of various food retailers, distinguishing among grocery stores, convenience stores, neighborhood markets, and other consumer centers, according to Fowler. Using a point system, working group members then evaluated the food quality, price, and diversity of products sold in each location. This assessment process involved identifying a number of common food items—such as cooking oil, potatoes, and dried beans—and determining how much each item of the same size and shape would cost at various retail locations, and whether they were sold at all in certain types of stores. Fowler says the researchers aimed to use the data to validate information they’d gathered in focus groups, such as community members’ perceptions of product affordability and how well food suppliers were meeting their needs. The data are also useful in evaluating the contributions of the food sector to Somerville’s economy, Fowler says. “It feels like food is really, really important
WHAT’S UP NEXT
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“It doesn’t seem that far to make it to the new Super Stop & Shop. But if you live in Mystic Housing, what’s between you and that Stop & Shop? A six-lane highway.” in Somerville,” she says. “We want to know why that is.” According to the report’s authors, the food economy in Somerville is doing well— better, on average, than in both the state and national economies. Over the past five years, the food economy has grown 14 percent in Somerville, compared to 10 percent in Massachusetts and 13 percent nationwide. Food economy workers in the city make $0.66 and $2.07 more per hour than their average peers in the state and country, respectively. But other data paint a bleaker picture, showing that the most common jobs in the Somerville food economy are minimum wage positions in food services, such as waiters and cashiers, and that people employed in the food sector typically make a lower salary than Somerville residents who are employed in different sectors.
he assessment—funded by the City of Somerville and the Tisch College Community Research Center at Tufts University—arose out of an ongoing conversation among community members and non-profit groups interested in food systems and security around the city, according to Robinson. Before the assessment, community groups had already collected data showing that 9.3 percent of the 32,000 households in Somerville received SNAP benefits in 2015—up 4.9 percent from 2010, according to Brukilacchio. These conversations worked hand-in-hand with several local initiatives, including a CHA questionnaire to screen patients for food insecurity. This is not Somerville’s first report on the local food system. The original Somerville Community Food Assessment project, completed in conjunction with Tufts University and other community stakeholders, began in late 1999—a time when these types of assessments were just starting to appear, Brukilacchio says. The report generated the Somerville Guide to Food and Nutrition Resources and the Public Health Nutrition Taskforce. It also laid the groundwork for the eventual creation of Shape Up Somerville, and served as a model for other communities, the report’s authors say. “Somerville has always been at the forefront of self-evaluation with regard to evolution of the food system,” Fowler says. “These issues have all been evolving, and Somerville was there at each stage.” Fowler says the scale of the assessment poses some challenges, since most publicly available figures on economics and demographics are collected at the national, state, or county level. “There’s not the granularity of data available for just the city,” she says. The working group members hope that sharing methodologies and research with neighboring communities like Medford and Everett will help them better understand their data, Robinson says. Once the report is released, it will be the work of community non-profits to turn the recommendations into action plans, and to advise city leaders and institutions on how to promote more equitable food access, according to Brukilacchio. “We envision [Shape Up Somerville] and [the Somerville Food Security Coalition] will continue to play leading roles, however this assessment was about engaging a broader range of partners and stakeholders,” Robinson, Brukilacchio, and Fowler told Scout in a follow-up email. “The report is not an action plan, but a guiding document. Once the report is finished, the groups involved and others will take up discussion, prioritization, and action planning, including accountability, around the recommendations.” scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food!
17
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
Incubating Community, One Jar of Yogurt at a Time BY REENA KARASIN | PHOTOS BY ADRIANNE MATHIOWETZ
W
hen Sam Christy’s kids were young, he was making three quarts of yogurt a week. “I just thought, ‘I bet someone else is making yogurt tonight too. It wouldn’t be much harder for me to make four quarts and share them with them,’” he says. “And I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I could do this on a larger scale.’” From there, the Somerville Yogurt Making Coop was born. Eight years in, the coop is made up of about 20 people who pitch in and get a steady supply of homemade yogurt in return. People come to the coop for different reasons. For some, it’s
THE COOP’S FAVORITE YOGURT COMBOS 18 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
about reducing plastic use and production processes that aren’t environmentally friendly. For others, it’s about the low price tag—$2.50 per quart. Some people are drawn in for the sense of community, and others just love yogurt. “I feel like I’ve stayed less because of the yogurt, but more because of the concept,” says Deborah Goldfarb. “Now I could make yogurt at home, but I think it feels rare in an urban environment to have the ability to connect with random people in this kind of way and do things collectively. And it’s not a huge
SAM CHRISTY, FOUNDER:
Christy loves adding in salt, olive oil, and Italian seasonings like oregano.
commitment, but I think you can benefit from it quite a bit.” Each week, two people make yogurt for the entire coop out of the First Church Somerville kitchen. Members can choose how many quarts they want and whether they’d like whole or nonfat yogurt. There are enough people in the coop that members only have to make yogurt two or three times every six months. The coop is determined to limit waste. The members get their yogurt in mason jars and have to return clean mason jars by the following week if they want to get their next share.
DEBORAH GOLDFARB, MEMBER:
Goldfarb recommends straining the coop’s already thick yogurt and then using it to make tzatziki dips or marinades. For a sweet taste, she adds fruit, granola, or maple syrup.
Reducing plastic was one of the reasons that Christy started making yogurt at home in the first place. “This model can be extremely environmentally friendly, because we are in control of it and can make really good decisions,” he says. “Not using plastic is great, that’s a big waste. We’re using these jars, and we reuse them all the time, and that’s really been nice. In industry, there is some general waste.” The group also takes great care with its ingredients and delivery processes, sourcing milk from Crescent Ridge Farm in
JACK MCGRATH, MEMBER:
McGrath likes to add roasted almonds to his yogurt share.
Layer upon layer of tension drops away CONSIDERING A FIRST-TIME FLOAT? IS THE WATER CLEAN?
Absolutely. Float tank water is generally cleaner, in fact, than most swimming pools or hot tubs because only one person uses them at a time, and they aren’t sweating or wearing sunblock. And we take keeping our water clean very seriously. The main factor keeping the float tank water clean is the high salt concentration itself. Nothing pathogenic can grow in such salty water. Then we sanitize by treating with germ-killing UV light between each client, and back that up by maintaining an active dose of hydrogen peroxide in the tank at all times. Filtering to remove oils and particulates is taken care of by a swimming-pool-sized filter unit. We filter aggressively between every client, turning the whole contents of the tank over three to four times, to keep our water sparkling.
IS THE WATER HOT?
THE BASICS OF HOW TO MAKE YOGURT 1. HEAT MILK USING A DOUBLE BOILER
2. COOL THE MILK
4. PUT MIXTURE INTO JARS AND THE JARS INTO WARMING COOLERS reusable glass containers. “There’s been some talk about raw milk and if that’s feasible for us to do, and for now it’s not … There’s been talk about how do we become even more sustainable,” Goldfarb says. The coop’s yogurt is extra thick due to its long incubation period, and lasts for several weeks. It’s plain yogurt with no sugar in it, although some members add honey or maple syrup to sweeten it. For Goldfarb, getting paired up with strangers to learn how to make yogurt was a rewarding experience. She is a social worker, and happened to get matched with a retired social worker for her first shift.
3. COMBINE MILK WITH STARTER
5. TRANSFER JARS FROM COOLERS TO FRIDGE
She says the coop is fairly diverse, especially in terms of age. The coop recently started a share for people who would like to be part of the coop but can’t afford the full share price, which comes out to $60 every 24 weeks. Christy, a Cambridge resident and a teacher at Medford Vocational Technical High School, also runs a granola making coop and a fermentation coop out of the First Church Kitchen. “[Yogurt] happened to be what I was making at the time, but pretty early on I began thinking, ‘I like this model, I want to try other foods,’” he says. “To me, it’s really not so much the yogurt as the community cooperative model that I really like.”
The water is warm but not hot. We keep it as close as we can to skin temperature, 93.5°F. That allows you to float as long as you like without getting chilled or overheated, and it’s neutral for your skin temperature receptors so you won’t even really feel it’s there. If you do get chilled in the tank, or you’re worried you might, let us know. Not everyone runs at exactly the same body temperature, and there are adjustments we can make to let your float be a little warmer if you like.
IS IT CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
Many people have worries of one kind or another, but it’s very rarely a problem. For one, the tank is actually much bigger on the inside than you might think, and you can sit up and move around easily. If you want, you can also leave the door cracked or wide open with a light on — some people find that helpful. The key to remember is you’re in total control of the experience.
WILL I FLOAT? I SINK IN THE OCEAN.
Our tanks contain over 850 lbs of epsom salt, so the water is denser than the Dead Sea. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely float. (Unless your bones have been replaced with adamantium – sorry, Wolverine.)
WHAT IF I DO IT WRONG?
There is no wrong. You’re alone in a private room and no one can judge you. Just do what’s comfortable and let your body relax.
WILL I ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO RELAX?
Your brain will chat at you for the first 30-40 minutes of your float, but then a reflex kicks in, and you drop into a brain wave state very much like the moment between waking and sleeping. With less input to track, your brain resources are free to turn to healing, learning, and memory. We encourage a 90 minute float because we want you to have plenty of time to enjoy the good stuff! Some people experience it as losing time, or dreaming. Some people use the time actively to let their imaginations run free. The possibilities are limitless.
Find our full Q & A at floatboston.com
515 MEDFORD ST (MAGOUN SQUARE) • 844-44-FLOAT scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 19
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
A Gluten-Free
Labor of
Love BY KAT RUTKIN PHOTOS BY ADRIANNE MATHIOWETZ
T
ucked away in an unassuming—yet fully licensed—home kitchen in West Somerville, the Clancy family works up to 12-hour days to create some of the best glutenfree baked goods in the region. Dawn Clancy, the principal baker at Curtis Street Bakers, often joined her mother in the kitchen as a young girl. But her love of baking didn’t grow into a serious project until her niece, Katy, was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1997. Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that makes eating gluten—a protein in wheat, rye, and barley—potentially hazardous to the small intenstine, affects about 1 in 100 people in the United States. Katy was an undergrad at Wellesley when she was diagnosed, and there was almost no gluten-free food available in the area, let alone in her campus dining halls. Dawn’s husband, Kevin, was
20 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
working as an airline pilot, so they were able to live wherever they wanted and relocated to Boston to help Katy. Dawn, her sister Blair (Katy’s mom), and Katy examined cookbooks and medical research to get a better understanding of celiac disease and figure out which foods they could make for Katy that she could reheat in her campus housing. Dawn says this got her comfortable with glutenfree eating and cooking. Long after Katy graduated from Wellesley, Dawn continued to refine her recipes and dreamed of opening a bakery. Her goal was to produce treats Katy and others with celiac disease could enjoy at coffee shops like their friends could. Dawn graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Professional Chef Program in 2001, where she learned more about the science of baking. She developed her formula by
testing and adapting recipes from Bette Hagman’s cookbook, “Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well Without Wheat.” She used Hagman’s classic gluten-free flour blend of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch, and built on her recipes by incorporating tricks from America’s Test Kitchen and other gluten-free baking books. Over time, she developed the recipes that have become staple favorites at Curtis Street Bakers: raspberry bars, pumpkin walnut muffins, and scones. Kevin, who handles the books and the business side of Curtis Street Bakers, explains that most gluten-free baking blends are a mixture of tapioca, rice flour, and xanthan gum. What sets Curtis Street apart is the blends they use, sourcing the best and finest grains. Their Authentic Foods Tapioca flour, for example, comes from California. “The finer grain really makes
a difference” when it comes to gluten free baking, Kevin says. Many people who taste glutenfree baked goods for the first time say they are too grainy or mealy, Kevin explains, so using a finegrain flour dramatically changed the outcome of Dawn’s baking. Dawn’s dream for starting Curtis Street Bakers became feasible when the family that was renting their basement apartment moved out. “We converted the basement apartment to a residential bakery, got it certified with state and local departments, produced the logo and website, and went coffee house to coffee house with samples,” Kevin explains. “Rhett, the owner of True Grounds in Ball Square, was our first customer. Steve Darwin [of Darwin’s Ltd] was soon on board,” Kevin recalls. “1369 got wind of their delightful goods and wasn’t far behind. Dawn and Katy left samples at Rosie’s Bakery, and [they] called immediately to have more.” The bakery hasn’t marketed since, but continues to get calls. “Dawn thought she’d be carrying around a little basket of brownies [for sale], but it’s grown to big catering orders,” Kevin says. The bakery soon became a full-time job for Dawn, who had been teaching preschool with Katy at the Open Center for Children. Kevin, now working part-time in real estate, took over the business end. Five years in, the home kitchen has reached capacity, with demand matching what the small, family-staffed kitchen can produce.
T
he family, including Katy, her husband, and her 6-year-old son, Thompson, lives in the triple-decker above the bakery. Having five adults around works well, Kevin says. Everyone pitches in on both baking and childcare, and it’s easy to take time off for things like doctor’s appointments—a thing most working families struggle to find. “We call the house the Clancy Compound,” Kevin explains. The kitchen has white cabinets and countertops that would be at home in a typical Somerville apartment, but the shelves full of flours and baking supplies—not to mention the scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 21
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
A Gluten-Free Labor of Love
“We call the house the Clancy Compound.” giant metal racks to hold trays of baked goods—set it apart. As a licensed residential bakery, workers are limited to immediate family members, which means the bakers can’t hire a second shift of workers to increase production. To grow their production, they’d have to move to a commercial kitchen space, which Kevin says they don’t plan to do, as they feel it would take away from the family nature of the business. Dawn sets the baking schedule for the week based on regular orders like Darwin’s, 1369, and True Grounds, and then fills in orders from caterers and universities on other days— 22 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
typically large requests, like 20 dozen muffins. Dawn, Blair, and Katy bake, wrap, and label, while Kevin and Katy’s husband Danny handle deliveries. The bakery typically produces up to 1,000 items in a week. To meet their production goals, Dawn typically gets to the bakery fully caffeinated by 7 a.m. Kevin and Blair join her by 9 a.m., and Katy follows after walking her son to school. When school gets out, Katy and Blair usually peel off to take care of Thompson, and Dawn and Kevin sometimes shop for baking supplies. Kevin handles phone calls and office duties
while Dawn bakes. “If anyone is sick or has a doctor’s appointment, we are all trained in each other’s normal duties and can fill in for a day or two,” Kevin says. “If Dawn is out, we can bake under her guidance.” After the day is baked, wrapped, invoiced, and delivered, Dawn usually has an hour or two of doing dishes, cleaning up, and sanitizing the space, as well as recording temperatures in a notebook for state and local regulations. The feedback from happy customers gets Dawn through the longest days, she says. In the Clancy Compound, Dawn and Kevin share regular household duties with Katy and
her family. They also share a large refrigerator and freezer in the garage. “This is as close to cohousing as you can get, with three generations living on the same property and sharing some meals, birthdays, and keeping the ice cream in the garage fridge,” says Kevin. Even as demand for Curtis Street’s treats has increased, the Clancys don’t see themselves outgrowing the compound kitchen anytime soon. The bakery’s successful, but the setup still leaves time for family. “As long as everyone is happy and working,” Kevin says, “we’ll keep going!”
Center: Dawn Clancy. At her right, sister Blair Pandeloglou, and left, niece Katy Gold.
We are here for you. MEDICAL MARIJUANA CERTIFICATION
WHAT IS A QUALIFYING CONDITION?
Medical marijuana can be very effective with a number of conditions from anxiety to autoimmune disease, from writer’s cramp to whip lash. For a complete list, please visit our website, give us a call or visit our office.
WHERE DO I GO?
Medwell Health and Wellness Centers currently has five locations for your convenience: • 55 Broadway, Somerville • 44 Washington St., Unit 104A, Brookline • 1201 Westford St., Lowell • 1200 West Chestnut, Brockton • 644 North St., Pittsfield More Coming Soon!
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW?
At MedWell Health & Wellness we understand the stigma associate with using cannabis as a medicine. That’s why we take a caring, comprehensive, and educational approach to helping you obtain your medical marijuana certification. We are proud to offer in-home certifications for those patients who prefer not to visit one of our five offices. From the comfort and privacy of your own home, our medical assistants and certifying physician will educate, and complete your certification. Additionally, many dispensaries now offer delivery services where the medicine can be delivered right to your front door.
MAY I DESIGNATE A PERSONAL CAREGIVER TO OBTAIN MEDICAL MARIJUANA IF I’M UNABLE TO DO SO?
The state of Massachusetts’ medical marijuana program now allows designation of poth personal and institutional caregivers. This allows patient in many scenarios, whether it be hospice / palliative care, assisted living, or nursing homes, to be legally administered the Medical Marijuana from their caregiver. The facilities themselves are able to register as their patients caregivers, and coordinate deliveries from the dispensaries. Patients not in facility living are also able to register a close friend or family member as a caregiver, allowing that person to obtin the medicine on the patients behalf.
WHY SHOULD I GET CERTIFIED IF RECREATIONAL USE WILL BE LEGAL SOON?
Recreational, or adult use, is right around the corner and there are many reasons to remain or become a patient if you qualify. First and formost is sales tax. Recreational cannabis will have a 20 - 26% sales tax applied to it, while medical cannbis is sales tax exempt. Also, dosing limits will be imposed for recreational products. This means you will need to purchase and consume more product to get your desired relief. Access is another huge differentiator for medical vs rec. If the other states that have come before us have been any indication, recreational canna is is going to sell out and sell out fast. Thankfully, provisions have been set in place that dispensaries must reserve at least 35% of their prpducts specifically for medical patients. This means the last gram of medicine will always be sold to a patient. Recreational users will also not be allowed home delivery, and will have strict daily purchase limits imposed on them.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Certification in our office is $200. Certification in your home is $300. We offer a $50 veterans discount on all appointments 365 days a year. Once approved by one of our physicians, you must register online with the DPH in order to be approved and receive your card in the mail. The process takes about 5 business days.
MENTION “SCOUT MAGAZINE” FOR $
15 OFF
YOUR CERTIFICATION.
Call (774) 517-5195 for an appointment.
medwellhealth.net
Revolutionary Edibles Somerville’s Revolutionary Clinics has brought a unique culinary spin to the Massachusetts cannabis scene with the addition of award-winning Chef Matt Morello.
and food share, whether it be a complimentary flavor, an aroma, a sensation, or a common terpene profile allows us to create a more refined and holistic experience.
Taking a culinary approach to our cannabis edibles is the same as pairing food to wine. Finding a common thread that both cannabis
Chef Morello is adding new items our menu on a regular basis. You may find these and others on your next visit.
HIBISCUS TEA CHEW A blend from Boston’s MEM Tea imports, the hibiscus tea blend with flavors of citrus, spice, lavender and flowers compliment a wide range of cannabis terpene aromas and flavors. The brilliant ruby red natural color of the tea makes for a stunning hue to the edible.
ORANGE BLOSSOM DARK CHOCOLATE CBD FLOWERS
GORILLA GLUE #4 MANGO TERPENE FRUIT CHEW
Revolutionary Clinics will be creating gourmet chocolates, truffles, pralines and chocolate bars using only the finest chocolates. The aroma of orange with dark chocolate is a natural pairing and is a sweet element to bitter chocolate.
Using Revolutionary’s extracted GG4 terpene extraction, we are pairing the sweet flavor of mango that contains the terpene Myrcene to the pungent sour aroma of GG4 with the cannabis terpene Humulene. Both terpenes share anti-inflammatory medicated effects.
DO YOU HAVE MARIJUA MOROCCAN MINT GREEN TEA CBD CHEW
The health benefits of loose leaf tea is a natural pairing to medicinal applications of CBD in cannabis infused edibles. We use local Boston Tea experts MEM Tea imports custom loose leaf tea blends with herbs, dried flowers, spices and fruits to create very special tea infused products.
FULL RANGE OF MEDICA
WE OFFER A FULL RANGE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS
My personal goal is to reinvent the possibility of what these edibles can be and what they can do for our patients.” - Chef Matt Morello
YOUR MEDICAL REVOLUTIONARY EDIBLES Revolutionary Clinics is proud to welcome awardANA CARD? DO YOU HAVE YOUR MEDICAL winning, fine-dining Chef Matt Morello to our
ETHIOPIAN HARRAR BLACK MAMBA team. Matt has worked at some of the world’s finest COFFEE CHEW TERPENE CONCORD MARIJUANA CARD?restaurants and has been a stalwart of the Boston GRAPE FRUIT CHEW culinary scene for decades. Artisan coffee and curated
cannabis is a perfect pairing. The coffee guru behind local Karma Coffee roasters in Sudbury scours the earth to only find pristine fair trade coffee beans that they roasted to perfection. Coffee infused edibles to come will include chocolates, lozenges, beverages and bakery items.
The aroma of Black Mamba has a profound grape-like scent. Using Revolutionary’s extracted Black Mamba terpene, we are highlighting the complimentary flavor by using Concord Grape juice. The cannabis terpene profiles of Caryophyllene and Linalool both enhance a floral sweet woody aromas of grapes.
Foodies take note! Chef Morello is bringing his unique experience and impeccable commitment to perfection to all our Revolutionary products. Perfectly mixing chemistry and the culinary arts, Chef Morello is creating never before seen products. Patients will truly enjoy every bite of their medicine.
AL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS FULL RANGE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS RevolutionaryClinics.org Hours: 11am-4pm 67Sunday: BROADWAY Monday - Saturday: 9am-8pm SOMERVILLE, MA /REVCLINICS
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FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
Ditching the Desk MEET THE SOMERVILLIANS FOLLOWING THEIR MEAL PREP PASSIONS BY EDDIE SAMUELS PHOTOS BY CHRIS MCINTOSH
FAMILY DINNER
E
rin Baumgartner spent the last the 10 years working at MIT’s Senseable City Lab, but her attention kept getting pulled back to food. “We loved to cook, to eat, and to have people over,” she says about herself and her husband of five years, Tim Fu. “That’s really how we love to spend time, having 20 people over and cooking a massive pile of food for all these folks. We both believe that you build community around it.” Their idea for a locally sourced food delivery service was an
26 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
attempt to fill a vacuum that they’d noticed since the delivery program Something GUD closed in 2015. “We realized that it really left a hole in our culinary lives,” Baumgartner says. “We really enjoyed what they were bringing, the farmers, the products, and the experience of cooking these things together. We’d bought into this concept of eating much more locally.” Baumgartner and Fu decided to take matters into their own hands and start Family Dinner, a meal kit service focused on emphasizing farmers and
providing cohesive ingredients with a common theme. Family Dinner, launched in September, works with local farmers and purveyors to offer shares of vegetables, meats, grains, and more. Family Dinner differs from other meal kit services by not shoehorning people into following a specific recipe. Instead, Baumgartner explains, the shares are crafted based on what farmers have available and are intended to create a cohesive box. “What’s interesting this week? If there’s steaks, we’re
What you’ll get: Cohesive ingredients and recipe ideas that let you get creative
How much you’ll get:
Enough for 4-6 meals with leftovers
How often you’ll get it:
Weekly
What it costs:
$59 for a half share or $89 for a whole
To learn more:
Visit sharefamilydinner.com
thinking can we get fresh blue cheese, can we get bread and potatoes to sort of wrap a vision for the week around,” Baumgartner says. “We’re hoping to meet the spectrum of home cooks here—people who are a little more adventurous and also folks who are just beginning to dabble in cooking themselves.” Part of the appeal of Family Dinner is that it can be an at-home alternative to farmers’ markets, which Fu explains can often put stress on farmers. “To run a successful farm, you have to plant the crops, grow the crops, harvest, store, and then the real work begins where you have to market it, sell it,” Fu says. “What we want to do is make sure that the farmers can be farmers and do the thing that they’re really great at.” The focus on farmers is a vital part of Family Dinner’s approach. Its website includes a list of its farm partners, all but two of which are in Massachusetts. The founders visit the farms, and often write a description of an interaction with a farmer or purveyor that helped shape the week’s shares. The site also offers up recipe ideas based on the weekly shares and cooking tips, though Baumgartner says they aim to leave plenty of room for experimentation. Family Dinner offers four separate options for types of deliveries: omnivore, vegetarian, pescatarian, and paleo. While the options are different, the base of each box remains the same, and the pair makes tweaks based on individual dietary needs. “We tried to keep it as simple as possible right off the bat,” Fu says. “We were doing the trial with friends and family, and were only doing omnivore. And word started getting around and people asked, would you ever do a vegetarian version?” One share from March 30 focused on Mediterranean flavors, and included chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt, fresh pita, a kozani spice blend, beets, garlic, spinach, and assorted herbs. Pescatarian shares replaced the chicken with hake and scallops. Recipe suggestions included “Greek Chicken Under a Brick”
and “Baked Hake with Lemon and Herbs.” The first few months of deliveries were just to friends and family as the pair figured out the basic logistics of the process. Fu works for a software company, and he says his experience with software streamlined the process of getting the website and subscription service up and running. As business expanded beyond the first few trials in September, Family Dinner began operating out of the shared culinary workspace Foundation Kitchen. Baumgartner and a rotation of five others pack all the shares there each weekend and deliver them. While it may seem daunting to leave a position at MIT to pursue a new venture in an entirely different field, Baumgartner says it felt like a natural move. “When you’ve been somewhere for 10 years, it becomes a part of you and it’s nerve wracking to leave it,” she says. “But we had been starting this company and we wanted to push it and get it off the ground. Everything came together in this perfect storm.” Despite the big career shift, Baumgartner explains that her experience in urban planning has been relevant in launching Family Dinner. “I was always very interested in using data analytics to understand food systems,” Baumgartner explains, specifically pointing to the environmental impact of food. “It was never a route that our lab went down, but it was definitely an area of focus for other labs at MIT. It’s amazing the amount of data that comes along with a tomato you buy at the grocery store.” But while data may be useful, Family Dinner’s focus is on human connections. Baumgartner loves to hear about personal experiences from customers. “That’s our favorite part, these emails that you get from people saying, ‘That chorizo was outrageous, we inhaled it all, everything’s gone,’” Baumgartner says. “It makes us feel like people are enjoying it and they’re getting to experience new things.”
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 27
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
Ditching the Desk
MASS PROVISIONS
What you’ll get:
A smoky meal that you’ll just need to heat up
How much you’ll get:
D
espite working in product design, Dan Goodwin was always among the first called to cook at a tailgate outside a big game. “I used to go down to Patriots games and cook all the food for people down there,” Goodwin says. “Backyard parties turned into larger-than-backyard parties. People would tell me: ‘You should do this full-time.’” For a long time Goodwin dismissed those suggestions, but after enough prodding he decided to make a leap. “People who knew my passion for food were really excited,” Goodwin says. “But people who weren’t as familiar thought I was taking a big risk.” Goodwin says he’s never been one to shy away from risks, and loved the idea of being handson with every aspect of his new venture, Mass Provisions, which launched in May 2017. Customers choose from an online, fixed menu of prepared, frozen meals. They’re delivered ready to be tossed in an oven or onto the stove and eaten. Mass Provisions fills a different niche than many other food delivery options commonly available, according to Goodwin. He explains that it exists somewhere in between food delivery and meal-kit subscriptions. “There is some preparation that’s required of people, even if it’s just putting it in the oven or in a pot,” Goodwin says. Goodwin explains that his work in design allowed him to understand customers’ needs and translate those needs into simple and streamlined solutions. He puts those skills to use every day while running Mass Provisions. Goodwin carried over some tricks from his tailgate food into Mass Provisions: most notably, his penchant for smoked foods.
28 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
Servings sizes vary by item
What it costs:
$15-35 for most items
To learn more:
Visit massprovisions.com
“I’m a big believer in using smoke as a flavor enhancer, indirect heat,” Goodwin says. “We’re doing things that you might not do at home because of the time that it might take.” A smoked dish could take eight hours to prepare, he says.
Smoking is a common theme that runs through all of the options available, from whole smoked chickens and wings to chilis and pot pies that include smoked meats. Goodwin explained that the core recipes will remain even as
new items are added so that he can focus on quality. “We’re a small operation. I don’t want to be offering 30 things that are average.” Goodwin says. “I would rather have six or eight things that are incredible.”
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scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 29
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
Ditching the Desk
What you’ll get:
A homemade meal that Cuisine en Locale makes in your own kitchen
What it costs:
Request a quote online or call 617-285-0167
To learn more:
CUISINE EN LOCALE
JJ
Gonson remembers a time from her childhood in Cambridge when going out to eat was reserved for special occasions. “Before the big takeout boom, I grew up with a mom who would cook every single meal at home,” Gonson says. “We would sit down and have dinner together.” Gonson learned to cook from her mother, and started working in restaurants at a young age—first as a floor washer, then as a dishwasher, and eventually as a cook. The restaurant jobs let Gonson work as a tour manager and band manager at the same time. After leaving the food service industry, she continued to cook for friends and even for bands as they came
30 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
through on tour. She wanted a flexible job once she had kids, so she started personal cheffing, which was the early focus of Cuisine en Locale. It started out with her cooking for families and for dinner parties. She would cook in personal kitchens, orchestrating menus that appealed to the tastes of the people attending. Since all the food is local, New England seasonal flavors influence dishes heavily, but Gonson says the style of food can be very flexible. Her background is in Eastern European styles, but she also loves to experiment with various different types of cuisine and flavors from different places around the world. The formality can also change to fit the situation, from a family dinner to an elegant evening affair.
Visit cuisineenlocale.com
Her success in personal cheffing let her expand to a kitchen where she could do commercial catering over three years ago. Commercial catering lacks the same personal touch that appealed to her in being a personal chef, she says, but offers its own rewards. “It’s a lot harder than it was when it was just cooking in people’s homes, because I could take a couple weeks between clients, or I could tell a private client that I needed time,” Gonson says. Personal cheffing has taken a back seat to catering at Cuisine en Locale, but it’s still special for Gonson, in part because it brings her back to her rock ’n’ roll roots. “I think of a meal as being very similar to a music performance,” Gonson says. “I think that when you compose
a menu ... I think of it as a live performance. Not all cooks are performers.” Gonson pushes the performative aspect of her food outside of private homes, hosting 10-course pop-up dinners that address the importance of local food through discussions of the ingredients used and the importance of sourcing food responsibly. Gonson also offers “dark dining,” or blindfolded tasting, in her private chef services, which encourages people to interact with food in a new way. “I love doing dark dining because I get to get really playful,” Gonson says. “They talk to each other, and they can smell everything, and after each course we have them guess what they ate.”
MEMBER PROFILE:
BRIAN MARTINS, NK LABS HOW DID YOU END UP AT INDUSTRY LAB? Almost three years ago, I was in a boring corporate job and got recruited to work at NK Labs, a product design consulting firm based at Industry Lab. I came to interview and was so confused – I didn’t expect this to be here! I got lost, I was in a suit... but everyone was cool and friendly. It’s really fun at IL: there are people from other parts of my life, and lots of friendly characters who also know each other in different ways. At NK Labs I get to work on really varied, cutting-edge projects with awesome people.
INDUSTRY-LAB.COM 288 NORFOLK ST. CAMBRIDGE
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TOOL TO USE AT NK? I like arbor presses. And the X-Ray machine. SO, I HEAR YOU LIKE COFFEE? I have been known to walk to Industry Lab on the weekend just to make coffee and to leave. There are a lot of coffee-focused companies here: I worked with Nuli for a brief but intense period, helping them to test their espresso machine, and since then I’ve been a close observer.
DON’T DRINK AND LIGHT FIRECRACKERS YOUR EYEBROWS THANK YOU
WHAT’S YOUR DREAM COLLABORATION? Food and technology. It was a lot of fun working on that coffee project for a week. See yourself at Industry Lab, Cambridge’s uniquely flexible, neighborly co-working space? Drop us a line at hi@industry-lab.com.
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FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
32 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
This Little Piggy... LA BRASA’S CHEF TALKS ABOUT PREPARING HIS COVETED, WOOD-FIRED FEASTS BY ERIC FRANCIS
S
ince opening La Brasa in Somerville four years ago, chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez has built a reputation for turning out impressive feasts from the restaurant’s namesake cooking methods— the embers of its open pit grill and its huge, cylindrical, wood-burning oven. While prepping a whole pig, Bojorquez lays out the four key elements that guide him as he cooks.
Photo by Chris McIntosh.
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 33
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
This Little Piggy...
Daniel Bojorquez “Sweet, savory, salt, heat,” he says. “I don’t really check the science. I cook with my palate.” Speaking of savory: Before butchering, the Berkshire pig for this particular feast—an April wedding—tipped the scales at 65 pounds. Now, in La Brasa’s open kitchen, it’s laid out on its back on a roasting pan. It has been butterflied so it will cook more evenly, and its dark, plump kidneys are conspicuously present. Sprigs of rosemary sprout from where Bojorquez has pierced the shoulders and legs, and cloves of garlic are also stuffed into those cavities. But the pig will get even more gussied up before its six-hour date with La Brasa’s wood-fired grill. “I’ll cover it with an achiote rub, a Mexican spice made from the annatto seed,” the chef says. “It’s bright red and tangy, almost like sumac but with a different tang. It’s made with vinegar and garlic. With that acidity, when 34 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
it’s combined with the fatty pork it reacts like a dressing. It complements the flavor, caramelizes, and has smoky hints of oregano and cumin.” Bojorquez will also prick the skin full of holes, as the pig will cook skin-side down for the first three or four hours. That will let the fat drain, caramelizing and crisping up the exterior into the delicacy known by pork-fanciers everywhere as cracklins. Then the pig will be flipped and finished over higher heat until it’s done, at about the same time as the head and trotters are ready to come out of the combi oven. Wait … did we forget to mention the head and the trotters? They are, after all, a natural byproduct of sourcing whole pigs. This Berkshire came from a farm in New York state, but Borjorquez has also bought pigs from Massachusetts growers. And very nearly every inch of the pig, bless its heart, is thoroughly edible.
For example, the trotters (pig’s feet, for the uninitiated), are actually amenable to several methods of preparation. They can still be found pickled in big glass jars on the shelves of many grocery stores in the more rural parts of the South. That’s not so different from another delicacy in Borjorquez’s home state of Sonora, Mexico. “In Mexico, they pickle the skin with jalapeños and garlic,” he says, adding, “You need to be in a certain mood to do it.” As good as that sounds, no pickled pig parts were on this feast’s menu. “With the head, I’ll cure it overnight in salt and sugar,” he says. “I’ll cook it for three or four hours in the combi oven, with steam and heat, so it keeps its color. That will crisp it up, and the cure does the caramelizing. I’ll do the same with the trotters.”
While a whole roast pig makes for a delectable centerpiece, this one by itself would only feed about 30 people. And since the wedding couple expected about 100 guests, Bojorquez had many other plates lined up. “There will also be grilled swordfish and skirt steaks,” he says. “Four vegetable sides, cheese and charcuterie … probably 12 to 16 different items.” The pig will be chopped and served with taco fixings, including corn tortillas, salsa verde, chile de arbol, onions, and the like. The fish will be served with a celery root puree and roasted maitake mushrooms. There will be an escabeche of mussels with saffron. And the chef will serve his own Mexican interpretation of fried rice. Cooked in a tomato paste base with guajillo chiles and mushroom powder, once it is al dente he will place it in the cooler to evaporate the water.
Photo, left, by Chris McIntosh. Photo, right, by Sasha Israel.
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Located in Somerville near Davis Square at 377 Summer Street. Next to Rosebud Diner.
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 35
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
This Little Piggy...
Growing up, it was an instinct. If you’re hungry, you cook. If you like it, you eat it. If you didn’t like it, you do something different to it.
36 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
When it’s time to serve, it will be pan-fried with green garlic and English peas in mayu, a Japanese-inspired burned garlic oil traditionally used in making ramen. “It’s done with pork fat, I toast the garlic inside of it,” Bojorquez explains. “It makes a crispy layer with the rice, like paella, and gives it a smoky bitterness. I finish it with lime juice and scallions.” This kind of culinary hybridization is standard operating procedure at La Brasa. Last year Bojorquez did a pig roast where he served the meat in a bowl of cold soba noodles with peanut sauce, cilantro, scallions, and Serrano chiles. La Brasa holds whole-animal roasts in its restaurant for special occasions like New Year’s Day. “The creative idea is our food is very organic, it just happens,” the chef says. “Our planning phase is getting the product here. Once it’s here, I have fun with it.” That’s a clear result of Bojorquez coming from a family of home cooks and a culture that emphasizes food. “Growing up, it was an
instinct,” he says. “If you’re hungry, you cook. If you like it, you eat it. If you didn’t like it, you do something different to it.” Bojorquez attended a culinary school in Puebla, outside Mexico City. He’s versed in French cuisine and has worked in kitchens that required its exacting techniques. But at La Brasa, he pays homage to the more off-thecuff methods he grew up with. Even the design of the restaurant speaks to that philosophy—the open pit, the wood-fired oven, the elemental attraction of flames and the aroma of smoke. The dining room is wide open and wrapped in earth tones and dark wood. It’s a space where you can easily add a dash of color and throw a party. And that’s all intentional, Bojorquez says. “We sell La Brasa as ‘This is what we are, what we do.’ If you trust us, you’re going to have fun,” Bojorquez says with his friendly grin. “We try to keep everything ‘La Brasa.’ We blast some tunes and hope people dance and eat.” Photos by Sasha Israel.
WE’RE EXPANDING! Watch us in the coming weeks as we triple in size, add seating and further develop our menu.
T
he flavors of Greece can be found in Davis Square at Opa Greek Yeeros. Traditional dishes are served up daily by George and his crew with ingredients imported straight from Greece to ensure the authenticity and quality of every item on the menu. It’s not only the menu that is steeped in tradition; Opa is a family affair. George’s mother has owned and run Sophia’s Greek Pantry for over 15 years and now she keeps Opa stocked with homemade fresh Greek yogurt, delicious desserts and pastries.
Even though yeeros are in the name, Opa offers so much more. The menu is a curated selection of Greek favorites from traditional Greek salads to spanakopita and “the best Greek yogurt” you’ll find outside of the Mediterranean. George will greet you with a smile, a friendly chat and delicious food that will keep you coming back for more.
378 Highland Ave Somerville, MA 617-718-2900 www.opayeeros.com
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FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
How Somerville’s
Oldest Restaurants
Stay Relevant in a Changing City BY DANA FORSYTHE PHOTOS BY ADRIANNE MATHIOWETZ
A
s people flock to Somerville, new restaurants fueled by imaginative concepts have proliferated, from Juliet’s rotating dining experiences to Health Club, the “fast-casual superfood spot” run by the owners of 3 Little Figs. But the city is also home to many restaurants that have been around since long before Somerville’s recent renaissance. Scout took a tour of some of the ’Ville’s oldest restaurants to see how they’ve thrived through the years. Our takeaways? They’ve navigated the shifting landscape by knowing when to adapt and when to stand their ground. They’ve cultivated relationships with the people who come through their doors, embedding themselves in the community. And they’re always sure to serve up quality food.
38 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
Vinny’s Ristorante
V
inny’s Ristorante has been in business on Broadway for almost 50 years. When it opened in 1969 it was a mom-and-pop corner store. It morphed into a deli and started making sandwiches in the ’80s, and was carry-out only until 1984, when it started a small section for lunch only. Ten years later, Vinny’s opened up additional seating downstairs and started serving dinner. “All of the changes were made because customers asked for them, from serving sandwiches to customers asking us to open at night,” longtime Vinny’s manager Carmen Aniello says. “But it all started with great food. We don’t advertise, and we just rely on word of mouth.” Standing on its reputation for serving stellar Italian food, Vinny’s has enjoyed success in Somerville even with Boston’s North End just a short trip away. Chef Vincent Migliore has touted his sauce as the main draw to the restaurant, but Aniello says customers visit Vinny’s for a wide variety of Sicilian-style Italian dishes on the menu, including chicken parm and meatballs. “Everything is fresh here,” she says. “I think the industry is mostly fast food now and cutting corners. Vinny said long ago that he would only serve what he would eat himself, and he’s a picky eater. For instance, he only uses a certain tomato in the sauce, and that’s that.”
Photo, top: Veal Osso Buco from Vinny’s Ristorante.
T he Neighborhood Restaurant and Bakery
J
ust over Prospect Hill in Union Square, The Neighborhood Restaurant has been serving breakfast and lunch for more than 30 years. While it may be known for its delectable cream of wheat—served with every breakfast—and plates of bread, Neighborhood makes one of the all-around best breakfasts in the city. Eternally busy (even during a Tuesday morning interview), the restaurant prides itself on quick service and an ever-rotating specials list that numbers over a hundred. But Neighborhood didn’t start as a restaurant. It began as a bakery, selling Portuguese sweet bread. “When my brother realized he wasn’t selling enough bread to make it, he sliced the bread, added a grill, and made eggs and home fries and got a coffee machine,” owner Sheila Borges says. “That’s how it started. People may come back cause we legit like people. We love food and we adore kids.” The restaurant’s success has come as a welcome surprise, Borges says. And she thinks business could get even better when Union Square Station Associates (US2) redevelops the square over the coming decades. Borges says the redevelopment hasn’t impacted the restaurant yet, but she sees it as a good opportunity. And she’s fully aware of changes in the neighborhood. “The biggest change may be that in the ’80s we were the only restaurant on the block, now there are lots of places to eat,” she says. Through the years little has changed at Neighborhood, though, and she says that’s one of the reasons people keep coming back. Specials are still handwritten every day, cash is king at the restaurant, and every Saturday and Sunday, the staff puts free coffee outside for diners to drink while they wait to be seated. “I’m really not sure what our secret is, to be honest, [I’m] amazed daily that people wait to get in here,” she says. “We’re just grateful.” For Borges, the customers have always been the best part of the job. “I always like the part of talking to the folks I’ve seen through the years,” she says. “Union Square is still filled with great people.”
Photo, top: Sheila Borges in front of Neighborhood’s outdoor patio.
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 39
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
How Somerville’s Oldest Restaurants Stay Relevant in a Changing City
Leone’s Sub and Pizza
W
hile Winter Hill Brewery may have recently drawn hype to the neighborhood, Winter Hill is also home to some of the best pizza
in the city. Leone’s Sub and Pizza, a small, one-room kitchen and takeout bar, has changed very little since it opened 65 years ago—with one big exception. When Leone’s current owners, Nick Ruccolo and Victor Leone, took over the business from Victor’s parents in 1978, they added pizza to the sub-only menu. “It was an idea we threw around when I started working here with Victor,” Ruccolo says. “We toyed around with the sauce, and that part took time to get right. But we started off small, and we’ve just grown through the years.” Leone’s is now one of the few places in Greater Boston, outside of the North End, where you can get a great Sicilian slice. The steady influx of repeat customers is a big reason for their success, Ruccolo says, and is the reason he gets out of bed each morning to come to work. “If someone’s in the same place for 40 years, something must be right,” he says. “I have families that are five generations that come in for food, and I know every one of them. I love it.” Ruccolo says the changes he’s seen in Winter Hill over the years are too numerous to name, and credits hard work for the restaurant’s success. “Like everyone, we’ve had ups and downs, but it’s been consistent over the years,” he said. “I can recall in the 1950s when this was a vibrant neighborhood, when it slowed down in the ’80s, and just like before, it’s coming around again. We’ve survived because we’re just us.”
40 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
“I have families that are five generations that come in for food, and I know every one of them.”
Photo, middle: Nick Ruccolo, co-owner of Leone’s.
YOUR FUN, NEIGHBORHOOD PUB A few of your neighbors have taken over the space formerly known as On the Hill Tavern. We’ve updated the menu, brushed up the look and welcome you to come by and hang with us.
4 9 9 B R O A D WAY, S O M E R V I L L E
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 41
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
How Somerville’s Oldest Restaurants Stay Relevant in a Changing City
Victor’s Deli
W
“Of course there’s pressure to change with the times, but if we did that to, say, ‘cater to the new Somerville,’ we’d lose all of our regulars.” 42 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
hen Rosa and Victor Moccia first opened Victor’s Deli in Ball Square in 1982, it was a deli counter that only offered meats. Since then, they have expanded it into a full restaurant and deli, selling everything from hot and cold subs to soups and salads to entrees including chicken cutlet parmesan with pasta, American chop suey, and Tuscan chicken with prosciutto. About four years ago, their daughter, Nancy Fucile, and her husband, Jason Fucile, started to manage day-to-day operations. According to Jason, the big draw since Rosa and Victor opened the doors over 35 years ago has been Rosa’s recipes. “It all really started with my mother-in-law cooking in the back, and someone asked to buy what she was making,” Jason says. “All of our changes, including the expansion, have just been us trying to keep up with demand.” Jason said that, as with almost every business, there have been ups and downs through the years, but it’s not all about the numbers. “I know it stinks, but criticism is your biggest chance to grow … You have to see the customers and listen to them,” he says. Aside from growing to include a small sit-down dining room a few years back, he says Victor’s has stayed true to what it does best: homestyle Italian cooking to go. “The pizza, the calzone, the hot food is really the cement of the business and will never change,” he says. “Of course there’s pressure to change with the times, but if we did that to, say, ‘cater to the new Somerville,’ we’d lose all of our regulars. Our clientele is about 90 percent repeat customers, and they know what they’re getting when they come in.” While the food may be the main star of Victor’s, Jason credits the Moccia family for bringing customers back again and again. “We know when someone gets sick or has a graduation or first communion,” he says. “I think that’s the key to our success as well. You have to feed your own product and be here to interact with the people.”
Photo, middle: Nancy Fucile behind the counter at Victor’s.
Change your life and your future. “At Cambridge College, I earned my Master’s while working full time, and really grew as a manager and entrepreneur. Cambridge College changed my life, and it’s helping me change lives in my community every day.” ROSALI N D S M I T H P R OJE C T M A NAG E R, SA NOFI G EN Z YM E A N D CE O, WOM E N E M P OW E RM E NT I N I T I AT I V E F O R C H A N G E MASTE R OF M A NAG E M E NT
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WE’RE BACK!
AMELIA’S CUCINA is reviving one of Somerville’s most beloved establishments. Longtime owner and Chef Delio Susi is proud to bring this casual and creative restaurant to the Somerville area.
...and better than ever.
We’ve updated our space with a modern, welcoming look and the menu items are all fresh and delicious. In the mood for a gourmet pizza or panini? How about some of Delio’s signature steak tips? Or maybe a tasty classic pasta dish? Amelia’s is your place to be! Stop by for lunch or dinner, a drink and appetizer with a few friends; or reserve a large table for your family. We strive to please our customers and want you to know that you are Always Welcome at Amelia’s Cucina! Hope to see you soon.
1137 Broadway, Somerville (617) 776-2800 • AmeliaCucina.com
HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS • AUTO • RENTERS
PREPARE TO BE WOWED ...by our quality. ...by our price. 2310 MASS AVE, CAMBRIDGE / 617-661-0666 WWW.FRANKSSTEAKHOUSE.COM
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 43
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
44 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
Photo, left, by Adrianne Mathiowetz. Photos, right, by Max Risman.
e n i V e h t m o r F r Fa THIS SOMERVILLE COUPLE MIXES BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE IN THEIR NEW ZEALAND VINEYARD
BY REENA KARASIN
A
s the housing bubble burst in the United States, sending its devastating effects rippling across the world, another market was failing some 9,000 miles away. The wine industry in New Zealand was producing more grapes than it knew what to do with, and prices dropped as supply outstripped demand. In 2008, at a time when people all over the world were shutting their wallets, Somerville resident Arié Dahan says the “worst thing” happened for New Zealand vineyards: they had a fantastic crop. Rather than destroying their grapes to artificially tweak the supply, they sold huge amounts in the United Kingdom, according to Arié. The vineyards “killed their brands,” he explains. As these two markets unraveled, Arié got a call from his
mother urging him to make some osrt of low-risk investment. Arié and his wife live in Somerville, but Beth Ann knows a lot about the wine scene in New Zealand. She teaches wine classes at Boston University’s School of Hospitality, a career path she got into after running Soleil Café in Teele Square. The couple mulled over Arié’s mother’s advice. Real estate in the United States was off the table, so Arié and Beth Ann turned their sights abroad. New Zealand vineyards were in financial trouble, but Beth Ann knew about the quality of wines coming from the country’s Central Otago region. They flew to New Zealand with Max Risman, Arié’s colleague, and spent two weeks exploring vineyards. On the twelfth night, they found the one, and Twelfth Night Wines was born. Although it was a large financial decision, buying a vineyard was an obvious choice for Beth Ann and Arié. The two have
an eye for business—they met while getting their MBAs from Northeastern University in the early ’90s. Arié is now a portfolio manager for a hedge fund. Beth Ann comes from a family that loves wine, and she enjoyed working in the culinary industry before switching to teaching wine classes. Wine is an “endless source of new discoveries,” she says. For Arié, the draw to wine is simple: “I’m French.” Arié, Beth Ann, and Risman bought the 60-acre vineyard in 2011. The first two years were difficult as they immersed themselves in farming with the extra challenge of being thousands of miles away. The team learned quickly that the people they’d hired to run the vineyard didn’t have sufficient training to care for it. They lost 90 percent of their crop in their second year.
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 45
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
Far From the Vine
In addition to modernizing the vineyard, the trio enlisted two native Frenchmen as vineyard manager and winemaker, and a South Korean woman whose family operated a vineyard in her home country as a seasonal staff supervisor. But operating out of New Zealand has allowed them to part with French winemaking in some areas. Old winemaking countries like France and Italy are “bound by tradition,” Beth Ann says, and there’s “much more freedom” in New Zealand. They’ve unrolled inventive solutions to combat frost, wind, and disease, including a tunnel sprayer that works well in wind and minimizes product use. One of their more creative solutions turned into a “complete disaster”—they got air dancers, like you might find outside of
a car dealership, to scare away birds, but couldn’t figure out a way to power them in the middle of the vineyard. “Sometimes our crew thinks we’re completely nuts, but some things work great, so you have to try,” Beth Ann says. “That’s definitely the feeling we have running the vineyard.” They also set up a weather station so that Arié can monitor soil water levels and weather conditions in minute detail and in real time. He checks in nearly constantly, Beth Ann says. Their operation of the vineyard reflects their original decision to buy it—a choice made out of a passion for wine and a desire for a good investment. “We’re running the vineyard as a business,” Beth Ann says. “Obviously we have a love for wine, but at the end of the day,
BEST PAIRINGS Pinot Noir Rosé
How it tastes: crisp, dry, acidic What to eat with it: vegetables, salads, salami, ham Most people pick a red wine for Thanksgiving dinner, but Beth Ann and Arié Dahan find their rosé is a perfect complement to the heavy meal. “The crisp, refreshing style, the acidity in the wine, cuts through all the richness of Thanksgiving dinner,” Beth Ann says. “We used to serve a heavier red wine with Thanksgiving, and after a glass or so you just want to go to sleep. We’ve become converted, and I’ve been trying to convert everybody else.”
46 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
Pinot Noir
How it tastes: robust, earthy, somewhat heavy What to eat with it: roast chicken, mushroom dishes, robust fishes like grilled salmon or swordfish The pinot noir is the label’s flagship wine. “Our pinot noir tends to have a little bit of spice and a little bit of darker fruit, and also some earthiness,” Beth Ann says. Twelfth Night Wines’ pinot noir isn’t astringent, Beth Ann explains, so it’s quite versatile for a red.
this was an investment, and we want it to be profitable, and Arié and Max have spent a lot of time really making sure that what we’re doing makes sense from a business perspective.” “Our spreadsheets are well renowned in Central Otago,” Arié says. The Twelfth Night Wines umbrella includes pinot noir, pinot noir rosé, riesling, and sauvignon blanc. The vineyard keeps about 20 percent of the crop, enough to make 3,000 cases annually, and sells the rest of the grapes to other wineries, Beth Ann says. When people find out Beth Ann and Arié own a New Zealand vineyard, the first reaction is often that they’re “a little bit crazy,” Beth Ann says. “Mostly the reaction is very, very positive, they think it’s
really cool,” she says. “I get a lot of people saying, ‘Oh my god, I’ve always wanted to do that,’ or ‘I’ve always wanted to work picking grapes.’ We’ve had at least three or four people from the Boston area who have actually gone down and worked on the vineyard and picked grapes.” The wine is for sale locally at Dave’s Fresh Pasta, Pemberton Farms, Thistle & Shamrock, and Inman Square Wine & Spirits. The different varieties sell for between roughly $13 and $20. All of the wine comes into the United States through New Jersey, according to Beth Ann, and it’s for sale in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and the Washington, D.C. area.
Sauvignon Blanc
How it tastes: fruity, citrusy, acidic What to eat with it: goat cheese, salad, fish “You need dishes that are going to stand up to the acidity and bold flavors,” Beth Ann says of the sauvignon blanc, which pairs well with fried or grilled fish. Pairing this aromatic wine with fresh goat cheese is a “match made in heaven,” she says.
Riesling
How it tastes: acidic, slightly sweet What to eat with it: seafood, pork, white meats, spicy Asian dishes like Thai curry This versatile white wine is great with fish and seafood, Beth Ann says, but can also work with pork and chicken. She says the label’s riesling has “just a touch of residual sugar,” making it off dry. This bit of sweetness can take the edge off of spicy dishes.
Photos by Max Risman.
BUILDING TACOS FROM THE GROUND UP
SINCE 2013
711 BROADWAY, SOMERVILLE
617-764-0683
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Temple Brith Temple B’nai B’nai Brith JewishHome Home inin Somerville Your Your Jewish Somerville Welcoming • Inclusive • Egalitarian LEARNING + SOCIAL EVENTS • • • • •
Tot Shabbat Sat. May 5 & Sat. June 2 at 10am Potluck Fridays May 18 & June 15 -- services 6-7pm, followed by vegetarian potluck Shabbayit Group Dinners begin May 4. Go to templebnaibrith.org to sign up! Shabbat Together Sat. May 26 & Sat. June 23 at 10am followed by lunch at 12pm Reading with the Rabbi monthly book group, 7pm Wednesdays at Panera Porter Sq. May 16 The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street; June 20 And After the Fire; July 18 Eternal Life. Read and join the discussion for one book or as many as you like! • Programs for Young Adults email TBB20s30s@gmail.com for info.
WEEKLY SHABBAT SERVICES
Fridays at 6pm and Saturdays at 9:15am (10am 5/26 & 6/23) 201 Central Street 02145 | 617-625-0333 | www.templebnaibrith.org | tbb@templebnaibrith.org
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 47
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
A FEAST FOR YOUR EARS
SOMERVILLE-GROWN ‘GASTROPOD’ TACKLES CULTURE, HISTORY, AND BIOLOGY THROUGH FOOD BY EMILY FROST
“W
hat the hell is a Fluffernutter?!” Any good Somervillian knows the answer. But to properly answer the question, you should really go back to the Egyptians’ use of the mallow plant, touch on the sugar trade, and include the invention of the egg beater—or at least, that’s what journalists Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley would tell you. And they do just that in an episode of their podcast, “Gastropod,” that’s devoted entirely to an investigation of
48 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
fluff: the history, science, and groundbreaking technology that led to its genesis and popularity. “I’m totally obsessed with food,” says Graber. But listeners don’t have to be. Food is just an entrypoint to explorations of culture and community, the environment, physics, biology, history—you name it. “We always joke that we’re a science and history show, masquerading as a food show,” says Graber. Graber and Twilley let their
imaginations and inquisitiveness roam in their storytelling. Why is good vegan cheese so hard to make? Why are there Chinese restaurants in nearly every town in America? Questions that many people might wonder about but then forget, they investigate. “One of the things, I think, that both Nicky and I are best at is taking a totally new topic, doing crazy amounts of research, thinking it through, and coming up with a cohesive narrative that turns all that information into one story,” says Graber.
And while they appreciate talking with experts and authors, Graber and Twilley also invest in their own direct experiments and far-ranging expeditions to get a better story. They’re game for an adventure, whether it’s visiting a synthetic flavor lab or making their own Kombucha or evaluating baked goods in Belgium. Instead of hearing someone talk about making olive oil, they’ll actually seek out the sound of olive oil being made by a small producer in Italy.
Photo courtesy of Gastropod.
T
he hosts’ deep curiosity, irreverence, and chemistry have captivated a growing and financially supportive audience since the podcast started in Somerville in 2014. While “Gastropod” has racked up prestigious industry awards and accolades over its 10 seasons and more than 75 episodes, the show doesn’t have the backing of an NPR station, a podcast network, or a production staff. Instead, Graber, a Somerville local, and Twilley, who lives in Los Angeles, are both co-hosts and the show’s entire production staff, aside from one volunteer who works one hour a week. “When we decided to do this, we kind of figured we were either going to do it right or not do it, and actually that’s partly why it has consistently morphed into being more and more work as the show has gone on,” says Graber. “Frankly, we just didn’t want to half-ass it,” she adds. Graber and Twilley met at a food journalism fellowship in 2013 and found they had similar interests, work ethics, and, perhaps most importantly, senses of humor. “We’re both dry and sarcastic and like to laugh at things,” says Graber, who adds that she likes “getting a rise out of people.” She enjoyed feeding her partner bitter melon, for instance. “He totally freaked out, and that always makes for good tape,” she says. Episodes are “tightly written,” as opposed to looser, unscripted shows, with plenty of quips littered throughout, says Graber. It’s a style that you either love or hate, she says. The duo spends at least three hours on the phone together every day, writing scripts and notes into shared Google documents. “We talk to each other as much as, or more than, our respective partners,” says Graber. With 15 years of radio experience under her belt when they started the show, Graber helped Twilley, who was a radio novice, learn the ropes—from recording tips to writing in your own voice and for the ear. They honed the Gastropod voice—“a mix of NPR and British-style humor” and “nerdy...
We don’t think we’ll ever run out of ideas, because food is life, right? It interacts with every aspect of life.
with charm”—rather than trying to copy Ira Glass or Sarah Koenig as many do, says Graber. “I think the intimacy of podcasts and the feeling of connection that listeners have with podcast hosts is a really crucial part of what can make or break a particular show,” she says. Decades of journalism experience contribute to their success as well. Their goal is “telling a story in a way that will bring the audience along with you and be compelling, maybe funny, maybe elucidating,” says Graber. “We don’t talk down to our listeners,” she adds.
F
or about a year and a half, Graber and Twilley worked on the podcast for free, treating it like a startup while they built their audience. They’re still not pulling in the salaries they’d like based on their levels of experience, but a mix of ads, grants, and listener support keeps the show afloat. There’s a lot of bootstrapping involved. Graber says she records her narration from a roomy walkin closet and does all the editing and post-production work using the affordable editing software Hindenburg.
Though they still can’t afford a third paid staffer and would like to work less “insane” hours, there are definite advantages to their independence, says Graber. “Being independent means we don’t have to get anyone else’s approval,” she says. The show sometimes touches on “hot” topics, taking on Gwyneth Paltrow’s vitamin line or the cultish devotion to La Croix seltzer, but doesn’t profess to be newsy. There’s freedom to explore and “we very rarely shoot something down,” says Graber. “We don’t think we’ll ever run out of ideas, because food is life, right? It interacts with every aspect of life,” she says.
T
he show launched around the start of what many call the “golden age” of podcasting. The attachment to smartphones, the shift to listening on demand through apps, and the accessibility of athome podcasting equipment and editing software helped drive the boom. Breakout hits like Serial have fueled the trend, too. The public’s passion for podcasts isn’t going anywhere and “will only rise,” Graber predicts. The challenge is more
about getting noticed. “Discoverability” is the current buzzword in the podcast world. Upping their listenership is key to meeting budget goals and taking the podcast to the next level, according to Graber. “We think that we have a huge, huge potential audience,” she says. The Boston-area audience has certainly shown its enthusiasm. “Gastropod” starting doing live shows in Boston in 2016 as an additional source of revenue and later took the show on the road across the United States. Fans found out about the first show via Twitter and the “Gastropod” newsletter, and in less than 30 minutes all 300 tickets were scooped up. The tickets sell out quickly every time, Graber says. Though the live shows are a ton of work to write and memorize and perform, they introduce new people to “Gastropod”—and make money. “It’s an additional source of income, which we need. But it’s also a really amazing way to connect with the fans. I mean, people drive for hours to get to the show,” says Graber. “Gastropod” will put on three live shows in 2018—Graber and Twilley held a Boston show in February and will have shows in Florida and Wisconsin later this year. In addition to creating the biweekly podcasts, the duo has plenty of side gigs: Graber teaches radio classes, while Twilley writes for the New Yorker and is finishing two books. The hosts do take breaks— and when they’re taking a break in the middle of an episode, it’s often to eat a little more of what they’re covering. During the making of “Who Faked My Cheese?” “a lot of cheese was consumed,” Graber admits. “It can get a little dangerous.” But gastronomic exploration is part of the plan, she says. “The goal [of “Gastropod”] is to help people be curious and explore their world through new eyes, and hopefully help them try new things and laugh and taste and think,” Graber explains. Jonathan Barlam contributed reporting. scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 49
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!
‘Let Food Be Thy Medicine’ COMMUNITY SERVINGS CRAFTS MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS FOR SOME OF SOMERVILLE’S MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS BY REENA KARASIN
A
woman with diabetes had to call an ambulance every month to stabilize her glucose levels. The financial burden and disruption to her life were enormous. But after getting connected to Community Servings, a Bostonbased nonprofit that serves medically tailored meals to people with critical illnesses, she went six months without having to call 911. Community Servings got its start in the early 1990s to help people living with AIDS get the nutrition they needed. That’s when Cambridge resident David Waters, now CEO of Community Servings, started volunteering with the organization while
50 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
working in the food industry. “As a food person, I knew how important the care of delivering beautiful food was,” he says. “But also, as a young, gay guy, I was looking for a way to cope with the fear and isolation of the height of the AIDS epidemic.” Community Servings has since expanded to help people with dozens of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease. Widely known for its Pie in the Sky fundraiser each Thanksgiving, Community Servings works with 20 communities in the Greater Boston area, including Somerville and Cambridge. The organization serves about 50 clients and about 12,000 meals annually in Somerville, according to a spokesperson. Each meal can address up to three health needs, Waters says. “If you have advanced diabetes, over time it might give you blindness, so you wouldn’t be able to shop and cook for yourself,” he explains. “But it also might attack your kidneys and give you kidney disease. So for diabetes, you would need a meal that was controlling glucose, but as your illness evolved, you would then need to control for potassium for kidney failure, and then somewhere in there you might have a stroke, and you would need to control for what’s called vitamin K, based on being on a blood thinner.” There’s data, in addition to accounts from clients, to back up the organization’s efficacy. A recent study found that eating Community Servings’ meals was correlated with a 16 percent decrease in health care costs. People typically get referred to Community Servings by their doctors, Waters says. Community Servings’ dieticians then work with a client’s care team to make sure the meals are meeting their needs. Community Servings provides enough food for a client’s family—“Knowing that a sick parent is going to give the first meal to their child,” Waters explains—and brings enough food each week for five days’ worth of lunches, dinners, and snacks. Income isn’t a factor in
eligibility for Community Servings, but the organization says that 92 percent of its clients are living in poverty. This statistic shows how many elements can contribute to chronic illnesses, Waters says. Food access and eating habits early in a person’s life can have a large impact on whether they develop chronic illnesses, he explains. Research shows that people of color are significantly more likely to live in food deserts. Sixty-four percent of Community Servings’ clients are people of color. “If you have lived your life struggling financially, or without some of the benefits that the rest of us have, your food choices are much more limited—what you can get in your home, do you live in a food desert—and so you’re often pushed more toward processed foods and less toward healthy fruits and vegetables,” Waters says. “Those are often the things that are going to drive diet-related illnesses, the epidemic of obesity and diabetes, leads to kidney failure, and then on top of that, all the normal aging things.” Community Servings also offers nutrition education to people who are healthy enough to no longer need meals delivered. Rachael Solem, owner of the Irving House and the Harding House in Cambridge, has volunteered with Community Servings, donated to it, and participated in its Pie in the Sky fundraiser for years. She praised the organization’s nutrition education and its food service training, which helps people “facing barriers to employment” get the training they need to work in the food service industry. “Seeing what they’re doing— expanding their services beyond AIDS patients to anyone with lifethreatening illnesses, expanding their service area, and really studying what diets help people get better—everything that they’ve chosen to address they’ve done with great intelligence and care,” Solem says. “They’re my favorite charity because of this.” Photo, top, by Adrianne Mathiowetz: CEO David Waters in the packing and bagging area of Community Servings. Photo, bottom, by Adrianne Mathiowetz. Photos, middle, courtesy of Community Servings.
Liz & Ellie Real Estate You are selling a cherished home or buying your first condo. Being transferred to Greater Boston or starting grad school. Moving on at the end of a relationship or moving in with a new partner. We are patient, experienced, resourceful, and successful. Here to listen carefully, educate you,
and make your buying or selling adventure the best it can be.
Your life, our expertise. A team that works. Liz & Ellie Real Estate Residential Specialists 617-444-9644 lizandellie@compass.com | lizandellie.com scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 51
JUNE 24 •
3 TO 7 P.M.
AT CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF CU LINARY ARTS 2020 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, CA MBRIDGE
6
Lots
COOKING DEMOS
OF BEER AND WINE TASTINGS
1
1
(DOORS OPEN AT 2:30 P.M.)
A L L TO B E NE F I T: FOOD TRUCK
FINAL COOK OFF COMPETITION
(between selected event attendees)
COMMUNITY SERVINGS servings.org
Not-for-profit food and nutrition program providing services to Somerville, Cambridge and throughout Massachusetts and in Rhode Island to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses.
FOOD FOR FREE foodforfree.org
Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach under-served populations.
TICKETS $75.GET YOURS AT: TINYURL.COM/LOCALFLAVOR18 Sponsored by Scout Magazines and Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.
COOKING DEMOS BY:
is
at
TASTINGS AND SAMPLES FROM:
Apply via email to scout@scoutmagazines.com with a note or video explaining why you and a partner would like to participate.
h
ac
ch
WANT TO BE A CONTESTANT?
pe
pea
Teams of two can show off your honed skills or try out something you’ve just learned at the event. Creativity, taste, skill and presentation will be assessed as participants create a dish from a box of farm fresh ingredients provided by Family Dinner. Founders Erin Baumgartner and Tim Fu will be available for feedback and a little direction.
pie
COMPETITION DIRECTED BY FAMILY DINNER
bla ur ck Also try o pie ber y r r e h ry pie peach c cobbler h c and pea
I’ve got all my sisters with me! Each week in June come by for a special Pie for each of the McLeod sisters: (R to L) Petsi, Peanut, Punkin, and Bobbie
285 Beacon St. | Somerville 31 Putnam Ave. | Cambridge 594 Cambridge St. | Cambridge
petsipies.com
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 53
CHA Primary Care Assembly Square Opening June 2018
Make your appointment today! 617-665-1305
Primary care for Every Body As the population of Somerville continues to grow and change, so do we. CHA is bringing the care you need closer to where you live or work: • Evening hours (until 8:00 pm, Mon.-Thurs.)
• Free Parking
• Family Medicine for all ages
• Orange Line Access
AFFILIATED WITH
GR18_159
VOT E O N L I N E AT S C O U T S O M E RV I L L E . C O M
VOTING IS YOUR CIVIC DUTY. (But it’s also a lot of fun!)
Got opinions? Good. Nobody knows Somerville like the people that call it home— that’s why we’re once again asking you to shout out the best our city has to offer. Nominations are open through June 3. To submit your nominations, visit scoutsomerville.com/vote or mail this paper ballot to Banks Publications, 519 Somerville Ave. #314, Somerville, MA 02143. Finalists will be announced in our next issue, out in early July. Make your voice heard!
Best of Wellness HOLISTIC HEALTH SERVICE DENTIST DOCTOR MASSAGE OVERALL GYM YOGA STUDIO ACUPUNCTURE ORTHODONTIST
Best of Beauty HAIR SALON HAIR COLOR HAIRCUT BARBERSHOP EYEBROW SERVICES MANICURE SKIN CARE TATTOO OR PIERCING STUDIO
EYE DOCTOR DERMATOLOGIST PSYCHOTHERAPIST PHYSICAL THERAPY OR PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Best Shopping
Best Arts & Entertainment EVENTS SPACE MUSIC VENUE JEWELRY DESIGN COMEDY SHOW
BIKE SHOP
ART GALLERY
HOME DECOR
PRINT SHOP
GIFT SHOP
LOCAL (NON-SCOUT) MEDIA
THRIFT OR VINTAGE SHOP PET SUPPLIES KIDS’ SHOP FRAME SHOP
VISUAL ARTIST PERFORMING ARTS GROUP KID-FRIENDLY ENTERTAINMENT Continued on next page
VOT E O N L I N E AT S C O U T S O M E RV I L L E . C O M
Best Food
Best Drinks
RESTAURANT OVERALL
WINE SHOP
RESTAURANT IN BALL SQUARE
LIQUOR STORE
RESTAURANT IN DAVIS SQUARE
COCKTAILS
RESTAURANT IN TEELE SQUARE
BARTENDER
RESTAURANT IN MAGOUN SQUARE
BARISTA
RESTAURANT IN UNION SQUARE
BEER PROGRAM
RESTAURANT IN EAST SOMERVILLE
BREWERY OR DISTILLERY
RESTAURANT IN WINTER HILL RESTAURANT IN ASSEMBLY SQUARE
Best Services
RESTAURANT NOT IN A SQUARE
COMMUNITY CLASSES
KID-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT
MOVING COMPANY
VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN
INSURANCE AGENCY
BAR EATS
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
BAKERY
ARCHITECT OR ARCHITECTURE FIRM
MOBILE EATS CHEF SERVICE STAFF SERVER BUTCHER
INTERIOR DESIGN REAL ESTATE AGENT BANK OR CREDIT UNION SHIPPING
COFFEE SHOP OR CAFE
PHOTOGRAPHY OR VIDEOGRAPHY
OUTDOOR DINING
LANDSCAPING
BREAKFAST
FLORIST
BRUNCH
DOG WALKING
SWEET TOOTH SATISFIER
VET
SWEET TAKEOUT
MECHANIC
CATERING CHEAP EATS
Wildcards
GOURMET OR SPECIALTY FOODS SHOP
NEIGHBORHOOD TO EAT IN
PIZZA
NEIGHBORHOOD TO SHOP IN
BURGER
NEIGHBORHOOD TO WORK IN
TACOS
NEIGHBORHOOD TO LIVE IN
SUSHI
DATE NIGHT SPOT
ITALIAN FOOD
PLACE TO PEOPLE WATCH
AMERICAN FOOD
NEW BUSINESS
ASIAN FOOD
OLD FAVORITE
GREEK FOOD
PLACE TO SPLURGE
MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD
ECO-FRIENDLY BUSINESS
LATIN AMERICAN FOOD
LATE NIGHT HAUNT
JUST VISITING
JUST VISITING Students who survived the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School spoke about their push to end gun violence to a packed room at the Harvard Institute of Politics on March 20. We have to empathize. We can’t rely on apathy, that’s been brewing, voter apathy. We can’t be that way anymore ... We can’t settle into that stew of thinking, ‘I can never change anything.’ You need to act.” —Emma González
The greatest satisfaction is understanding our client’s needs to translate their vision into form and functional art.
Architectural Services
• New construction, additions, renovations • Restaurants, homes, and interiors • Sustainable materials and methods
ABOUT JUST VISITING
Renowned photographer and Cambridge resident Mark Ostow has taken portraits of many powerful people in politics and culture, including Barack Obama’s cabinet and several presidential candidates. Just Visiting features Ostow’s snapshots of influential people who are passing through Cambridge and Somerville. Photo by Mark Ostow.
amortondesign.com 617.894.0285 info@aMortonDesign.com scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 57
CALENDAR MAY 18
| MUSIC
AROUND HEAR SPRING GALA 8 p.m., $15-100; free for SHA residents and staff 149 Broadway, Somerville Around Hear, a free chamber music series that is based in the Somerville Housing Authority Mystic River Development, is celebrating its first full season with a concert fundraiser. The gala will include a “wacky piece” composed by Around Hear founder Marji Gere and her husband, Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat, and a dessert reception. The fundraiser will support future Around Hear programming.
MAY 18
| COMEDY
MAY 19
| RUNNING
Photo courtesy of East Somerville Main Streets.
MAY 27
JUNE 2
Photo courtesy of Cambridge Arts Council.
Photo by Glen Kulbako.
| THEATER
T’S 30TH ANNUAL ELEGANZA EXTRAVAGANZA 7:30 p.m., $25 OBERON “Circus. Drag. Burlesque. Dance. Song. Drama. Is it one of OBERON’s most ambitious shows?” Aerialist TtheAmazing has rounded up some of his favorite Boston-area artists for a performance that will “thrill, titillate, excite, astound, and move you.”
JUNE 9
| BOOKS
JUNE 13
| FOOD
TASTE OF SOMERVILLE 5 to 8 p.m., $50 Nathan Tufts Park The annual chance to give your tastebuds a tour of the city is back this June. Last year, Taste drew more than 75 food and drink providers and over 1,500 people. Visitors can expect art installations and music in addition to tons of food at this outdoor event. Proceeds from Taste of Somerville will go to the Walnut Street Center.
JUNE 22-24 Photo by Kyle Klein.
| ARTS
CAMBRIDGE ARTS RIVER FESTIVAL 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Free East Cambridge waterfront (DCR Cambridge Parkway, Lechmere Canal Park) Cambridge Arts is expecting about 150,000 people to attend this annual outdoor arts celebration, which will offer people the chance to watch “staged and roving performances,” buy art from vendors, and even try their own hand at making art.
| DANCE
FESTIVAL OF US, YOU, WE, & THEM Times and prices vary The Dance Complex The Dance Complex considers itself “a home for dance of all forms and for all people,” and this festival is its way of celebrating that mission. The dance studio is still hammering out the details for this festival, but promises it will include classes, presentations, and performances. Last year, the festival included a flash mob, an illumination show, and outdoor dancing.
JUNE 24
Photo by Chris McIntosh.
58 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
| OUTDOORS
SOMERSTREETS: CARNAVAL Throughout the day, Free Lower Broadway (McGrath Highway to Pennsylvania Avenue) Every summer Somerville hosts several SomerStreets festivals, interpretations on the Open Streets concept where streets are temporarily closed to vehicular traffic in favor of outdoor celebrations and activities. The first SomerStreets theme of the year is Carnaval. Last year’s Carnaval event included parkour, short films, craft making, and musical performances.
READER PROM 7:30 p.m., $35-100 Davis Square VFW, 371 Summer St., Somerville Wish that at your high school prom an Author and Illustrator had reigned instead of a Prom King and Queen? Or that your date had been a book? Good news: Porter Square Books is making sure you have the prom of your dreams and that you can support a good cause in the process. You can expect dancing, music, and a cash bar at this book prom, plus well-known authors as “chaperones.” Book donations will go to Y2Y and proceeds will support the Porter Square Books Foundation.
THE OREGON FAIL: YOU HAVE DIED OF COMEDY 7 p.m., $15 The Rockwell Based on the popular but largely impossible-to-beat computer game “The Oregon Trail,” this “improvised period comedy” comes out of exploring “gamecreated danger.” This show debuted at The Rockwell last year, and has since had several sold-out runs at ImprovBoston.
HAPPY SOLES AMERICAN FRESH 5K 11 a.m., Free Starts at 490 Foley Street Think running and beer is a match made in heaven? Lucky for you, every month Somerville Brewing Company holds a 5K run out of its American Fresh Brewhouse in Assembly Row. When you get back from running “there will be plenty of water, snacks, and beer” available for purchase.
JUNE 3
| FOOD
LOCAL FLAVOR 3 to 7 p.m., doors open at 2:30 p.m., $75 Cambridge School of Culinary Arts We’re getting together the people we featured in this issue and other culinary trailblazers in Somerville and Cambridge for a day of food and fundraising. You can expect demos and samples from your favorite local restaurants, wine and beer tastings, and even a meal prep kit challenge. This event will raise money for Community Servings and Food For Free.
HEALTH & WELLNESS DIRECTORY 255 Elm St #302, Somerville 617-684-4000 Leader in clinical bodywork and therapeutic massage since 1997.
Thalia Tringo & Associates Real Estate Lynn 617-216-5244, Jen 617-943-9581
230 Highland Avenue, Somerville 24-hour emergency department 617-665-1000 challiance.org/somerville
MEDWELL HEALTH & WELLNESS
TeamJenandLynn@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
Bringing our expertise and good humor to help you find a perfect home or say good-bye to your old one.
DR. KATIE TALMO, D.M.D.
CHARLES CHERNEY TEAM AT COMPASS REAL ESTATE
180 Highland Ave., Somerville 617-864-6111 Dr. Talmo provides a personalize approach to dental care. Come enjoy a comfortable dental experience in her newly renovated office space.
55 Broadway, Somerville 774-517-5195, medwellhealth.net Medical Marijuana Certifications to fit your needs, in your home or ours.
617-665-1000, challiance.org A Harvard Teaching Hospital that offers primary care, specialty and emergency services, and more.
TEAM JEN & LYNN
CHA SOMERVILLE HOSPITAL
MASSAGE THERAPY WORKS
CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
REAL ESTATE DIRECTORY
617-733-8937 CambridgeRealEstate.com SomervilleRealEstate.com Making your next move a reality.
SOMERVILLE FAMILY PRACTICE
IRENE BREMIS THE IBREMIS TEAM
Prices are already up quite a bit over 2013, which was the strongest market in years. More inventory has started to appear, but it is still not enough to satisfy demand. Consequently, prices should continue to rise in 2014.
1020 Broadway, Somerville 617-628-2160 Please call us for more information on the market, somervillefamilypractice.net or to get a sense of the current value of your home. ~Thalia, Todd, Niké, Jennifer, and Lynn Our New Listings Now accepting new patients.
617-905-5232, irenebremis.com irenebremis@gmail.com Real Estate Consulting, Listing, Marketing, Sales & Rental Specialist.
~ $1,495,000
REVOLUTIONARY CLINICS
67 Broadway, Somerville 617-213-6006, revolutionaryclinics.org Professional, well-respected medical marijuana clinic offering natural solutions to a wide variety of illnesses and chronic conditions.
This is a very rare opportunity to own a single family home with garage on one of the largest lots in Davis Square . The Victorian-era house has 4 bedrooms and one and a half baths on two levels. The detached garage
CHA CAMBRIDGE HOSPITAL
the Morrison Ave. and Grove St., is the very large, open, level yard. Owned by the same family since 1955, this unspoiled home is ready for a new family to make their own updates and memories.
1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge 24-hour emergency department Lovely Agassiz 2 bedroom/2 bath condo with private porch on a pleasant side street between Harvard and Porter Squares. Near great shops, restaurants, and Harvard campus. 617-665-1000 ~ $349,000 challiance.org/cambridge Roomy Ten Hills 2 bedroom/1 bath condo with charming details, reonvated kitchen, parking, ~ $519,000
and storage.
Jennifer Rose
Residential Sales Specialist, ealtor R ® cell/text Jennifer@ThaliaTringoRe alEstate .com
Lynn C. Gr aham
Residential Sales Specialist, ealtor R ® cell/text Lynn@ThaliaTringoRe alEstate .com
LIZ & ELLIE REAL ESTATE AT COMPASS 617-444-9644 lizandellie.com Your Life. Our Expertise. Together, let’s find a home.
~ $229,000 Near Medford Sq., this 1 bedroom/ 1 1/2 bath condo is in an elevator building with parking.
CHA PRIMARY CARE FOR ALL AGES
At 11 CHA care centers in Cambridge and Somerville 617-665-1305 challiance.org/primarycare
Coming Soon
BE. IN UNION YOGA
In the heart of Davis Sq., this 2 bedroom/1 bath condo in a brick building has a parking space.
440 Somerville Ave., Somerville 617-623-9642, beinunion.com Empowering classes, workshops, Renovated 1 bedroom/1 bath near Prospect Hill with central air, in-unit laundry, private porch, and shared yard. trainings and retreats helping you build a practice to fuel your life. Equidistant from Davis and Porter Squares, this 3 bedroom/1.5 bath condo on two levels has in-unit laundry, 2 porches, private yard, and exclusive driveway for 3 cars.
THALIA TRINGO & ASSOCIATES REAL ESTATE
617-616-5091, thaliatringorealestate.com
Our agents strive to make your experience of buying and selling as smooth as possible. From start to finish, we are here to help you. Free classes.
OPEN SPACE COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE 70 Union Square #102, Somerville 617-627-9700 openspaceacupuncture.com Affordable acupuncture in a peaceful community setting. $20-$40 sliding scale. Book Online!
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 59
LOCAL SHOPPING DIRECTORY MAGPIE
416 Highland Ave., Somerville 617-623-3330, magpie-store.com
Unique jewelry, apothecary, art, edibles, housewares and more!
MAGPIE KIDS
95 Elm St., Somerville 617-764-4110, magpiekids.com Modern gifts for modern kids. Clothes, toys, books and more!
STINKY’S KITTENS & DOGGIES TOO
110 Bristol Rd., Somerville, 617-623-0265 stinkyskittens-doggiestoo.com Organic, all-natural & eco-friendly products. Delivery available. Grooming and in-home cat & exotic pet sitting.
SPECIALTY FOOD DIRECTORY SALT & OLIVE
1160 Mass Ave, Cambridge 857-242-4118, saltandolive.com Unique specialty food and wine shop located in Harvard Square, featuring unusual ingredients, flavors, and gifts from around the culinary world.
CARAMEL FRENCH PATISSERIE
235 Elm St., Somerville 617-996-6802, caramelpatisserie.com Authentic French pastry shop by master chef Dimitri Vallier and sister Sophie.
RESTAURANT DIRECTORY AMELIA’S CUCINA
1137 Broadway, Somerville 617-776-2800, ameliascucina.com Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers prepared with care using only the freshest ingredients.
THE DARK HORSE PUBLIC HOUSE
499 Broadway, Somerville 617-629-5302, thedarkhorsepub.com Your friendly, neighborhood pub... with great food.
FRANK’S STEAK HOUSE PETSI PIES
Multiple locations, petsipies.com Inventive baked fare on Cambridge St. and Putnam Ave in Cambridge and Beacon St. in Somerville.
2310 Mass. Ave., Cambridge 617-661-0666, frankssteakhouse.com Prepare to be wowed... by our quality... by our price.
JOSE’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT PORTER SQUARE BOOKS
25 White St., Cambridge 617-491-2220, portersquarebooks.com Porter Square Books is your fiercely independent source for great books, magazines, fun gifts and more.
4GOODVIBES
483 Somerville Ave., Somerville 617-764-0234, 4goodvibes.bigcartel.com Not your typical gift shop! More than 10,000 items from 125+ artists. Plus multiple unique hands-on workshops.
THE JUICE UNION
23 Bow St., Union Sq., Somerville thejuiceunion.com Fresh juices, healthy smoothies, nitro lattes and hearty salads.
131 Sherman St., Cambridge 617-354-0335, josesmex.com Authentic, homemade, Central Mexican Cuisine. Patio, private party room and full bar. Catering also available.
LA POSADA RESTAURANT
505 Medford St., Somerville 617-776-2049, laposadasomerville.com Somerville’s spot for delicious, hand-crafted Latin American cuisine.
LEONE’S SUB AND PIZZA
292 Broadway, Somerville 617-776-2511, leonessubandpizza.com Pizza and subs fit for a king since 1954. Now being delivered by Dash!
60 Food, Glorious Food! | scoutsomerville.com
MASS AVE DINER
906 Mass. Ave., Cambridge 617-864-5301, massavediner.com Since 2010 Serving Killer Brunch and Diner Fare. Now Open Late and Serving Craft Beer and Wine!
MIKE’S FOOD & SPIRITS
PIKLIZ
288 Broadway, Somerville 617-625-6255, piklizint.com Fresh and affordable. Stop by for our all-day $5 chicken and rice special.
FOUNDRY ON ELM
255 Elm St., Somerville 617-628-9999, foundryonelm.com Trendy brasserie-style gastropub for refined pub eats, craft beer and whiskey-centric spirit list.
THE INDEPENDENT
9 Davis Square, Somerville 617-628-2379, mikesondavis.com Pizza, Pasta, Seafood, Burgers and more! Dine in our casual dining room open to Davis Square or watch a game at the bar!
TACO PARTY
711 Broadway, Somerville 617-764-0683, tacopartytruck.com Building tacos from the ground up.
75 Union Sq., Somerville 617-440-6022, theindo.com Warm neighborhood spot offering draft beer, craft cocktails and elevated bar bites, including oysters.
MIX-IT RESTAURANT
ZUZU RESTAURANT
BRASS UNION
MODELO’S MARKET CAFE
SALOON
TUPELO
1678 Mass. Ave., Cambridge 617-547-0212, mixitrestaurant.com Unique selection of traditional Asian specialties from sushi to noodles and grilled dishes.
501 Medford St., Somerville 617-625-2868, modelosmarket.com Full breakfast cooked to order, lunch and dinner buffet, sandwiches, pastries, coffee bar and custom cakes.
OLDE MAGOUN’S SALOON 518 Medford St., Somerville magounssaloon.com, 617-776-2600 Local bar featuring 28 lines of craft beer, cask ale and delicious food.
OPA GREEK YEEROS
378 Highland Ave., Somerville 617-718-2900, opayeeros.com Authentic Greek cuisine and a lively atmosphere. Expanding soon!
474 Mass. Ave., Cambridge 617-864-3278 mideastoffers.com/zuzu Serving Mama Sater’s recipes for more than 40 years.
255 Elm St., Somerville 617-628-4444, saloondavis.com Refined, speakeasy-style pub known for its beer and whiskey options also serving elevated bistro eats.
RIVER BAR
661 Assembly Row, Somerville 617-616-5561, river-bar.com Hip spot for eclectic street food with a covered patio featuring fire pits and Mystic River views.
70 Union Sq., Somerville 617-623-9211, brassunion.com American tavern in a former police HQ with cocktails, DJs and a patio with giant Jenga and lawn games.
1193 Cambridge St., Cambridge 617-868-0004, tupelo02139.com Tupelo serves up a new take on old favorites creating its own brand of comfort food with a southern drawl.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OUR FOOD EVENT!
JUNE 24
3 TO 7 P.M.
(DOORS OPEN AT 2:30 P.M.)
AT CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS 2020 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, CAMBRIDGE
scoutsomerville.com | Food, Glorious Food! 61
2 PHOTO CONTESTS
FOOD PHOTO CONTEST Give your favorite Somerville or Cambridge restaurant a shout-out and you could win a gift card to that restaurant! HOW IT WORKS:
1. Take a picture of your go-to dish with Scout’s “Food, Glorious Food!” Issue at your favorite Somerville or Cambridge restaurant. 2. Email the photo to scout@scoutmagazines.com and post the picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and be sure to tag us. 3. W e’ll pick our favorite photo to be printed in our next magazine and the lucky winner will receive a gift card to the restaurant in their photo!
SUMMER PHOTO CONTEST Sponsored by Irving House and Harding House
Wherever your travels take you this summer, be sure to take your Scout along! Take a photo with Scout on your vacation and at the end of the summer we’ll highlight the farthest trip, the most creative photo, and the funniest submission. HOW IT WORKS:
1. Take a picture with a copy of Scout on your summer vacation or enjoying your favorite summer activities. 2. Email the photo to scout@scoutmagazines.com and post the picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and be sure to tag us. 3. Each of our three winners will win $50 and a night stay at Irving House or Harding House. More prizes to be announced in next edition, out in July.
CHARMING COMFORT, CAMBRIDGE CONVENIENCE
FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE HEART OF CAMBRIDGE SINCE 1945
We are available 8 am to 10 pm daily at 617-876-2888 to answer questions and help with reservations.
We are available 24 hours a day at 617-547-4600 to answer questions and help with reservations.
www.harding-house.com • Breakfast buffet with a daily home-cooked special • All day coffee, tea, snacks
www.irvinghouse.com • Internet – Guest computer/printer • TV – Free Local Phone Calls
• Limited Off-street Parking FREE with DIRECT BOOKING • Convenient Cambridge location
• Guest fridge & microwave in dining room • Non-smoking
AUTHENTIC, HOMEMADE, CENTRAL MEXICAN CUISINE
Owner, Carlos Mendez and his team welcome you to Jose’s
JOSE PARK’S FREE ING!
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617-354-0335 • JOSESMEX.COM 131 SHERMAN ST., CAMBRIDGE
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Jose’s is a daily celebration of Mexico’s vibrant history and culture. Centuries of conquest, independence and revolution have left us with a diverse culinary heritage and a generous appetite for festivity. At Jose’s you will find authentic, homemade, Central Mexican cuisine in the warm, gracious atmosphere of a Mexican country estate. Our bar features a wide selection of tequilas and margaritas, as well as a unique menu. We were raised on home cooked food prepared from fresh local ingredients, according to generations of family tradition. We look forward to sharing that heritage with you.
Our patio is open and we have a private party room upstairs. Yes! We can cater your event.
Now Accepting Applications for Fall
Ignite Your Culinary Passion! PROFESSIONAL CHEF’S AND PASTRY PROGRAMS
For the serious enthusiasts and future or current culinary professionals, our next 16 and 37-week programs in culinary and pastry arts start Thursday, September 6. Enjoy full use of our commercial-grade, fully-stocked kitchens Benefit from small, intimate classes for better learning Make the most of lifetime placement services and career support
RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS
From technique-driven series to more easy-going date night classes, we have something for everyone. Learn more and sign up on our online calendar. Regional Series Vegetarian Date Nights Teen Classes And More! Find a class on our online calendar and sign up for a culinary adventure!
PRIVATE AND CORPORATE EVENTS
Planning a birthday party, bachelor or bachelorette outing, family reunion, or staff outing? Make it one for the books with a private cooking event! All events are customizable, starting with a minimum of 8 people.
Feed your Body. Feed your Mind. Feed your Soul. Give us a call to start planning your next culinary adventure!
www.CambridgeCulinary.com 2020 MASSACHUSETTS AVE | CAMBRIDGE, MA 02140 | 617.354.2020
JUNE 24•3 TO 7 P.M. (DOORS OPEN AT 2:30 P.M.)
AT CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS BENEFITTING:
COMMUNITY SERVINGS & FOOD FOR FREE
@CambridgeCulinary
@theCSCA
@CambridgeCulinary
6 COOKING DEMOS 1 FOOD TRUCK LOTS OF BEER AND WINE TASTINGS & 1 FINAL COOK OFF COMPETITION BETWEEN SELECTED EVENT ATTENDEES
TICKETS $75. GET YOURS AT: TINYURL.COM/LOCALFLAVOR18