Wellesley Business Buzz: Popping by Popovers at Church Square; Takara becoming Katara; Bernardi Nissan now Matthews Nissan
The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:
Popping by Popovers at Church Square
With the exterior sign going up for Popovers at Church Square in the former Cachet space, it could be just a matter of weeks before the new Wellesley bakery and bistro opens. As we’ve reported previously, a variety of popovers and popover sandwiches will be the lead items on a wider menu that’s still being finalized (wraps will also be offered, as will coffees, teas, and flavored beverages).
The menu ideas are making their way from the Natick kitchen of husband-and-wife Carl Parisien and Morgan Shaffrath. I stopped by the Church Street space this week and spoke briefly with Parisien, sitting at a desk surrounded by metal framing, stacks of chairs, and kitchen equipment, all illuminated by a large skylight and a brightly repainted tin ceiling.
An IT director at Northeastern University, Parisien has long had an interest in cooking and doing something in the food industry. “I’m a foodie,” he said. Parisien described cooking for his three sons as they were growing up, and said it’s now or never for him to give a restaurant a go. He also said his wife bakes.
“We’ve developed a batter that makes huge popovers,” Parisien said, showing off convection and multi-purpose commercial ovens to be used in the kitchen. The recipes, Parisien adds, are all oil-free.
Parisien said his wife will be “running the show.” She brings operational experience as a district manager for Dunkin’ stores.
As for the basics of getting the shop in shape, Popovers has been able to leverage a grease trap tied in with neighboring Smith & Wollensky—grease traps can be a big and expensive hurdle for new restaurants. Electrical, plumbing, and other work is moving along, and Parisien said he’s feeling good about the new eatery’s progress.
“Every week we turn a corner,” he said.
Hopefully you’ll soon be able to turn a corner and find that Popovers is open for breakfast and lunch.
Takara becoming Katara
Longtime Linden Street restaurant Takara is readying to change its name to Katara. We were informed about this as we visited the Takara/Katara table at the Rotary Club of Wellesley’s Taste of Wellesley event this week.
It wasn’t entirely clear why the name of the Japanese restaurant is changing (at first we thought it was a typo…), but a coupon handed to us referenced a “shift in ownership.”
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Bernardi Nissan now Matthews Nissan
The Bernardi Nissan dealership on Rte. 9 (962 Worcester St. in Wellesley) has changed hands and is now called Matthews Nissan of Wellesley.
We reached out to both companies to find out why the departure and arrival, and will update this if we hear back.
What we do know from the Matthews website is that this marks the family-owned company’s foray into Massachusetts. Matthews now has 16 dealerships, three of them focused on Nissans.
Bernardi Auto Group still has a handful of nearby dealerships focused on various car brands.
Hat tip to Swellesley reader KD for the heads up on this.
Know of businesses coming or going? Don’t keep it to yourself: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
Modern Wellness keeps current with the latest in spa treatments
We’ve been hearing some buzz about Modern Wellness, a new spa at 1644 Concord St. (Mill 1), in the Saxonville area of Framingham. Owned by Lucas Machado, offerings at Modern Wellness include compression therapy, a salt chamber, a steam room, an infrared sauna, warm water hydrotherapy, cold plunge tub, and more. Our angle: Machado and his dad Nilton brought the Curbs landscape design and construction management firm to Wellesley.