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Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend

Wellesley Business Buzz: New parklets popping up; Papa Razzi taps GM; Babson Beaver Bite

May 12, 2022 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, MA business news:

New Wellesley Square parklets

In an effort to make it more enticing to hang out in Wellesley Square, the town is readying two new parklets where you’ll be able to sit down, have a bite, and maybe play or game or listen to tunes.

As you may recall, the town last year set up parklets outside the Juniper and Old School Pizzeria restaurants.

The more elaborate of the two new ones will be at the intersection of Central Street and Cross Street, in between where the Gap was and Ardan Medspa + Salon operates. Wellesley is planning to open this parklet in June once it gets the equipment needed.

The parklet will be funded with some of the $100K recently earmarked to the town from the state for such purposes. Materials being acquired will include barriers, planters, chairs, umbrellas, some green turf that could be used for a games area (cornhole, checkers, etc.). “Just really make it a fun gathering spot for people to come, maybe get some local food, do some shopping, and then just hang out in the square,” said Amy Frigulietti, assistant executive director for the town, during the May 9 Select Board meeting. The goal would be to have the space set up for the summer, and possibly the fall if it goes well.

parklet wellesley square
Rendering of Cross Street parklet (via Wellesley Media recording of May 9 Select Board meeting)

 

The other parklet will be on the section of Grove Street heading toward the Post Office and near Cafe Mangal, which has agreed to maintain the area. The parklet will take over two parking spaces, and include some furniture where the public can sit and relax. (It is not a formal Cafe Mangal dining area, as was the town hall green area that the restaurant was able to use earlier in the pandemic. The Natural Resources Commission has discontinued allowing that out of concern of having a for-profit entity use the public space for business.)

It’s possible this parklet could be set up before the end of May.

Grove st parklet
Grove Street parklet, as shown during May 9 Select Board meeting (screenshot from Wellesley Media recording)

Papa Razzi taps new GM

Christine Coogan of Milford, Mass., has been named general manager of Papa Razzi Wellesley, responsible for leading the restaurant and management team. Coogan previously worked as the assistant general manager for the Barking Crab in Boston’s Seaport district as well as Back Bay Restaurant Group.


Babson Beaver Bite

A group of Babson College students graduating this weekend will get to showcase the Beaver Bite beverage they’ve created at the Wellesley school’s commencement ceremonies this weekend. Some 2,500 cans of the lemon-line drink will be available there.

They conceived of the non-alcoholic drink while consulting for the AstraLuna distillery and distributor in Medfield as part of Babsons’s Management Consulting Field Experience program.

What a way to commemorate Babson's Class of 2022. Introducing Beaver Bite – a non-alcoholic, lemon-lime beverage created by a group of MCFE students for all our graduating undergraduate and F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business students. #Babson2022 https://t.co/K8trqtybHf pic.twitter.com/WLuKVH3gTH

— Babson College (@babson) May 10, 2022


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Letter carriers’ food drive this Saturday to benefit Wellesley Food Pantry

May 12, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Food Pantry
Photo credit: Wellesley Food Pantry

This Saturday, May 14, the Wellesley Post office is supporting the Wellesley Food Pantry as part of the 30th annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Letter carriers will pick up food donations from residents’ homes and deliver them to the pantry at the end of their work day.  Residents are asked to package their donations into sturdy bags and place them near their mailboxes in visible locations in the morning.

While the pantry gratefully accepts donations of all unexpired nonperishable items, the following are among the most needed items:

  • Pasta
  • Raisins
  • Fruit canned in juice
  • Low/no salt canned vegetables
  • Canned salmon and sardines.

Please avoid glass containers for the safety of the letter carriers and pantry volunteers.

Alternatively, residents may bring their donations to the pantry during regular curbside collection hours (Mondays 2-3pm) or to the permanent collection bins inside Whole Foods or Roche Bros. any time during their business hours.


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Filed Under: Food, Volunteering

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Wellesley restaurant visit: La Toscana’s is a new spot for pizza, smoothies, and more

April 22, 2022 by Deborah Brown 8 Comments

It’s been over two years since Upper Crust served up its last slice of pizza at 99 Central Street in Wellesley Square before the place went dark for good. With the soft opening this week of La Toscana’s, it seems clear that pizza is in the very DNA of the storefront space, situated across the street from the fire station. During a weekday lunch visit, the long, narrow, brightly lit dining area offered seating for 16 at five tables. Customers ordered slices, whole pies, salads, and smoothies—some dined in, some took their food to-go. Curious passers-by popped their heads in to take a gander at the place that moved fast to open within three months of getting the Select Board’s thumbs up.

La Toscana's opening sign

La Toscana’s serves up over over a dozen specialty pizzas, and prices range from $14 for a small 14″ cheese pizza with house-made tomato sauce, four cheeses (mozzarella, parmigiano, romano, and asiago) to $29 for a large 18″ La Carne with house-made tomato sauce,  meatballs, and Italian sausage.

We tried out the cheese pizza, reasoning if they can do the classics well, that bodes well for the rest of the menu. The pizza comes into the world in the usual way. The in-view kitchen staff first rolls out the dough with a wooden rolling pin on a stainless steel table scattered with flour, in the service of making a thin-crust pizza with a crispy, but not charred, outer edge (purists know that edge as the cornicione). From there it’s popped into an industrial pizza oven for ten or so minutes.

Served to our table piping hot on the universally recognized sign for pizza, a round metal tray, and elevated on a serving stand,  the red sauce had a nice tang to it, and the cheese sang beautifully in four-part harmony. That cornicone was crunchy perfection, and anyone who leaves it behind should be banned from ever eating pizza again.

La Toscana's restaurant, Wellesley
Crisp salad, cheesy pizza, a substantial sandwich, and a  sunshiny smoothie made for a good lunch at La Toscana’s.

Diners seeking something beyond the simplicity of a cheese pizza can have La Toscana’s create a dream pie from a list of 25 toppings including ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, portobello and shiitake mushrooms, Calabrian peppers, olives, and bacon.

With a choice of six salads, it’s easy to get in your veggies here. The simple green salad ($13) worked for us with its mix of  romaine, spinach, and cherry tomatoes, topped with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. The dash of microgreens was a nice high-end sort of touch, easy enough to omit on the grounds of “too fancy,” but also easy enough to make happen. We were glad for such lunchtime pampering. Balsamic dressing was served on the side. We overheard an employee from a nearby business raving over her salad, complimenting the staff on the fresh ingredients and nice presentation.

Additional menu items include short ribs lasagna and vegetarian lasagna, as well as sandwiches. We had the Balsamico ($9.99) with chicken breast, mozzarella, roasted red pepper, pesto, and balsamic vinegar, which was good-sized and had a nice balance of the listed ingredients. Some other sandwich choices include meatball, hot buffalo chicken, and tuna salad.

La Toscana's restaurant, Wellesley
La Toscana’s interior. Additional seating includes two 2-person high-tops in the windows facing Central Street, good for people watching.

A chalkboard boasts a roster of 15 or so smoothies, some fruity, one kale-based (can’t ever forget the kale, right?), and some spiced with a taste of cinnamon or tumeric. Our coconut mango smoothie was a thick, refreshing, and happy-looking citrus delight. For $10 ($1 more to add in protein powder) we got a 20-ounce serving, which is the sole option and which seems way too supersized to us. We don’t see ourselves sipping our way through the smoothie menu until a smaller size becomes an option.

La Toscana’s is strictly a casual place. Nobody’s putting on fine-china airs here. Come as you are for good food served on paper plates, with plenty of paper napkins to keep it tidy. Utensils are plastic, trussed up in a clear plastic cocoon, waiting to be ripped open and called into service. There’s a selection of canned and bottled sodas and juices you can grab from the cooler. No messy self-service soda guns here. The lighting is bright and functional, and there are warm wooden accents throughout from the ceiling to the vintage schoolroom-style chairs.

The background music and the two flatscreen TVs weren’t yet up and running, but will get hooked up soon. Owner Paul Boucher, whose A New Leaf healthy food grocery has been operating in Needham since 2004, has put his energies in opening the doors and getting the food served. Fine-tuning the dining experience to happen bit by bit.

RESTAURANT: La Toscana’s
ADDRESS: 99 Central Street, Wellesley Square


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Wellesley Business Buzz: Fiorella’s selling sauce online; Mathnasium now on Washington St.

February 13, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, MA business news:

Fiorella’s selling sauce online
Fiorella’s, which includes the Fiorella’s Express location in Wellesley, has begun selling bottled sauce online and in stores.
Either Marinara or Fra Diavolo (or a variety pack() costs $50 per a half dozen 25-oz. bottles.

fiorella's Owner Rémon Karian has been hands-on developing the sauce line.

“It’s something I’ve been working on for a number of years. We started out just selling in the restaurant, then we started selling it to some retail stores, and now we just launched our ecommerce site,” he says. “It’s still available at a number of retailers and our restaurants as well.”

They’re selling it in six packs because that’s what worked to justify shipping rates and carrying costs.

“Hopefully, we’ll make some adjustments as we go. We will also be adding a subscription option in the future,” Karian says. “The ecommerce site is still in the infancy stage and we’re learning every day. Consumer packaged goods is a whole new world to me.”

Business is good for Fiorella’s. Karian says they’re planning to open a location in Lexington Center this summer.

They have other locations in Belmont, Brighton, Concord, and Newtonville.

 

Mathnasium now on Washington Street

Mathnasium, a chain of educational outlets that teach math to kids in 1st through 8th grade, has opened a location at 464 Washington St., next door to The Barber’s Chair in the former Pine Straw space.
This Mathnasium team previously had its Wellesley location on Rte. 9.
The business offers help to kids who need help, are advanced, or fall somewhere in between.
If we have our math correct, Mathnasium is located less than a mile down Washington Street from the Russian School of Math, and just a half mile from Wellesley Middle School.
mathnasium washington st

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Wellesley Business Buzz: We visit Cheesy Street Grill; Babson seeking partners

January 29, 2022 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, MA business news:

We visit Cheesy Street Grill

Cheesy Street Grill, WellesleyCheesy Street Grill owner and Wellesley resident Geoff Moorehead and his family moved into town in 2017, and the former Fidelity Investment Consultant hasn’t looked back. When researching business opportunities in the area, a Cheesy Street franchise looked like a good way to put his financial acumen to work. So in 2019 Moorehead opened his doors to serve grilled cheese sandwiches and other comfort foods to the many athletes, families, and others who have found the fast/casual concept spot inside the Boston Sports Institute.

Geoff is a true believer in the product he puts out, and says he has a cheddar bacon grilled cheese with caramelized onions for lunch every day. How does he do this and not gain weight, I wanted to know. “Everyone asks me that,” he says, explaining that his grilled cheeses are an excellent high-protein meal and that he preps the bread for himself the same way he does for his customers—easy on the butter.

My cheddar bacon with caramelized onions (if it’s good enough for Geoff…) was served piping hot within five minutes, and I loved every one of the ten minutes it took me to gobble down the cheesy goodness. After that, I went upstairs to burn it off on the elevated walking track. That’s not a perk just for Cheesy Street customers. Anyone can use the 9/10 of a mile two-lane oval that overlooks route 9.

Other menu offerings: soups, soft pretzels, smoothies, sweet baked goods.

Cheesy Street Grill

Located in The Boston Sports Institute
900 Worcester Street (route 9 eastbound), Wellesley, MA
781-489-3187

Fanciest menu item: The All Star—goat cheese, fig jam, and red-wine caramelized onions.
Bread: gluten-Free and wheat bread available upon request.
Salad: There’s a chicken caesar, if you must. Is it in the bylaws that every Wellesley restaurant must have a chicken caesar salad on the menu, or face sanctions? Cheesy Street is in compliance.
Dining room: Several 4-seat booths along one wall of the cavernous Boston Sports Institute lobby. Not fancy.


Babson seeking partners

Babson College’s Graduate Office of Experiential Learning is accepting proposals until Feb. 15 from organizations for its May 2022 programs. The program matches up organizations with student consulting teams.


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Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley

Restaurants in Wellesley, Mass.— a visit to Captain Marden’s

November 4, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Captain Marden's, WellesleyWe really love raw oysters, but we’re the type to wait until the waters of Cape Cod get cold before indulging our craving. Rule of thumb says oysters are ideally enjoyed during months with an “R” in them because the molluscs tend to be larger and less watery than summer, which is prime breeding time for oysters.

We’ve been patient long enough. It’s November, and I can see the “r” in that word. Oyster breeding time is over. The Atlantic is so very cold. Conditions are officially perfect for slurping down a dozen, so we headed over to Captain Marden’s Table and Takeaway, a casual Linden Street standby, beloved by locals. The Captain serves Wellfleet oysters up just the way we like them—fresh and simple, on ice with a couple slices of lemon and some cocktail sauce on the side.

It was a good call. Everyone who orders up a dozen oysters knows that there’s always a small one in the batch artfully tucked under a kale leaf or some such. The one that’s not worth the $2.75 (that’s the Captain’s price) or more  per oyster. Not in our order. All 12 were hefty, hearty, glistening examples of oyster-dom. Each of the briny 12 went down nice and easy as we sat at the 6-seat bar (note: it’s bring your own alcohol at Captain Marden’s, should you want to go all out and have champagne with your oysters).

We also tried out a bowl of clam chowder, cream-based New England-style, of course. There’s none of that tomato-based Manhattan clam “chowder” nonsense at the Captain’s. Lots and lots of clams made it into each savory spoonful, right down to the very bottom of the bowl.

Some other items on the dinner menu include grilled garlic shrimp; fried Point Judith calamari; lobster, steamed or baked and stuffed; seafood Fra Diavolo; burgers and chicken nuggets; and all manner of broiled or fried seafood, done with simplicity.

There’s a fish market adjacent to the restaurant that has a lobster tank; plenty of fresh fish; fresh oysters and clams; creamy soups; and more in the store-length showcase. Deliveries arrive twice daily from the business’ wholesale division. Although the dining room is currently open for dinner only, the onsite Cod Squad Food Truck serves lunch.

RESTAURANT: Captain Marden’s Table and Takeaway
LOCATION: 279 Linden Street, Wellesley, MA
DINING ROOM HOURS: Mon.-Wed., 4pm-8pm; Thur., 3pm-8pm; Fri., 3pm-9pm, Sat., 3pm-9pm, Sun., closed

See the Captain Marden’s website for information on fish market and food truck hours.

OF NOTE: Captain Marden’s Table and Takeaway is one of the 48 restaurants included in the Rotary Club of Wellesley’s “Dinner on Us” fundraiser. With your purchase of a raffle ticket, you could win a gift card to treat yourself, or give it as a gift to a friend. Tickets are available until Nov. 15th. The drawing is Nov. 16th.

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A very Swellesley Red Sox-Yankees wildcard playoff game

October 6, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

No sooner did I enter Fenway Park Monday night for the Red Sox-Yankees wildcard playoff game than I ran across a food booth manned by old Wellesley favorite Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger restaurant fame.

Now he’s selling a more substantial version of the Mings Bings once offered by the restaurant. These are plant-based and rice-wrapped morsels in various flavors, including cheeseburger and sausage & peppers.

Mings Bings at Fenway

Mings Bings was making a special appearance under the stands near Gate B, though you can also find the product at local grocery stores and online.

Mings Bings at Fenway

Later during the Yankees elimination party, I spied a couple of familiar Wellesley faces on the big screen. Naturally, one of them was superfan Lynne Smith, the famous hat lady. I wasn’t quick enough with my camera to grab a photo or video of that, but Major League Baseball recently paid homage to Lynne via TikTok.


If you’re ever hard up for a Fenway playoff date, please don’t hesitate: [email protected]

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