Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest restaurants and giving you
the inside scoop on where to wine, dine and spend
your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought giving
you something to chew on.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hi, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought. Billy Costa here
and this is a pleasure. Lisa Dunovan, who is my
partner on the Billy and Lisa Morning Show on Kiss,
is our first guest on Food for Thought. That's because Lisa,
your book club has exploded. Well thanks for having me, Bill, Well,
(00:41):
thanks for being here right a home. Huh.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
It totally is and I love that you invited me
on the show. Yeah, the book club has really become
a fun event for so many people. We started it
about two years ago and just to give like a
brief history on how it happened, Yeah, I was meeting
my friend Jackie who you know, at the Beacon Hill
book Shop. It had just opened on Charles Street in Boston,
(01:06):
and I got there a little early and there was
a line around the block and I was like, what
is going on? And it was like all these young girls.
And I stopped one of the girls and she's like, Oh,
we're waiting in line for the bookstore. And I said,
you're waiting the line for a bookstore. This is crazy.
It's like a sneaker lunch. So I went back. I
didn't wait in the line. My friend Jack and I
(01:26):
went and we got a drink and I was like,
I think there's something to this. I think people are
back into reading. So I came in and I talked
to you about the idea, and we're like, let's do it.
So I threw it on social. We called our friend
Joe Mazzi over at Big Night, and I wanted to
focus on local authors because we have so many great
local authors that come from New England. So I said,
(01:47):
let's focus on local authors. So I called Ben Mazick,
who's a friend of the show, and I said, Hey,
would you be willing to be our first author guest nairst.
She jumped right in and like no hesitation. He was like,
I love this idea. So then we called Joe Mazzy.
We got this space at mystique at Encore. They were
(02:08):
so nice. So our first event was like a month later,
and I think we had like forty people show up.
I just throw it on social and said DM me
if you want to come. Literally that's how it started,
and then off we went. So Ben was my first guest.
We had Rob Cocuzzo, Jenny Johnson's husband as my second guest.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
And that's kind of interesting because Jenny is my partner
on this radio show, right and her husband Rob was
one of your first guests on the book Club.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
He's written several novels about not novels. He's written several
accounts of extreme skiing that he's done and then he
did this extreme bike trip with his.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Dad thru Italy.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Yeah, So he's a fabulous writer. So he was my
second guest. Was so happy to have him, and then
we've had Since then, the book Club has grown to
include Caroline Kepnis, who is from the Cape. She grew
up on the Cape, she went to Brown University, wrote
the U series. She lives in La now, so she
was we were lucky enough to get her. And then
(03:06):
Ellen Hildebrand has done the book Club twice and she
did it the first time with Hotel Nantucket, and don't
you remember we had to go to a bigger space.
We had to move from mystique to memoir and we
had about five.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Hundred people, a huge crowd. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, Ellen is such a huge author. And then Ellen
agreed to do it again. Just a couple of weeks
ago we went to Nantucket, so the book club was
on the move and we did her last book about Nantucket,
her twentieth book called Swan Song. And then she also
talked about her book The Perfect Couple that's being made
(03:43):
into the Netflix series that comes out September fifth, And didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
You send winners for like three or four nights to
Nantucket for that was free hotels?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Okay, so that was a big promotion we did with
one of our partners. Now we have sponsors for the
book club and Sellers jumped on board and they're a
local company, Latitude Beverage and ninety plus Sellers is their
wine brand and they have some great wines from all
over the world. And they sent someone to Nantucket for
(04:13):
like a three nights day and you got to go
to the Ellen Hildebrand sold out event, and.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I wanted to have you on this week because this
coming Wednesday. I know it's only Sunday night, but this
coming Wednesday, you've got your next book club event. It's
at Joson Maine. It is in Burlington.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yes, so Joson Maine has a beautiful store in Burlington
and we are bringing the book club to them two
hundred people and our guest is Aaron Gates. She is
a New York Times bestselling author of design books. She's
in a tior decorator, she's an influencer. So we'll have
a great conversation about like how to refresh your space,
(04:50):
how to do kids spaces, how to get organized.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And it's a beautiful store and it's.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
A beautiful star so you can shop, you can, you know,
drink some ninety plus sellers wines and have a time.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And I really believe, because I've witnessed it firsthand, the
book club and it's growth, it's enormous growth. I really
believe that you're responsible for getting a lot of New
Englander's reading. Again, well that's what they tell me.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I mean, because the book club isn't about like did
you read the whole book? You know, because That's why
I never joined a book club in my area because
I always felt like they're going to know I didn't
read the whole book because I didn't have time. I
had young kids and a lot of people you just
think you're working. So this book club literally was born
out of read one chapter, read one page, just have
an interest in reading and learning more. And that's how
(05:36):
it started. And I think that that's why people love
coming because friendships have developed through the book club. People
literally are now like they meet each other at the
book club every time we have an event.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I think we need to point out that every single
one of your book club events sells out like almost immediately.
They do.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And we also do things like book and a movie
with Showcase, which has been really popular. We did the
Dumb Money movie with Ben Mazick, and we just we
did the Judy Bloom book, and we just did the
It Ends with Us, the Blake Lively film most recently.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
And you'll be it's because Showcase Cinemas is kind of
an ongoing partner.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
They are they are, They're an amazing partner. And I
want to also thank dig Our Wealth Management they are
also a partner.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Okay, so the next event is this coming Wednesday is
their room because you sell out.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yeah, if you want to go, just dm me follow
me on Instagram Lisa Donovan one o eight and if
you'd like to check out the book club, we'd love
to have you. Just DM me and I will get
in touch and I'll put you on my special guest list.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And the important thing to mention again there's no charge.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
No charge is for you, and I need to mention
we raise money through a raffle for Raising a Reader Massachusetts,
which which teaches families how to read to their kids.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
So if people want to go this coming Wednesday night
to joson Mane and Burlington to see you. Actually, the
whole Billy and Lisa Morning Show is going Wednesday too. Well,
there's going to be some good food there and some
good wine. I figure Baker's best. Do people go? How
do they sign up for Wednesday night?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
They can just DM me so because the registration is
now closed. So just dm me Lisa Donovan one oh
eight and tell me that you want to come, and
I will put you on my personal guest list.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
All right, that's Lisa Dunavan from The Billy and Lisa
Morning Show on Kiss by the way every weekend weekday
six until ten. Well, I guess i'll see you in
the morning. I'll see you in the morning and we'll
take a break. When we come back. We're going to
take you to Gloucester, an incredibly incredible place in Gloucester
and that's up next to don By.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets Hey.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought once again. Want
to thank Lisa Dunnovan for joining us a couple of
minutes ago talking about her book club and again will
be at justin Maine in Burlington this coming Wednesday night.
All you have to do is DM Lisa. It's typically
sold out and I think is but she might be
able to put you on a on a last minute list.
But right now in studio, I'm joined by Paul Delhio's
good to see you, Paul. How are you you doing?
(07:58):
I'm doing fine. God. You have been in the food
business in the New England area. Is it more than
forty years?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Yeah? Yeah, boys, so you forty.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Kind of got into food and the food industry kind
of when I got into broadcasting.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
I might have done it a little bit before you,
because I possibly my father had a diner in Chelsea
way back, and I remember going in there when I
was four years old and I peeled potatoes in the
back with my grandfather.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Oh my god. So okay, see you've got Pollo's Kachina
Italiana which is in Sagas.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Right, yes, on Lincoln Avenue.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
So you started in the business at four years old
and with capacity, Well, I.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Would go in the back room and I'd help my
grandfather peel the potatoes for the home fries in the diner.
And then later later on, my dad had a don
a chopping lynn. It was called Missus Foster's and I
worked there.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Who was Missus Foster.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
Missus Foster's were the original folks that started it in
nineteen thirty three. Ah my predated donkeys, you know imagine
by twenty something is yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
So you had donuts to pre dated Dunkin.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Donuts the recipe they had, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Wow, definitely. Okay, So you got a little training there
as a young kid, and then I kind of grew
up in the industry where a house well.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
My uh, my dad and mom had cane stonuts in Saugust.
So I worked there and I ran that for them,
and then I decided to open up a small little well, actually,
let me let me jump in.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
That's okay.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
They had that, and then I decided I was going
to open a restaurant up at the Game on golf
course and Lynn, oh my god. And that was really successful,
and we were doing all the golf outings sure, and
it was nice because it was seasonal and I'd be
able to grab a couple of months in the winter.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Off there you go.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
You know, So I always liked going out to California
and Phoenix.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And well, now that you've got Pollows in, I don't
think you're getting the winter. I'm there all the time.
It's a tough business.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
It is a tough business especially.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
So why did you do it? Why did you open
Pillows in Saugus?
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Well, you know, I saw, I saw the space. It
was available. It was a nice little space, and I
looked at what was in in uh in Saugus for
a little mom and pop Italian restaurant, there were no options.
So I decided to open something up and and uh
it's become really popular ever since.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
And almost everything in Saugus is on Route one, but
Polo's no, it's in Trina, Italiana, is not. It's what
a mile or so off We're one exactly.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
It's it's on Lincoln Avenue, you know, if somebody takes
the Essex Street exit from uh, from from Route one
and then you follow it east heading in towards Lynn. Yeah. Yeah,
it's on the right hand side. It's in Coggliano Plaza.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And we need to acknowledge your partner, Jen, and Jen
has had an interesting history in the culinary world because
she did some stuff with Marianna's Posito. Yes, yes, she's
a good friend of mine. I love Marianna's Posito. She's
been on my TV show many times. So she did
some stuff with Chow Italia.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yes she did. And uh, you know, she handles all
the social media there and everything that that we do
with the restaurant in that regard, and you know, watches
over me, uh, you know, to make sure that I'm
not uh, you know, slipping up with anything. You know,
she's really uh, she's she's been great over the years.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
So walk us into the front doors of Pollows in Saugus.
Give us an idea what the space is like. What
the environment is like.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
So you'll walk in the front door a pollows. You'll
see a small bar that has about uh it's a
it's a white quartz bar, and and it has five
seats at the bar right now. And then just opposite
that there's there's a wall with a with another quartz
bo top. And you'll see a picture of Sophila around there.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Of course you will. And uh, you know, I once
met her, did you how's that? You know anybody else
that could tell you, Hey, I once met I don't
know anyone. I was broadcasting from the Academy Awards and
she was getting a Lifetime Achievement Awards, so I got
to interview her backstage.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
She was beautiful, still a beautiful one.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
She was beautiful. She is alive, right.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Yes she is. Okay, it's always good to let me
tell you. You walk in the door and you see you
see some chandeliers hanging from in there, not not like
crystal shando, yes anything, the different type, but they're hanging
in the and the dining room is is it's a
gray color. It's got a brown floor. We've actually got
(12:23):
on on either side of the dining room, we have
church pews that we make that we used as benches,
and then we have the tables all lined up, and
then we have the single single chairs opposite that.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
What kind of capacity are we talking?
Speaker 4 (12:38):
We can put about fifty people in there.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Okay, let's break down the menu, Paul, Okay, what's the
absolute go to? Aren't you fair? Don't you claim to
have America's best chicken palm or did I make that?
Speaker 4 (12:51):
Well?
Speaker 5 (12:52):
We we have.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
We have a great chicken palm. But the thing that
people always rave about, there's two there's two items. Yeah,
the MVP book chop. Oh yeah, because that's double thick.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I was gonna say, I saw it on your menu,
the double pork chop, so it's not two pork chops on.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
The top of one another's double thick.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
And vinegar, peppers and potatoes. We said, let's put a
classic uh you know, Italian American Italian dish on there.
And the chicken palm. It's classic American Italian too.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Now with your chicken palm, is it hammered flat?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
We don't pound it out so that there's paper thin.
I know a lot of people like to do that. Yeah,
but we use Bell and Evans and I always like
the chicken to stay just a little juicy. And when
you pound it out that thin, it doesn't it gets it.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
It could cook dry.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Exactly and and and that's not something that I want
to achieve when when cook and chicken, I don't want
a dry piece of meat that's loaded with sauce and
cheese on. Yeah, I'd rather have something that retains a
little bit of the moisture.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Oh, you're making me hungry. Give me something else from.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
The bowlin aise made in the traditional style that you
would find bologna. That's where the recipe came from, and
that's how we make it.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Your meatball's famous.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
The meatballs. People love the meatballs. You know.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
I'm looking at you, Paul, and I'm thinking meatball. I
don't know. I know that sounds strange, but I just
knew you were going to tell me the meatballs.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
We probably go through I'd say probably about fifty pounds
of meatballs every week.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Fifty pounds. Now the meatballs themselves, are they several different
meats in one or No.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
What I've done is I just use all beef. I
know a lot of people like to put veal, pork
and everything, but some people have allergies good pork, and
other people don't like the use of veal in the effort.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I know what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
So I said, you know what, I'm just going to
make them with all beef. And people come in and
they're like this, these tastes like my grandmother's.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
That's one of the best compliments you can get, especially
from the Italian community. That's a big thing in the
Alian community. Oh, we never go out for Italian food.
We get the best Italian food right here at home.
You know, I don't. I don't have anybody else's sauce.
You know, they get rid of well.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
I had a husband and a wife at the bar
and they ordered the meatballs and he started giving her,
you know, a hard time and saying these taste better
than yours.
Speaker 6 (15:19):
And I was like, I don't mean to get back.
I'm like this this guy. I didn't want to get
in the middle of that one. I just you know,
I walked on the other side of the room very
quietly played, oh, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Yeah, you know, I didn't. I didn't want to get
in the middle of that.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Now, do you have a full bar?
Speaker 4 (15:37):
We just got to prove for a full liqual license,
I find, thank you.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Well, how long has it been opened that I ask?
Speaker 4 (15:42):
We opened February of last year, twenty three.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
So full bar.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
It's going to be a full bar probably within the
next couple of weeks. Right now. We have beer, wine, cordials.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
We can make just about any cocktail that you want,
even with the cordials. And this is one thing that
I don't understand. With cordials. I could get a vodka
that's going to have equal strength to a regular vodi,
but it says lemon on it or it says vanilla
on it, and and I just don't understand what the
what's the difference between having a regular vodka and having
(16:12):
that if they're the same alcohol content.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
There you go, And I'm looking at you, Paul, and
I'm guessing you're going to have a marvelous espresso martini.
Am I making that up?
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Yeah? We do espresso Martini's delicious. The other one that
the other one, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
If you're a pistachio guy, I love pistachio.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
We do a pistachio martini that will knock your socks off.
It's delicious.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Well, now, I've got to ask you, what are the
hours that you open every day and what are.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
The We are open Tuesday through Saturday. We open at
five at night, and at the beginning of the week
we close it at nine. Usually people wander out the
door by ten ocl lone. But that's usually like the kitchen,
we shut that down.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
So no lunch.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
No lunch is good.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
That gives you more time to make the dinner even better.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Well, we use fresh pasta and and you know, we
make the sauces and everything homemade. The desserts I make
termasu bread pudding, that's those are all fresh. I make
those all the time. But on Friday and Saturday nights
we're open till The kitchen stays open till about nine
thirty usue.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
The last of the customers usually walk out the door
at about eleven.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
A website people can go to, or a phone number
they can call to make a reservation in advance.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
They can go to open Table and they can look
up Pollows and Saugus, or they can go to our
website is mypolos dot com. That's m Y Pollows p
A O l O s dot com.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Oh yeah, it sounds so old school. And you say,
is there a phone number? Now, there's no phone number, Paul.
Good to see you, buddy in Saugus. Check it out.
It's Food for Thought. Will take a break, we'll be
right back.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sailing Waterfront Hotel in Swedes.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Costa
here and now we're going to take you to Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Beautiful Gloucester. There's an incredible place there called the Cut.
And until you really get the story behind the Cut,
you really don't appreciate how much is going on at
the Cut. So much is going on there, I'm confused.
(18:24):
And that's why we've got three people here in studio
with us from the Cut. First we have Tom O'Grady
Tom to good meet you.
Speaker 7 (18:31):
Good to meet too, Billy.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
And we also have Tom Clark, Tom and Tom and
let's make it three. T's why not Tony Goddess? Now
is that a stage name or something? Tony? Because I
know you're a rocker.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
Now, you know, no one in my family can explain it.
I guess when my Russian ancestors came over. They just
wanted to blend right in, and somehow the name got
changed to a word from the English to.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Be honest, you dress for the job. Okay, I'm just
the image is perfect. It's perfect. So the cut. I
first got all these notes on the cut. And again,
it's in Gloucester. It didn't start as a restaurant pub.
It was always there, right, Tom O'Grady.
Speaker 7 (19:08):
Yeah, the building's been there since nineteen thirty to the fifties,
was the second half of it. Yeah, And what was
it at first? It's been retailed department store. You know,
the bank was in there once and CVS most recently.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
There's a CVS in there now. Oh no, no, that
was the last Yeah, because that wasn't in my note.
That's like, ooh yeah, have a CVS too, boy, you
get a headache because there is a music venue, right.
Speaker 8 (19:35):
So I started ranting a room underneath the CVS just
Shia twenty years ago, and wound up having twelve rehearsal rooms,
a recording studio, and a couple other offices.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
You know, it's amazing that you say that, And this
is one of the things I was very interested in
before we get to the restaurant of the pub and
everything else that's going on at the Cut in Gloucester.
But I was in several bands when I was a kid,
and in Cambridge by well whatever. In Cambridge they had
a giant building that was that I don't know if
you remember it, and it was all kind of rehearsal
(20:09):
rooms to get.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
TOGEX or the Sound Museum or one.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
Of the studios.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Yes, so you guys do that too, yep.
Speaker 8 (20:19):
Yeah, some of the rehearsal rooms have become walking coolers
and things like that, but yeah, we still have rehearsal rooms.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You don't have enough bands to rehearse, so yeah, or
you have or you have too many people coming to
the restaurant at the pub, you needed more coolers. Anyway,
the bottom line is I'm going to hang out with
you guys for a while. We're going to talk about Gloucester.
We're going to talk about the Cut, We're going to
talk about everything that's going on there. But we do
have to take a break. We'll do that and we'll
come right back. It's Food for Thought with Billy Costa,
(20:48):
and yeah, we'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. This is
such an interesting story. First of all, Billy Costa here,
and I've got Tom and Tom and Tony all from
the Cut in Gloucester, and we spent a couple of
minutes ago, a couple of minutes, a few minutes ago
talking about the Cut. Now, it all started right as
a band rehearsal center, right, Tony, yep, yep. And that
(21:19):
was in the basement of a building, okay. And then
Tom O'Grady, you step in and you buy the building,
and for lack of a better phrase, you kicked CVS out. No,
I'm kidding, that was a little rough, but CVS was
in the building. CVS vacated the building. Now you had
an extra space, and now in the same building you
(21:42):
have a restaurant pub.
Speaker 7 (21:44):
That is correct.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Now, whose idea was it to put a restaurant pub there?
Speaker 7 (21:48):
Well, actually it wasn't mine. I came in with another
potential partner and he said, Hey, wouldn't it be cool
if we did a music venue up here? And that
kind of ring a bell, you know, I was a
musician as a kid all through my forties playing in
bands and love music. Thought it'd be a great thing
to bring to Gloucester. Met Tony, my lieutenant downstairs.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
That's Tony Goddess Tony, Yeah, okay, not a stage name.
Speaker 7 (22:14):
So Tony, his wife Sam and I went out to
dinner and I kicked out this idea, and uh, of course,
being musicians, they said, well, shit, we thought we were
going to get kicked out, and now we're gonna bleep.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
That one out. Okay, that's all right. You know it's
a Sunday night show. Tom. Okay, we'll shoot fine, well, shoot,
said Tony AJ, the producer. You'll edit that for the
West Coast. Yeah, okay, okay, So let's break it down again.
You've got a building. What's the address in.
Speaker 7 (22:40):
Gloucester one seventy seven Main.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Which puts you near what that people will run here.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
It's right downtown, you know, in historic downtown Gloucester, right
on the harbor. The back of the building overlooks the
Gloucester Harbor. The front of the building is on Main Street.
It kind of expands a full block.
Speaker 5 (22:55):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
And and you mentioned the music. There is a music
venue with a capacity of about five hundred right, that's correct.
And what kind of bands do you put in there?
Speaker 7 (23:03):
Typically everything, you know, a lot of genres, but rock
and roll, country, jazz, you know, Americana. Sure, we're really
pulling from a lot of different pockets of the population
of the North Shore.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Okay, so we're setting up the building now. So you've
got the rehearsal spaces for bands, and now you've got
a space for the restaurant pub which we'll get to.
But there's a recording studio there too, right, And have
you guys really worked with Justin Bieber and Gucci Maine?
Speaker 8 (23:34):
My chief engineer has He was a New York engineer
for a long time, but then he moved back home
to be with family in Gloucester. But he worked with
Bieber down there in Gucci.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Mean, that'd be cool if you've got Justin Bieber at
a five hundred seat capacity music venue.
Speaker 9 (23:48):
We have American authors coming, they're kind of from that. Yeah, Okay,
so you've got bands recording. Yeah, you've got bands rehearsing.
And what am I missing before I get to the restaurant?
What else is in the building?
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Tom?
Speaker 10 (24:02):
We've got a gaming area that kind of separates the
restaurants of a few pool tables, some video games, things
of that nature that we've also cut in a food
truck window so somebody doesn't want to have a full
service dinner, only has a moment before the concert. They
can have a burger, an orangechini, something takes.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
You just walk up to the window, you grab and go.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
Grabbing, use you could take it.
Speaker 10 (24:20):
We've let them take them back into the concert venue
kind of a hand food.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
So it's been fantastic.
Speaker 10 (24:25):
Last night we had a lot of people eating, you know,
so it's not table dining as you're standing having a
great concert.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Yeah. Now that's the voice of Tom Clark that you're hearing,
and you're a contract doing. You've done a lot of
work with the House of Blues Frint.
Speaker 10 (24:36):
Correct correct, Yeah, And when I got back to Boston,
I built a ton of restaurants in Boston, from Stregas
to Being Joyster, just to all those things. And that
was my life for twenty years. Always had a residence
in Gloucester. And Tony called me and said, hey, what
do you think we can we do this? And the
ampswer was, you know, was absolutely And when we finished it,
(24:58):
I didn't want to leave. So now I'm in charge
of the concerts and events.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Wow, and over the next several weeks as we finish
out the summer and lead into the fall. What kind
of bands do we have lined up at the music
venue right now? In Gloucester?
Speaker 8 (25:09):
Got a sold out show with Cracker on Sunday. Cracker Yeah, yeah,
they had a lot of hits.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
And then you know, five hundred people. That's still very intimate. Yeah,
so I'm guessing it's a great place to see an act.
Speaker 8 (25:20):
Yeah, the sitelines. We set the room up so it's
wide as opposed to long, you know, so everyone on
the perimeter can see, you know, has great sight lines.
Speaker 7 (25:28):
So you can dance to the raised kind of area
or horseshoe around it. So it's not a bad seat
in the house.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
So now when the band is playing, if they take
a break, is there a DJ or something? How does
the night progress?
Speaker 8 (25:40):
We just put on music from front of house.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
You know, you could just say it, Tony, you don't
like DJs, the music guy.
Speaker 7 (25:49):
If they have DJs, we have DJs, DJs, we have comedians.
We're looking at doing film. We've done a lot of
community events there.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Billy, let me put it this way.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
On a typical Thursday, there's some pre music outside with
two bands. We have three bands. Last Thursday, going back
to back, we had a band in.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
The fur in the one venue.
Speaker 10 (26:08):
Yeah, we had a band in the front in the
restaurant component doing a reggae night. We had a block
party outside and then there happened to be two bands
rehearsing that band.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
All of this is going on at the same time.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
I was correct.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
How was this not in Vegas? This is crazy.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 7 (26:25):
Yeah, we even have the old school Marquee.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
Yeah, Vegas we did.
Speaker 10 (26:30):
We did a kind of an old movie theater vaudeville,
looking an old bulbed kind of marking right over Main Street.
We unfortunately have to go out every in the weather
and change the letters every morning and put the upcoming band.
So we'll have Billy Costa at one point on the Marquee, all.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
My appearing sometimes. Absolutely, that would be awesome. Okay, we're
talking about the cut in Gloucester, and I know it's
food for thought, but I told you at the beginning
of the show, these guys have so much going on
at one venue. We'll cover more of that, but We're
also going to the doors and bring you guys into
the restaurant pub, which I'm sure is just busting up
in there in Gloucester. So we will take a break.
(27:07):
It is Food for Thought and we'll talk more about
The Cut in Gloucester to you. What's the website. People
can start searching.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
It Wwwthcut live dot com.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
All right, we'll take a break and we'll talk more
with the Cut. Right after the break.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel in Swedes.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought once again.
Billy Costa here and I've got three guys here from
The Cut in a Gloucester. I've got Tom Orgrady, Tom
Clark and Tony Goddess, the one and only in studio.
And before we took a break, we were talking about,
you know, the building in itself and how you have
a recording studio, you have a facility for bands to rehearse.
You've got so much going on in the building. But
(27:47):
then during the commercial break we talked a little bit
about the restaurant. Now describe the restaurant. Is it more
pub than restaurant more restaurant than pub.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Tom, Yeah, I would say it's the Fairs gastrop u
uh huh. You know it's it's an industrial kind of building.
Brick walls, steel wood ceiling, eighteen foot wood ceilings, a
big center bar. We've got thirty five seats around the bar.
One hundred and fifty seat restaurant and we're serving you know,
everything from small plates to entrees and you know, kind
(28:17):
of a gastro pub type of feel.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Somebody's coming for the first time to the Cut in Gloucester.
What do we need to order? Food wise?
Speaker 7 (28:25):
You probably want to start with our tuna one tan nachos.
Those have been a huge hit. Yeah, we got a great.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Well you're in Gloucestree. You gotta have some fresh tune,
you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 7 (28:36):
We've got a ground ribby Burger with a bacon jam.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
I'm sorry, rib Burger. Oh yeah, oh I like this
place already. Yeah, I keep going.
Speaker 7 (28:47):
Well, that's just a teaser. You got to come in,
you know, lobster rolls and chicken balt and you know,
and steak and fish entrees and a little something for everybody.
What are the hours of the restaurant. We're Wednesday through
Sunday four to ten, four to ten. I'm sorry for
to midnight. So four to ten is the kitchen's open.
(29:07):
But we have late night snacks out of that second
concession window all the way to midnight.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
And I'm just gonna guess some really good cocktails.
Speaker 7 (29:14):
Really good cocktails. We got a great bart bar.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Not bartenders, but scientists, right, that's right, mixologists, that's what
we call them.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Wow, Okay, so the restaurant and we were talking off
the air, and I guess Tom number two, no offense.
I mean, you know there's a window that people can go.
It's more of a grab and go and sit.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 10 (29:33):
As Tom mentioned, we have the second window that was
designed for our functions and our weddings and stuff. But
during the service, we can open a food truck window,
go right up, get anything you want from an R
and chini to a slider to take it right into
the concert with you. And we love it because people
have an opportunity to take a break in between a
set and come out and grab something quick.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Everything you guys have mentioned are my favorite things on earth.
This first of all, I'm going to get that Rabbi Burger.
But the Aaron Chenie at the window, or the good
Aaron Genie.
Speaker 7 (30:02):
The lobster Encini right, lobster a you have?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Well again, we're in Gloucester. You have lobster erranch. I've
never even seen a lobster Aaron Ceni.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Delicious, loaded tots, chicken wings.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Now you also again I told you at the top
of the show, there's a lot going on in the cut. Okay,
you do functions and weddings too. In fact, you have
a wedding coming up, or just finish one.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
Our first wedding will be September seventh.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
And walk us through a wedding. What's it like there?
Speaker 7 (30:31):
Well, you'll it be like it's The venue, which holds
five hundred people, is also a great place for any
kind of private function, so we've been renting it out.
Sometimes it's a party will come in and rent the
space for a couple hours, and then we open it
up to the public because there's a band or a
DJ and they'll stay on or someone will rent it
for the whole thing. The back has a big sing
(30:51):
at your bar that overlooks the Gloucester Harbor, so there's
a beautiful view there's actually two bars within the venue itself.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Where there's no big surprise to them. Is it you
took over the building? It seems like it has everything.
You know, we wanted to make it multifunctional. And if
I'm booking a wedding, by the way, if you're listening
and you're planning a wedding, a you'll get married in
beautiful Gloucester. But if I'm booking a wedding or a
private function, talk about one stop shopping. You've got the facility,
(31:21):
you've got bands up the wazoo for lack of a
better way, and you've got built in food.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
That's right. You know, our concession is a separate cook
line that becomes the caterer for the for the venue,
for a private event.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
And I know now one of you is going to
say that one of you is an actual wedding efficient
so that they don't even have to make a call,
or one of you is a photographer or like you
just but I'm sure if they need it, you'll find it.
Speaker 7 (31:45):
Right, we've been married, that's about it.
Speaker 8 (31:48):
I will say, you know, the green rooms for the
band or for the wedding parties, we have showers laundry
to you know, rooms on.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Full make up, polls on if you're in the wedding party,
they'll do your laundry.
Speaker 10 (32:03):
So, yeah, it was designed for national touring acts. So
the back of the building comes right into the green rooms.
They've got washer dryers, they've got showers, they've got a lounge.
So when bands come in and eat off for our
menu and hang out in the studio all day, they
just they're just blown away by that that it lives
in Gloucester, that they're getting off a tour bus.
Speaker 5 (32:22):
Yeah, and hanging out.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
And do you have some bands that have an extended
stay there.
Speaker 10 (32:27):
Yeah, we've had some double nights and we have a
band coming up called Gang of Four and an old band,
and they're going to be in town for three or
four days rehearsing.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
It's the start of their tour.
Speaker 10 (32:36):
They're only playing US and I believe Mexico City and
maybe in Austin, Texas.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
And my wheels are churning. I'm thinking bachelor parties, bachelorette parties.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
It sounds perfect your higabillity.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
And by the way, I happen to be a wedding efficient,
so you know, maybe we'll tee A team up on
one of these.
Speaker 7 (32:53):
Maybe if your fiftieth party, you get up there on
the stage yourself.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
I don't even remember fift but you know what, who's
keeping count right? This is an amazing story. And again,
were in Gloucester. Give me something I can.
Speaker 8 (33:05):
It's main Street, it's right by city Hall, it's overlooking
the harbor. In fact, it's right next to the police station.
But don't let that go.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Oh okay, well, you never know when you need a cop.
Speaker 7 (33:15):
Cape Ban Museum, a lot of art galleries, restaurants up
and down Maine, and it's hard.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (33:21):
And it's been great for main Street because we know
we have five hundred people come for a sold out
show and they're eating up and down main Street, so
it's it's spilled over to other restaurants and it's just
been great for the.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Are the wheels turning? I get a sense that you
three guys, the three of you are always talking, always meeting,
and always coming up with new ideas. Are your wheels turning?
Are you already planning new things, new changes that you
can make to the cut in Gloucester? You got this one, Tom.
Speaker 10 (33:49):
I actually just came from a look at hearing or
were approved for a deck out back overlooking the harbor.
It'll be about thirty feet off the ground over our
back parking lot, so we'll be able to have you know,
seventy five to one hundred people out back with a
glass rail. So that'll be knock on wood ready for
next season.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
So this is one of your babies as the contract
with your family, right so to speak.
Speaker 5 (34:09):
That's correct.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Wow, When what do you see as a data and
opening date for the new debt?
Speaker 5 (34:13):
It just needs to be ready for the next season,
so you know, may have next year.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Wow, And didn't you tell me off off are a
couple of minutes ago that you're in the process of
doing a live concert or something and turning it into
a film or a movie, Tony.
Speaker 8 (34:30):
So every microphone that gets plugged in on stage goes
to the front of house console, but it also goes
to my recording studio bang a song downstairs. And yeah,
we multi track every concert and it's called Orchestra Morphine.
A celebration of Mark Saman and Billy Conway. So they
(34:50):
had a celebration, for lack of a better word, for
twenty five years since Mark Saman passed. Yeah, and we
recorded the whole thing, mixed it a couple so it's
already been done. Yeah, yeah, and that's going to be
if it's not online yet, it's going to be coming
out soon twenty five years.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
And how can we keep.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Track of that project in terms of when it's going
to come out and when we can find it.
Speaker 8 (35:10):
I would go to morphine dot com or Accurate Records
dot com and.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Talk a little bit more about the recording studio downstairs.
We're it kind of all began in this building. What
types of bands are coming in? Is it the kind
of thing that people have to plan far in advance.
Speaker 8 (35:28):
We're usually booking about two months out. There are Gang
of four is going to be have the studio for
a multi day lockout. But generally these days, because everyone
has a recording studio in their home on their telephone,
you know, we'll do what's called the basics, record the drums,
when everyone's gathered together, start the record, and then they
(35:50):
can either finish it with us, or people take it
home and do.
Speaker 7 (35:53):
Their vocals or guitar solos.
Speaker 8 (35:55):
But yeah, I mean, I don't know if you remember
John Butcher axis absolutely studio.
Speaker 7 (35:59):
All the time.
Speaker 5 (35:59):
He is up in Gloucester.
Speaker 8 (36:03):
I don't know all kinds of local folks. Yeah, Willie
Alexander another local legend. Just trying to name people.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
That that's okay. And if somebody wants to use the
studio studio or rent the studio, how do they go
about doing that?
Speaker 8 (36:17):
Bang asong dot com. They can contact me or through
the cut website also at directs you there as well.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Now in your notes, I think I mentioned this at
the top of the show. One of your people did
some work with Justin Bieber in what capacity?
Speaker 8 (36:33):
I think he recorded background vocals for Justin Really, to
be honest, yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
At your studio.
Speaker 8 (36:38):
No, no, he was recording engineer in New York City
out of y Clef Jean's studio Shakira.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Well, you know, hips don't lie. I'm just trying to
be honest here. So some legitimate artists, and I'm doing
this for the sake of people who are listening and
know somebody who has a band they've been dying and record.
So this is a legitimate facility.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (37:00):
His name's Warren Babson. He has his own website and
so he moved home to Gloucester and is very much
I know how to make Rolling Stones and led Zeppelin records,
and he knows how to make modern pop records. So
it's kind of we've got it all under one roof.
He can program anything you want, anything you want, and
I can get you Jimmy Page guitar sounds.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
And there you go.
Speaker 8 (37:21):
There's a little less demand for that these days, but.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Well, who knows whether there might be a huge to man,
we just don't know. We got to take a break.
We'll be back. We'll talk more about the Cut and
give you all the information you need on any of
the so many ventures that are being offered out there
at the Cut in beautiful Glocester. We'll take a break,
we'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Sweets.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. We only
have a few minutes left. We're talking with Tom and
Tom and Tony from the Cut in a Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Such an amazing place, and just sixty seconds ago before
I turned the mic on you guys said, oh yeah,
we've had a couple of Taylor Swift dance parties at
the cut. How does that work?
Speaker 5 (38:07):
Tom Why did you pick me?
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Well, who's in charge of the is it to know?
That's just is it the rock goddess that's in charge
of Taylor Swift parties.
Speaker 10 (38:17):
So they have a national touring show of Taylor Swift
where they do a video stream of it. There's a
DJ on stage leading dancing and it's essentially a Taylor
Swift Rave. It goes went from nine pm till midnight
one o'clock. But the catch was the following week we
did the same thing during the day for eight to
(38:38):
nine year olds with the same people.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
So you guys put it on what in the music venue? Correct,
and then people can come and it's it's kind of
a yeah, and we'll do the same interactive or yeah,
you know everything. Immerse yourselves in Taylor Swift.
Speaker 10 (38:54):
And we'll do the same thing with the Beatles band
for young kids as well. We're trying to again, yeah,
be part of them munity and get the younger kids involved.
They believe Tony Tell who's playing tomorrow night?
Speaker 5 (39:04):
Please?
Speaker 8 (39:05):
The Gloucester Student Band, of which my daughter is a
saxophone and clarinet player, will be there.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
Oh really, it's my favorite instrument. I love the saxophone. Yeah, wow,
that's so you got so you tied in with the community, right, Tom.
Speaker 7 (39:16):
Absolutely, We've done events for the library and Chamber of
Commerce and many others, and.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Little Bird told me your sound system is second to
none in the world.
Speaker 8 (39:26):
We got a brand new Meyer speakers and amplif amplifiers
and a Midas console that's sampling at ninety six K.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
You know, I wouldn't even go there if it wasn't
ninety six K. What does that mean?
Speaker 7 (39:39):
No, but I'm sure being in his secondary market, just
being in his secondary market and competing with Boston, we
wanted to make sure that our sound was second to none.
So we really didn't spare well.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
God, Tom O'Grady, you stepped in and took over this building, okay,
And you've got so much going on that we've talked about.
Are you eventually going to add a couple of condominiums
up top or something? What's the How are your wheels
spending now?
Speaker 7 (40:00):
They're spinning the spinning too much?
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Yeah, you could do like three floors of frondos. This
is it.
Speaker 7 (40:07):
I've gotten in over my head, but we're having fun.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
It's the cut in Gloucester and is there a website.
I'm sure you guys with your creative minds, if you
go to the website, you've probably got a really cool video.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
Or something, right, Yeah, if you go to the cut
live dot com that there's plenty of photography and video
there to get a sense of our place.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
And we talked about people who want to have our
private parties company parties. You know, we're coming up in
the fall season and then after that, on the heels
of that will be the holiday season. So if companies
want to book a private function in your facility, how
do they go about doing that?
Speaker 7 (40:39):
You can reach us at functions at the cutlive dot com.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
It's that easy.
Speaker 7 (40:43):
It's that easy, and.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
God, this is an amazing project. So again the hours
on the restaurant in the pub and you can just
go there and eat right.
Speaker 7 (40:52):
Yeah, we're Wednesday through Sunday four to midnight.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Do they all have like separate entrances or something.
Speaker 5 (40:58):
No.
Speaker 10 (40:58):
It's kind of funny, Billy, because we've had five hundred
people in line and people just having dinner and go like,
why is there five hundred people in line? And then
those five hundred people might go, well, why wait, I
didn't know there was a restaurant where not.
Speaker 5 (41:10):
Yeah, so it is.
Speaker 10 (41:11):
It's wonderful to see that kind of dichotomy where people
come in and experience everything.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
Based on everything we've talked about. I can't even imagine
what it's like when all cylinders are firing, so to speak.
When you know it's great, you know you've got a
concert going on live, The restaurant is jammed, the bar
is packed, people are having cocktails. There are bands rehearsing
at one end of the building. Downstairs, there's a band
recording an album or something. Or you guys are making
(41:37):
a live concert a video. I can't even imagine it.
Good job, you guys are very creative. You got to
check it out, folks, if you're listening, it's the cut
in Gloucester one more time on the address.
Speaker 7 (41:48):
One seventy seven Main Street, Class Tom and Tom and Tony.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Great to see you. Thanks for coming by, really, thank you.
It's food for thought. We're out of time, but the
good news is up next sixty minutes