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.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
For more than fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
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 whine, 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. I'm Billy Costa.
Jenny's got the week off this week. Eventually, aj our
executive producer. Eventually, I think Jenny and I will do
a show together again someday, I hope. Well, you know what,
we spread it out, we break it up if you will.
And this week I'm very excited. We've got a really,
really good show as we enter the holiday season. And
(00:44):
I've got my buddy Casey, who, by the way, excuse me,
is the president and CEO. And I want to make
sure I get this right. Casey, the Box Center, Wang Theater,
Schubert Theater. Yes, and you're the president and CEO of
all of that. Yes, I am step up to the mic. Yes,
and so you're filling the shoes that used to be
(01:06):
occupied by Joe Spalding. And I only say that because
I've had Joe on the show over the years and
many many times. You have big shoes to fill. Joe Spalding.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yes, yeah, thirty eight years at the Center, fifty years
in the business, and he just did an incredible job
over many, many decades of growth for the theaters.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
And he's still involved in some capacity, right he is.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Yes, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
A couple of years ago, Joe worked on getting the
Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame. Oh yeah, going at
the Wang Theater and something he's been very passionate about
and that you know, I share that passion with him,
and so he's been working with me on some initiatives
related to the Hall of Fame, and you know.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
So we're thrilled to still have him involved with that.
So where did we get you?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
So for the last almost decade, I've been at the
Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly, Oh, I've been there,
which which is also a historic theater, eight hundred and
fifty seats.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
We talk about the Cabot a lot on the Billion
Lisa Morning Show on Kiss Whenever, you've got great comedians
coming in and usually they'll come into the show and
then we'll promote the fact that they've got two shows
or three shows that weekend.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The Cabot it's an amazing place where it is over
one hundred years old. It was the home of the
longest running stage magic show in the history of the world,
the Lagronde de Vide and this spectacular magic company, and
between the late seventies and twenty twelve. Then it sat
dormant for a couple of years and the community got
together and established it as a nonprofit and I was
(02:39):
the first executive director, so I oversaw all of the
renovations that took place, the building, all the programming model
there ye go, Yeah, from the get go, and it
was just an amazing thing to be part of. And
it continues to thrive and do amazing things to this day.
And I'm very proud of it and watching very closely
and staying connected.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
To is it hard to leave. It was hard to leave.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Because you know, when you're the part, when you're part
of starting something from the ground up like that, it's
much more than a job. It's it's a personal passion.
It's a you're building a community around that. And but
and this is probably going to the Box Center is
probably the only other job in the world I would
have left for because, you know, being from Boston and
(03:22):
in this area, I see this as a natural extension
of the impact that that began with the Cabot and
that we can have an even bigger impact here at
the Box Center doing great things for the community and
while staying connected to all the theaters in the area. So
so I kind of see it as an extension of
the work that I've been doing for the last ten years.
(03:43):
And it's a it's a thrill to be there. I
grew up, you know, like so many kids going to
the Nutcracker and all programs at the Metchawang Center, and
I never will forget the first time I saw that lobby,
you know, as a little five year old kid, and
that stuff you never forget. We're making those memories now
for the new generation. So it's I'm thrilled to be there,
(04:06):
and it's a real honor.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You know.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
It's funny.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
I actually was asked one or two years to host
the Nutcracker at the Wang. Do you have any idea
how cool that is? A to be asked. But b
suddenly you're standing backstage while the ballet is getting ready
to go on with a Nutcracker, which is mind blowing
as a showy and at one point, you know, the dancers,
(04:32):
what do they call it, the company, yes, backstage was
asking me for pictures and I'm goofing around backstage, and
then as a joke, all of a sudden, they had
me stretching out with them as they were getting stretched
and I'm like.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I'm with the Boston Ballet, for God's sake, I hope
someone snapped a picture of you, so I do have one.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, that's fabulous. They were one of the props on
the set of the Nutcracker. Was this really cool bench
that was in one of the scenes. So there's a
picture of me with three or four ballet dancers on
the bench and I'll, you know, I'll cherish it forever.
Nut Cracker, for God's It's fabulous.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I mean, every person I talked to has some kind
of story about about the Wang. Before it was the
Wang Center, it was the Boston Music Hall, you know,
and it had this crazy tradition. Right you were there,
I was alive. Yeah, yeah, and hopefully you remember your experience.
Oh yeah, you know, you know from being there. But
everybody's got a story about it, everybody.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
And as we're kind of coming up to the Wang
Theaters one hundredth anniversary next year, you know, we're kind
of collecting these stories and these ideas, you know about
how can we really reflect on the amazing one hundred
year history of the building and how what are we
going to do for the next hundred.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Years and project that vision forward? Got so many shows
when you say that, they're just popping into my head.
I remember years and years and years ago rip Donna
Summer and we had a special Donna Summer concert Kiss
wont to Wait put on in the way. It was
another night where we did a special night with Hughey
Lewis in the news and it was a live broadcast
(06:02):
on Kiss that I had to host at what was
then the Music Hall. But god, there are so many
memories between the Wang what was the music Hall, and
the Box Center and the Schubert. The memories are ridiculous. Yes,
So having said that, I have so many questions for you,
because when you're controlling and in charge as the president
(06:25):
and CEO of the Box Center, Wang Theater Schubert how
and we're going to save this for after the break.
But I'm curious how you pick and choose and search
out the shows that fit best at the Schubert or
at the Wang or at the Box Center at How
(06:45):
on earth do you decide who's coming in town and
when and how do you possibly schedule it? It seems
overwhelming to me just talking about it. But you mentioned
the Nutcracker before we go to break? Is that coming
in this year?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
So that is been at the Opera House now for
several decades show, so that is not currently playing at
the Wang, But we do have we have a holiday
musical every year, and this year we've got The Grinch,
and everybody loves the Grinch.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Oh, so that we're.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Very excited about The Grinch who Stole Christmas, which will
be running for twenty performances over the month of December.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I hold that thought because we're going to go through
the whole lineup. God, I went to the Mariah Christmas
show there. I went to the John Legend Christmas show there.
We got to Chimp. Take a break, it's Food for Thought.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You're listening to Food for Thought. Brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweetes Hey.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Coffe here
having some fun here with Casey from the Box Center,
Wank Theater Schubert, And I should mention Matt, the digital
king for the whole operation, is sitting in the studio
as well, and I want to acknowledge that because Matt
has one of the best names I've ever heard. Yes,
Matt Pacific, like you need to be like in the
(07:58):
Hawaii five oh, or you know, like even a soap opera,
you know, a reality show, you know, enter stage left
met Pacific? Is it a stage name metal?
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Well, it's actually Italian and he used to have an
eye on the end and it was pronounced chief chi
oh wow, ionized to Pacific, and it's been that name
ever since. My dad's one of ten family, huge Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
But yes, it's Italian. Mine was Portuguese and one of
eighteen children. Why don't you beat there? Imagine that? Wow,
he was the baby. Did I ever tell you that?
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Aj?
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, my dad was the youngest of eighteen children. Portuguese. Wow,
she PACIFICI the Chiefichi. Well, that's a good name too.
I could you could have kept that one? It work anyway,
we're back with Casey. Before we went to break Casey,
we started talking about, uh, the schedule that's coming to town. Yes,
And who's coming into the Wang versus the Box Center
(08:55):
versus the shue Bert.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And by the way, Ernie, if you're listening, Ernie Bach,
dear friend of mine, if you're listening here comes to schedule.
All right, give me some highlights. So yes.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
So in addition to The Grinch, which will be doing
twenty performances December tenth through twenty third, we've got a
wonderful family show circ Dreams Holidays, which is going to
be playing at the Schubert from December sixth to the eighth.
You know, for the I believe it's a fifth straight year.
We've got Anthony Williams Urban Nutcracker at the.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Schubert or the Urban Nutcrackers. Jenny and I have gone
there to get fabulous show. Oh my god, it's good.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
December fourteenth through twenty second. And in addition to those
kind of signature events, we've got Bret Eldridge coming in
for his holiday tour, oh right after Thanksgiving. So Black
Friday and the Saturday following Thanksgiving, we'll have Brett. We've
got a fantastic show that's been here before, the Jensen
Dala Holiday Show, which is a drag performance, which will
(09:54):
be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
So we what's the data that one that is going
to be December second?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
So these are I'll coming right up because I mean
it's hard to believe it, but the holidays are upon
us here. Yeah, we're also running different promotions over the
holidays where you can still name a Wang Theater seat.
We're actually giving a ten percent discount on that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I'm sorry for the holiday. I didn't know this.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Well, we may have a seat with your name on it, Billy, No,
how do you get a seat with your name on it?
So you can go right to our website and you
can sign up, and you make a donation to the
theater and you get a seat with your name on it.
You can name them after your kids, your pets. God.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
You know, here's a great holiday gift. Well, it is
absolutely so unique. How much of a donation does it require?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
So it's it's normally it's a five hundred dollars donation,
but you get fifty bucks off for the holiday promotion.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
So for four fifty, you own a chair. You've got
a chair, you don't sit in it show fifty, But
that's cool. If you do go to a show, you're
sit in your own chair.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
You can do that and it's it's so much fun.
And if you come in, we can tell you exactly
where your seat is.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
God, I love this.
Speaker 5 (11:04):
There are some balcony seats for one hundred. Oh okay,
they're selling quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Okay, that's the voice of Matt Pacific, the Digital King.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Oh yeah, yeah, the Digital King knows what's going on
with the balcony is one hundred.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, So that's a good gift. You buy two seats
for a couple that you know or something, and then
they go to whatever show and sit in their own seats.
I'm loving this. Let's keep going.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
So the other thing we're going to have every year
we have Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions thirty percent
off select shows. So you know, definitely stay in touch
with us. Sign up for our email list to get
the first notifications of those deals. And we're also you know,
we want to just draw attention. We talked a little
(11:46):
bit about one hundredth anniversary that's coming up in January.
We're going to be announcing a year of celebrations for
the one hundredth anniversary, and and you know, things that
have happened at the theater in the past that haven't
happened in a long time. We're going to be opening
up the theater for some of those things. And I
will save all of those details for a future show
(12:09):
with you, Billy, but we're very excited about the hundredth.
We've also got an incredible lineup of female comedians coming up.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Oh good, let's go with that. Here we go, see
because I can, I'll transfer this to the Billy and
Lisa Morning Show and ye blow it up there. Yes,
so you know it.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
And very excited for Taylor Tomlinson to return in February, February,
late February and early March. She's going to set the
record for the Wang Theater for number of shows and
number of tickets sold in a run. She's doing five
shows at the Wang Theater, which is a record. She's
breaking her own record that she set last year with
(12:46):
four sold out shows. And we're we're going to make
a big deal out of that because you know, we
think it's just amazing and we're the top market for
her in the whole country if.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
She sells more ticket Taylor Tomlinson, Taylor Tomlins February March.
That's in February, March.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
In February, We've also got Nicky Glazier coming in Tom
Brady Roast.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Roast Master. Yeah, just wait a minute, when is that?
We'll go with the morning show.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So that's also going to be in February, mid February.
And she just sold out two shows and just added
a third show.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Uh so uh, And.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
We've got some other surprises in the female comedy world
that have not been announced yet.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Well that we'll be announced very soon that we can tell.
So Glazer, you got to get there fast if you
want to see it at that show. Yes, yeah, tickets
are selling like hotcakes. Well maybe I should buy my
seats and sit in those seats for Nicky Glazier. No,
she is hilarious. Yes, and you know what, I had
not heard of her, I apologize until the Brady Roast. Yes,
(13:44):
and I've been following her since. She is hilarious. That's
a good grab, all right, what else is coming?
Speaker 3 (13:51):
So the other thing, you know, we talked a little
bit about the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, and
we're very excited about what we're doing there. So, you know,
we've taken the Wang Theater and we've turned it into
you know, a you know, an area where we pay
tribute to artists that have come before the present tents
(14:13):
of Folk Americana roots music and then thinking about the
future of Folk Americana roots music in Boston's place in
that history, which is a story that we feel like
needs to be shared far and wide.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
And this was a passion of Joe Spaulding's right it was.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
It was and many others you know who have got
behind it and supported the initiative.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
So we're very, very excited.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Because right now we made a documentary film that's on
PBS and it is about the first induction ceremony of
the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame that took place
at the Wang Theater in April, and that documentary can
now be viewed all over the country. We've of all
the PBS stations, I think there's about three hundred and
(14:56):
fifty or so in the country, almost all of them
have now picked up this documentary, well over three hundred,
and it can now be viewed online right on our
website at Farhof dot org. Uh uh, but also on
your local PBS station. So PBS stations all over the
country are carrying this. It can be watched streaming and
(15:17):
also on your local station.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
And you also have exhibits. Then you have a Bruce
Springsteen exhibit for a while, we have, yeah, yeah, we've
We've had many exhibits. Uh.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
We we currently have an exhibit at the Wang Theater
that we're very excited about and it ties into the
Folk Collective, which is which is an amazing group of
musicians that that got together through club passim and they're
they're creating new music, they're they're just very impactful, uh,
community building, you know through music that they're doing. And
(15:47):
so we're highlighting a number.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Of their artists that that are involved there.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
And the photos that are that are highlighted are from
a local photographer named Barry Shiner. And so so those
that can be view between now and February, and then
I'll give a little sneak peak of an exhibit that
hasn't even been announced yet.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Breaking news. This is just some breaking news, breaking news.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
We are Joan BIA's exhibits in March, and we're very,
very excited about John Bias, and there's going to be
a lot of exciting programming in addition to the exhibit
that we're going to be announcing in the new year
and socializing more with the general public. But we're very
excited about this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Which brings me to my original question. Yes, so you're
talking about three venues that you're in charge of. Again,
how do you decide who goes to what venue?
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Right? Was it right?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
So we have the two theaters and the Hall of Fame,
which is in one of the theaters. So so that's
you know, we are so fortunate, Billy, that we have
great partnerships in all areas. So we have great partnerships
in the Broadway world, we have great partnerships in the
comedy world, in the music world, in the in the
(17:05):
performing arts world with the you know, with the Urban
Nutcracker and Alvin Ailey with Celebrity series and so we
you know, we have developed these wonderful partnerships over the years.
So we have certain events, Uh, you know, every year
we want to do a holiday musical, so we you know,
we we we have that on the schedule and and uh,
you know Alvin Ailey in different uh, you know, kind
(17:26):
of annual events that we have, and then and then
from there, you know, we were in daily communication with
our comedy partners about zan tour.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Our music partner, how did you get Kevin Hart? Kevin Hart,
you know, came directly through. Okay, call that thought. AJ's
giving me the dirty look. We have can commercial, all right,
but I want to know the Kevin Hart story and
we'll get that. It's Food for Thought. I'm Billy Costa.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and Sweets.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Hey, folks, welcome back to Food for Thought. This is awesome.
I've still got Casey here from the Box Center, Wang
Theater and Schubert Theater. And before the break, I asked
you it was about two maybe three weeks ago on
a Friday night you had Kevin Hart. How did you
get Kevin Hart?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
You know, we we really that was kind of a
stroke of luck for us because Kevin Hart, you know,
he plays Arenas, he plays a huge place right.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Right, and but he for this tour.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
The tour was called acting Acting My age and it's
kind of about him kind of becoming middle age a
little bit and reflecting on that journey a bit. And
as part of that, he wanted to kind of go
back to his roots, playing these smaller theaters where he
really got his start and he really began to build
his momentum as an artist. And the Wang Theater was
(18:46):
one of those theaters and he so he did two
shows at the Wang. He did a show at MGM.
He wanted to try out the new room you know
in town, which would which was great, sold out all
three and it was just a tremendous weekend, you know.
So that those are the kind of moments when you
get artists like Kevin Hard. A couple of years ago,
Ed Sheeran played at the Right. He did three nights
(19:07):
right or something. He just did one night, okay, but
he that came out of nowhere.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
That came out of nowhere.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
He was playing Gillette Stadium, so he had already you know,
sold out.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
In every so often they like to go back to
the roots, back to the small venues and be up
close and personal with their fans. That's why we've only
got a minute or so left. But I've got to
ask you because I met your wife. Yes, and and
you guys are walking and Michelle and I were walking
and she was an intern here at Kiss Yes. Wow.
And now she's in a band, Yes.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
She she she's got her own original band called Three
Second Chances and they are you know, they've they've got
a number of performances.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
And videos you know, you know online.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
But their whole mission is to empower people over the
age of forty to pick up music or a creative
your career again, if you've ever put that on the shelf,
life life gets in the way of your musical ambitions.
They're here to help inspire you. And as part of
their show, they bring people on the show from the
community that that submit and and say they want to
(20:06):
they want to get back into playing music again, and
they work it into the show.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
It's and she was in a girl group called Jada
right ten years ago. We played their song or something
like that.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, they had some big songs and she still performs
with some of the members of the group.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Okay, what's your website?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
So so it's three seconds to remember Three Second Chances
dot com.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Uh to check them out? And where do people go
for all things? Wang? Center, Box Box Enter, Wang Theater Schubert.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yes, you can see us at the Boxcenter dot org,
Boxcenter dot Org.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
All right, Casey, good to see you. Thank you, Billy,
always a pleasure. Matt Pacific, good to see you. Uh
and I'll see you at the theater.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
Can't wait.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I will take a break when we come back. Andy
Husbands from the smoke shop. Did I mentioned world champion
barbecue chef? Gonna be right here in the studio.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you boy
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought and I've
got Andy Husband's. Good to see you, buddy. How are you?
Speaker 4 (21:02):
I'm great? How are you?
Speaker 2 (21:04):
I'm just fine. You and I go way back. I
mean I remember Tremont six forty seven, you had the
Sunday pajama brunches, and Jenny and I have just watched
you grow and develop and open concept after concept, and
I know you've got your smoke shops. How many now
we're four?
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Next month will be five.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Two months after that will be six, two months after
that will be seven.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
We'll get back to that. Yes, Okay, the reason we
have Andy in is because well we want to talk
about all the smoke shops and what the future plans are.
But when last you and I saw each other, it
was prior to the election. Yes, just prior to the election,
but months in advance of the election, you were aggressively
(21:45):
campaigning for one of the ballot questions in Massachusetts. Say
no on question five?
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Yeah, I think I tackled you at an event the
love Lane. All right, right, yes where I Yes, did you?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
But I was glad you did because you know, I'm
one of those people who, stupidly, I think, never spends
enough time on the ballot questions because you're so wrapped
up in the elections. But this election season was interesting
because when it came to the ballot questions in Massachusetts,
it seemed like they got more attention than ever and
(22:20):
for good reason.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Yeah, I agree, it was very interesting and I've found
the results interesting. And I'm you know, the question five,
which would have been just awful for restaurants, it overwhelmingly
went the directions for the restaurants. It was an overwhelmingly no,
which was great.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Well, let me ask you, because you have so many employees,
how many.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Now we're close to two hundred.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Okay, two hundred employees. If I know you, you probably
had conversations with every single one of them.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Yeah. If our team didn't support our position, then we
wouldn't have had a leg to stand on.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
No. Really, when you say that you could have lost
the business.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
No, I'm just saying if they were a no. Also,
But if they had been a yes, it wouldn't have
How could I. You can't fight your your teammates rights, right,
So I think everybody all you know, bartender, servers, cooks,
everybody understood what this meant for restaurants and how bad
it was.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
And it was crazy.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
This is the crazy part about the whole thing is
it was not grassroots out of Massachusetts, right, It was California, right, Yeah,
And that is what is weird to me that, you know,
if I had enough money, can I go to I
don't know, some Illinois and put something on their ballot?
Like that's just wacky. Yeah, like grassroots I believe in.
(23:40):
I think that's great.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
But and didn't it fail in the few states that
it was.
Speaker 4 (23:47):
It failed in some places. It actually passed in d C.
And they're suffering this nobo.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I mean it failed in terms of the fact that
they passed it and it didn't go well.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
It's not going well in DC and they're going to
have to figure it out. It also passed in Uh,
it's either I think Portland Maine, maybe a pastor I
think with Portland Maine and the service revolted and they
got it overturned.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Really, yeah, they can do that.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
You know, anybody can do anything it in America. We
can you know, lobby your people and change laws. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Well, you know what's amazing to me that, even even today,
I still haven't gotten a handle on why you would
vote yes on five.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
Well, everybody the way it was worded. I mean sure,
if you said, if I said you don't you think
everybody should be paid minimum.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Wage, right, you'd say, yes, great idea.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
That's the way it was worded. But the reality is
all of our servers must make minimum wage, which is
the tip wage six seventy five plus tips must be
greater than minimum wage. Right, So if it snowed today
and nobody came in, I have to pay all my
service minimum wage. So that law was already in place.
Their argument was, well, there's ad people out there that
(25:00):
don't do that. I will tell you that those bad
people will not become good people once if the law changed,
they will do something else. And yes, there's bad people.
And if anybody knows, anybody, let me know. We'll help you,
you know, file the suit with the AG.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Sure, everybody should be paid by the law. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
You know. It's funny, Andy, because when I walked into
the ballot box and it was a kind of dark
in there, and they hand you the long ballot.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And so now I get to the ballot questions and
you you told me be careful because question five is
on the back of the ballot sheet. And then you
also said what you referred to earlier, make sure you
read it carefully because they intentionally wrote it in such
a way that you would want to vote yes, right.
Speaker 4 (25:50):
Yeah, I mean that's how That's what's fascinating about politics
in general, is how something is pitched to you or
phrase to you can sway the way you vote and
maybe even vote against what's best for yourself.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
So I read it three times over with you, and mind,
I said, no, no, Andy told me to be very careful
on this. I mean, well, it all made sense to
me all of a sudden. I said, oh no, I
got to vote No. One five.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
What was great, though, is you know our governor she
came out as a no and she said, don't even
listen to me. Go talk to your servers, Go talk
to your bartenders at your favorite place. I thought that
was such a cool position to take. I did that too,
you know, and and and and if you gosh, I
mean it was. It was bonkers because it was everywhere right,
All restaurants were saying, you know, no, no, no, no.
(26:32):
So it's it's really neat that. If you want some
inside baseball, we have the Massachusetts Restaurant United oh yeah,
and then the MRA.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
These are two different groups that represent restaurants and they
we worked together. And I was on this giant like
WhatsApp tech chain and people were just like back and
forth working together, figuring out new ways to get the
word out. And I just thought it was so cool
to see all the communities together.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Well, you got the no vote, yeah, and a bigger
vote than you expected.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
It's what we wanted.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Okay, we got to take our first break. When we
come back, we're talking to and the husband, who, by
the way, is a world champion barbecue chef. He's the
only one I know, okay, and I'll bet he's the
only one on the planet. We'll take a break. We'll
talk barbecue. Right after the break.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale in Waterfront Hotel in swedes Hi.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought that we cost
you here now with my buddy Andy Husbands smoke shops again.
How many four today? Okay? But earlier in the show
you said four? Now, yes, five on the way and
then six on the way. Where's five gonna? But first
of all, where are the four?
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Okay? The four? We are in Harvard Square, Assembly Row,
East Boston with the best view of Boston you can imagine,
and what we call the Seaport, but really it's fourth Point,
right across the street from the Children's Museum. Ah.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Okay, I gotta tell you. I'm in Charles's Sound from
most of the summer at Charlestown, Marina and Michelle and
I have a rescue dog, a rescue pit that we
got fairly recently, and he still has certain abandonment issues,
so we really can't go out to dinner if we're
going away, we have a person that can take care
of him. But we discovered smoke Shop East Boston, right
(28:21):
on Boston Harbor, and I called you ahead of time
and said, can I have the dog outside of the patio?
He said absolutely. It was our favorite thing all summer.
We take my little boat over. We can dock right
next to it, and then we sit. We have smoke
shop barbecue, and Titus has a ball. And your salad
that you serve at the smoke Shop is the biggest
(28:42):
salad I've ever seen. I mean, Michelle nine out of
ten times just gets salad and it's enormous and she
could barely She took some home for the first time.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Yeah, you know it's important to you know that people
get an ample amount of food. That's kind of what
barbecue's about. Right.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
So you got the East Boston. I know you've got
Cambridge that's Technology Square. No you Harvard Square, Harvard Square, Okay,
so East Boston Harvard Square. You know in Fort Point
and Assembly Row, which I go to a lot too,
take out, always sit there. Sometimes they're really great places.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
You know, you made them very comfortable and you know
what you're getting you're getting the best barbecue you'll ever eat.
What got you into barbecue?
Speaker 5 (29:24):
You know?
Speaker 4 (29:26):
I worked for Chris Losenger as you know, in nineteen
nineties early nineties, and he had a barbecue place. And
the one thing he'll never let me forget is the
biggest fight, which I almost got fired over, was he
wanted me to work there one day a week and
I did not want to. And you knows, as a mentee,
he was my mentor. You know, fighting him is part
(29:46):
of the job, and so it was a king. So
I lost that fight and I ended up working there,
and I really realized I wrongly thought barbecue was easy,
and I wrongly thought it was pedestrian, and to make
great barbecue as whole a lot of passion and a
lot of work, and it really opened my eyes and
that was the beginning of my barbecue kind of career.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Well, people travel the country to none of these giant
barbecue cookoffs, and you've done a lot. Well, you've won most.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
Mostly, So let's be clear. I'm a member of a team,
which I did. I'm one of the founders. But my
buddy Chris Hart, he is our pit master. Ok, he's
the genius. I just kind of like steal his idea.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
But you're the only one I know too.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
To me, you're saying that I like to make sure
he gets a shot out.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
But see that's the kind of guy you are. You
make sure everybody gets their due. Yeah, thank you And okay,
so you get into barbecue. And at what age were
you at that point?
Speaker 4 (30:39):
That was? I was like twenty four and then I
opened Trammon six four seven when I was twenty six.
Great place, And I'd like to say in those twenty
years that I had Trammon six four seven, I had
a mistress and her name was Barbecue, and I spent
them I know, I love your face, that's a good one.
And I spent my weekends with her. And then towards
the end of closing six four seven, to carry on that.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Metaphor many years though, Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
Just decided that I wanted to kind of get my
mistress and make it a real thing. And it's something
I'm passionate about. I love the community, I love the people.
I love the food.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Didn't you have, Sister Sorel, Yeah, that was right next door,
right next to Yeah, Now, what was the gag as
Sister Sorel. What was the theme there?
Speaker 4 (31:18):
It was no theme, just like a crazy bar. I mean,
it was kind of a cool bar.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Yeah, but you and your restaurants were cool before cool
was even a thing in restaurants, you know, those two
places were thought of as cool, you know what I'm
talking about. It was in the South then, and it
was just cool. I'm going to travel one six forty seven.
Oh I love it there.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
Yeah, well, we we thought of it more of than
you know, food and hospitality, which is very important. But
it was an experience. You know, it was an evening out.
We would give you an evening out, you know, a
lot of high energy. And I have to just say
that the team members that we had over the years
were phenomenal and that's what really made it. You know,
we had a real good family there.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I get the impression Andy that a lot of people
you have working with and for you, they stay with
you for a long time usually.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
Or they go on and become even bigger successes.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
And I'm sure you welcome that as much. You mentioned
the name Chris Lessinger. I grew up in Cambridge and
I grew up maybe three blocks from the original the
first legal seafood when it was just a fish takeout
place and you got a bull of chowder and East
Coast Grill and East Coast Grill was phenomenal. And I
remember Jenny and I went in there with the TV
(32:31):
cameras years ago when he used to have fire night
or hell Night. Yeah, and AJ, you can appreciate this.
Hell Night was for a very certain group of people
who could withstand the hottest. I don't even think hot
is the word for so you will have dishes that
(32:51):
would burn your head off. And it became a competition
among people all I can eat that, And I was
shocked because they had Jenny with me, and at the time,
you was like a producer. And turns out I had
one bite of something and I almost wanted to go
to the hospital. Jenny ate the whole plate, no problem,
and it was the hottest one of the night. Hell
(33:12):
Night they called it. And these it's like a you know,
a populace of people.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Let me tell you we I with Chris's Chris Listener's blessing.
We've taken it over and we are we do it
as a charity benefit in January, I believe January fourteenth.
You can go to our website. It's most barbecue dot com.
And we'll be selling tickets probably in December, I think.
And it's a benefit, no kid hungry, it's a hotter
(33:39):
than Hell benefit. It's it's a real fun.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Okay, let's talk about it more because that's a great charity.
So it happens in January. And what do you call it?
It's hotter than Hell, Hotter than Hell night? Yeah, oh my,
just how hot are we talking?
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Well? What we're doing this? We do different every every
every time we do it. And this one's going to
be a progressive dinner. Two menus that run parallel. Everybody
starts on the left side of the menu and it
starts off with holopano and it will end with starts
with Helopenia. Yeah, and then it goes down to ghost chili.
So you keep getting hotter and hotter and hotter. If
you'd give up and raise a red flag, then you'll
(34:14):
move over.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
To the not hot menu.
Speaker 4 (34:17):
So it's an eight course meal and it just goes
from somewhat hot to unbelievably hot.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Now are you big on really really hot foods?
Speaker 4 (34:25):
I like my food big and flavorful, and I like
a little bit of spice. But I'm not the guy who's.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
So who's testing it? Oh, I'm testing it for the
big night. So you have to test and sample everything
that's going to be served that night, sir.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
It's awful.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Another time, Jenny and I were in Puerto Rico shooting
the TV Diner Show and we went through a market.
There was a famous chef in Puerto Rico, I forget
his name, famous, and he took us on a tour
of a market, an outdoor market, and we came upon
the peppers and we were asking about the peppers and
which ones they're hot, and Jenny made me take a
bite of this pepper, suppose the hottest pepper they have
(35:01):
in Puerto Rico. I went to the hospital. No, like
I honestly, and I'm not like just saying like. Legitimately,
Jenny had to take me to the hospital because something
was coming just overcoming my body. I couldn't even believe it.
And I took one little bite. But I've since learned
it's the seeds that are hot, not the pepper.
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Well both, but the seed. The seeds are really where
they get you.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Yeah, oh my, so hotter than hell. Night. I got
to bring Jenny and test her. Yeah, if she still
want to send you guys a note about it sometime
in January fourteenth, I believe. Okay, so you said you've
got four with a fifth on the way. Do we
have breaking news? Do we know about the fifth and
where it's good? If you're just opening Watertown?
Speaker 4 (35:41):
No, No, not that I'm aware of. No, we're opening up, Uh,
probably the end of December, beginning of January in Methuin.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Yeah, location. We're really excited. It's an old outback space
and whatever you think about outbacks, they build good restaurants.
So it's real solid structure, which we're really excited. So
we're not don't have to do too much, but we
want to make it a smoke shop, of course.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
And it's kind of a story there that it was
an outpack.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Do you find certain things that you'll retain from the walls.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Or we're contemplating keeping they have, like the microphone at
the at the host stand. Do you remember like the
hilltop even number seventy nine is the kick Carson Room.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Sioux City six for Seue City.
Speaker 4 (36:22):
That's cool, so we might keep that, but yeah, no,
you know, get we'd make it our own, But it's
really exciting. It's lots of parking right off in ninety three,
you know, shooting up to if you shooting up to
sail in New Hampshire or something.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
It's just right there.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
It's a real good space.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
So what's the ETA on Methuin end of December, beginning
of January. Well, that's coming up really yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
We we might be able to open in December, but
it's it's it's hard with the holidays. So we just say,
you know, what's.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Hold off with. Everybody's got time off, you.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
Know, changing jobs and what have you. People don't you know,
So we'll see what happens. But because us, plenty of
time to.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Practice and what comes after Methuin Wooburn, Wow, you're really
looking ahead. Yeah, when would Wooburn? By the way, is
an unsung hero. It's an up and coming time. That's
a good decision.
Speaker 4 (37:10):
Yeah, we're excited about Woolburn.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
But when's that going to open?
Speaker 4 (37:12):
I'm not sure. Sometimes a little bit after, just a
little bit after that.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
But you've got the location. Oh no, we're building it
and it's right downtown Woolburn.
Speaker 4 (37:20):
No, it's jeez, if you know where the the.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Hold hold that thought. We got to take a break.
We're talking with Andy Husbands about his new smoke shops
that are going to be opening in Mathuin and in Woolburn.
And when we come back, I want to talk about
your hot sauces because you brought some in. Andy Husbands
is the guest, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. That he
cost to hear my guest to Andy Husbands. H we've
got a few minutes left. Right before the break, Andy,
we were talking about your soon to be fifth location.
The fourth will be in Mathuin.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
No, no, no, No, fifth is Mathuin. Sixth is Wooburn, Okay, and
that's gonna be on Elm Street. If you know where
the Baldwin Bar is, have you been there? No? The
best place is to get cocktails in Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Oh yeah, there's a.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Stopping shop there. You know, it's right at a ballroom
bar Elm Street.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Yeah. Why Wooburn.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
Well, I'm quite familiar with the area. I used to
live around there.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Yeah, and it's great town and up and coming.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
When we look at locations, we want to know, like
I'll just sit there and watch, I just watch who
comes by. We look at demographics, of course, and then
you know, there's a bunch of other things you look at,
you know, feasibility studies and financial studies. But it just
felt right. It's such a good location. Yeah, right near
stopping shop. We're excited.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
No, you are on the move. I have a bone
to pick with you, yes, sir, And it's been a
chip on my shoulder for some time now. Jenny and
I were in your place not too long ago with
the camera crews, and you decided to pit us against
each other in a chicken wing contest.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
That was fun.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Now, you were just being kind to Jerry, right, you
really thought I won? Yeah, of course you want Okay, good.
I just wanted to make sure. I just wanted to
make sure. Okay, you've got a line of sauces sweet
and hot, and talk about your sauce life.
Speaker 4 (39:11):
So what's really what I so for barbecue sauces? I
find out, especially those crazy commercial ones, I mean the
ones that you see everywhere in every store are made
with high fructose corn syrup and just yucky ingredients and
like are too smoky and not dynamic mineor made to
do is kind of enhance your food, not change your food.
So we have sweet, which is like your traditional barbecue sauce.
(39:34):
We have a hot, which is the sweet but jazzed
up a little bit, but not I'd encourage you to
try it. I don't think you're gonna go to the hospital.
I think it's gonna be more like you're gonna go, oh,
that's hot, but it's good. What I want this is
my kind of goal in life, and I probably your
goal to. I want every experience to lead to another experience.
So when you try it, you're gonna want more, Okay.
And then lastly, gold gold is the Cinderella story and
(39:58):
unless you're from South Carolina, that's where it's from. South
Carolina gold sauce, which is barbecue sauce. Fun fact, when
I asked people, why do you think gold sauce comes
from South Carolina, they say because mustard grows there. Untrue.
It's because a bunch of Germans moved there and brought
their cuisine. So we think broughts and mustard, Oh yeah, right,
brought it there. We're talking a long time ago, one
(40:20):
hundreds of years ago and it assimilated into the barbecue
cuisine and now it's a traditional thing in South Carolina.
And I suggest to try it on anything. You will
have it, pork chops, anything, It's really good.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Okay, Now I've got to ask you something because I've
been privileged in the business that i'm in to have
witnessed you doing classes. Yes, cooking classes, and you're really
really good at it.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
You break it down, you explain everything perfectly. People enjoy it.
Are you still doing them? And if so, how can
people get to one of your classes?
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah? So we're still doing it, and we we're do
in blocks, so we'll be releasing after Thanksgiving. You're geting
to sign up on our website to get first note. Yes,
because once you see this on social media, it will
sell out. We do a brisket class. I teach a
brisket class that will sell out in three minutes.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Three minutes.
Speaker 4 (41:10):
Yeah, it's only eighteen people. But so we we have
a new block coming up for the winter, which will
be great for holiday gifts folks, So get on our email.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
List so they can buy a gift card for that.
So they got to buy a ticket for the class.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Okay, so the Smoke Shop Barbecue dot com and sign
up on our email newsletter. Once you see that newsletter,
come out quickly click on it and buy your tickets. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
Trust me when I tell you, folks, Yeah, you won't
be sorry. You'll learn a lot, you'll have a lot
of fun. You know, you have a glass of wine
or something during the class of Bourbon. Yes, and you
get to meet Andy husbands.
Speaker 4 (41:42):
No, they're great classes. And in fact, one of the
classes I'll be doing this winter is very similar to
what you and Jenny did, where we do a wing
where we do a.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Wing competition and everybody gets to get trophies. Got it?
Speaker 4 (41:52):
And by the way, not everybody gets the trophy.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
What's the website, The Smoke Shop Barbecue dot com. Andy,
thank you so much for coming in. Great to see you.
That's oh up next sixty minutes.
You're listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
For more than fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
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 whine, 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. I'm Billy Costa.
Jenny's got the week off this week. Eventually, aj our
executive producer. Eventually, I think Jenny and I will do
a show together again someday, I hope. Well, you know what,
we spread it out, we break it up if you will.
And this week I'm very excited. We've got a really,
really good show as we enter the holiday season. And
(00:44):
I've got my buddy Casey, who, by the way, excuse me,
is the president and CEO. And I want to make
sure I get this right. Casey, the Box Center, Wang Theater,
Schubert Theater. Yes, and you're the president and CEO of
all of that. Yes, I am step up to the mic. Yes,
and so you're filling the shoes that used to be
(01:06):
occupied by Joe Spalding. And I only say that because
I've had Joe on the show over the years and
many many times. You have big shoes to fill. Joe Spalding.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yes, yeah, thirty eight years at the Center, fifty years
in the business, and he just did an incredible job
over many, many decades of growth for the theaters.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
And he's still involved in some capacity, right he is.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Yes, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
A couple of years ago, Joe worked on getting the
Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame. Oh yeah, going at
the Wang Theater and something he's been very passionate about
and that you know, I share that passion with him,
and so he's been working with me on some initiatives
related to the Hall of Fame, and you know.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
So we're thrilled to still have him involved with that.
So where did we get you?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
So for the last almost decade, I've been at the
Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly, Oh, I've been there,
which which is also a historic theater, eight hundred and
fifty seats.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
We talk about the Cabot a lot on the Billion
Lisa Morning Show on Kiss Whenever, you've got great comedians
coming in and usually they'll come into the show and
then we'll promote the fact that they've got two shows
or three shows that weekend.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The Cabot it's an amazing place where it is over
one hundred years old. It was the home of the
longest running stage magic show in the history of the world,
the Lagronde de Vide and this spectacular magic company, and
between the late seventies and twenty twelve. Then it sat
dormant for a couple of years and the community got
together and established it as a nonprofit and I was
(02:39):
the first executive director, so I oversaw all of the
renovations that took place, the building, all the programming model
there ye go, Yeah, from the get go, and it
was just an amazing thing to be part of. And
it continues to thrive and do amazing things to this day.
And I'm very proud of it and watching very closely
and staying connected.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
To is it hard to leave. It was hard to leave.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Because you know, when you're the part, when you're part
of starting something from the ground up like that, it's
much more than a job. It's it's a personal passion.
It's a you're building a community around that. And but
and this is probably going to the Box Center is
probably the only other job in the world I would
have left for because, you know, being from Boston and
(03:22):
in this area, I see this as a natural extension
of the impact that that began with the Cabot and
that we can have an even bigger impact here at
the Box Center doing great things for the community and
while staying connected to all the theaters in the area. So
so I kind of see it as an extension of
the work that I've been doing for the last ten years.
(03:43):
And it's a it's a thrill to be there. I
grew up, you know, like so many kids going to
the Nutcracker and all programs at the Metchawang Center, and
I never will forget the first time I saw that lobby,
you know, as a little five year old kid, and
that stuff you never forget. We're making those memories now
for the new generation. So it's I'm thrilled to be there,
(04:06):
and it's a real honor.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You know.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
It's funny.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
I actually was asked one or two years to host
the Nutcracker at the Wang. Do you have any idea
how cool that is? A to be asked. But b
suddenly you're standing backstage while the ballet is getting ready
to go on with a Nutcracker, which is mind blowing
as a showy and at one point, you know, the dancers,
(04:32):
what do they call it, the company, yes, backstage was
asking me for pictures and I'm goofing around backstage, and
then as a joke, all of a sudden, they had
me stretching out with them as they were getting stretched
and I'm like.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I'm with the Boston Ballet, for God's sake, I hope
someone snapped a picture of you, so I do have one.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, that's fabulous. They were one of the props on
the set of the Nutcracker. Was this really cool bench
that was in one of the scenes. So there's a
picture of me with three or four ballet dancers on
the bench and I'll, you know, I'll cherish it forever.
Nut Cracker, for God's It's fabulous.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I mean, every person I talked to has some kind
of story about about the Wang. Before it was the
Wang Center, it was the Boston Music Hall, you know,
and it had this crazy tradition. Right you were there,
I was alive. Yeah, yeah, and hopefully you remember your experience.
Oh yeah, you know, you know from being there. But
everybody's got a story about it, everybody.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
And as we're kind of coming up to the Wang
Theaters one hundredth anniversary next year, you know, we're kind
of collecting these stories and these ideas, you know about
how can we really reflect on the amazing one hundred
year history of the building and how what are we
going to do for the next hundred.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Years and project that vision forward? Got so many shows
when you say that, they're just popping into my head.
I remember years and years and years ago rip Donna
Summer and we had a special Donna Summer concert Kiss
wont to Wait put on in the way. It was
another night where we did a special night with Hughey
Lewis in the news and it was a live broadcast
(06:02):
on Kiss that I had to host at what was
then the Music Hall. But god, there are so many
memories between the Wang what was the music Hall, and
the Box Center and the Schubert. The memories are ridiculous. Yes,
So having said that, I have so many questions for you,
because when you're controlling and in charge as the president
(06:25):
and CEO of the Box Center, Wang Theater Schubert how
and we're going to save this for after the break.
But I'm curious how you pick and choose and search
out the shows that fit best at the Schubert or
at the Wang or at the Box Center at How
(06:45):
on earth do you decide who's coming in town and
when and how do you possibly schedule it? It seems
overwhelming to me just talking about it. But you mentioned
the Nutcracker before we go to break? Is that coming
in this year?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
So that is been at the Opera House now for
several decades show, so that is not currently playing at
the Wang, But we do have we have a holiday
musical every year, and this year we've got The Grinch,
and everybody loves the Grinch.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Oh, so that we're.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Very excited about The Grinch who Stole Christmas, which will
be running for twenty performances over the month of December.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I hold that thought because we're going to go through
the whole lineup. God, I went to the Mariah Christmas
show there. I went to the John Legend Christmas show there.
We got to Chimp. Take a break, it's Food for Thought.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You're listening to Food for Thought. Brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweetes Hey.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Coffe here
having some fun here with Casey from the Box Center,
Wank Theater Schubert, And I should mention Matt, the digital
king for the whole operation, is sitting in the studio
as well, and I want to acknowledge that because Matt
has one of the best names I've ever heard. Yes,
Matt Pacific, like you need to be like in the
(07:58):
Hawaii five oh, or you know, like even a soap opera,
you know, a reality show, you know, enter stage left
met Pacific? Is it a stage name metal?
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Well, it's actually Italian and he used to have an
eye on the end and it was pronounced chief chi
oh wow, ionized to Pacific, and it's been that name
ever since. My dad's one of ten family, huge Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
But yes, it's Italian. Mine was Portuguese and one of
eighteen children. Why don't you beat there? Imagine that? Wow,
he was the baby. Did I ever tell you that?
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Aj?
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, my dad was the youngest of eighteen children. Portuguese. Wow,
she PACIFICI the Chiefichi. Well, that's a good name too.
I could you could have kept that one? It work anyway,
we're back with Casey. Before we went to break Casey,
we started talking about, uh, the schedule that's coming to town. Yes,
And who's coming into the Wang versus the Box Center
(08:55):
versus the shue Bert.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And by the way, Ernie, if you're listening, Ernie Bach,
dear friend of mine, if you're listening here comes to schedule.
All right, give me some highlights. So yes.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
So in addition to The Grinch, which will be doing
twenty performances December tenth through twenty third, we've got a
wonderful family show circ Dreams Holidays, which is going to
be playing at the Schubert from December sixth to the eighth.
You know, for the I believe it's a fifth straight year.
We've got Anthony Williams Urban Nutcracker at the.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Schubert or the Urban Nutcrackers. Jenny and I have gone
there to get fabulous show. Oh my god, it's good.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
December fourteenth through twenty second. And in addition to those
kind of signature events, we've got Bret Eldridge coming in
for his holiday tour, oh right after Thanksgiving. So Black
Friday and the Saturday following Thanksgiving, we'll have Brett. We've
got a fantastic show that's been here before, the Jensen
Dala Holiday Show, which is a drag performance, which will
(09:54):
be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
So we what's the data that one that is going
to be December second?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
So these are I'll coming right up because I mean
it's hard to believe it, but the holidays are upon
us here. Yeah, we're also running different promotions over the
holidays where you can still name a Wang Theater seat.
We're actually giving a ten percent discount on that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I'm sorry for the holiday. I didn't know this.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Well, we may have a seat with your name on it, Billy, No,
how do you get a seat with your name on it?
So you can go right to our website and you
can sign up, and you make a donation to the
theater and you get a seat with your name on it.
You can name them after your kids, your pets. God.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
You know, here's a great holiday gift. Well, it is
absolutely so unique. How much of a donation does it require?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
So it's it's normally it's a five hundred dollars donation,
but you get fifty bucks off for the holiday promotion.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
So for four fifty, you own a chair. You've got
a chair, you don't sit in it show fifty, But
that's cool. If you do go to a show, you're
sit in your own chair.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
You can do that and it's it's so much fun.
And if you come in, we can tell you exactly
where your seat is.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
God, I love this.
Speaker 5 (11:04):
There are some balcony seats for one hundred. Oh okay,
they're selling quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Okay, that's the voice of Matt Pacific, the Digital King.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Oh yeah, yeah, the Digital King knows what's going on
with the balcony is one hundred.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, So that's a good gift. You buy two seats
for a couple that you know or something, and then
they go to whatever show and sit in their own seats.
I'm loving this. Let's keep going.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
So the other thing we're going to have every year
we have Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions thirty percent
off select shows. So you know, definitely stay in touch
with us. Sign up for our email list to get
the first notifications of those deals. And we're also you know,
we want to just draw attention. We talked a little
(11:46):
bit about one hundredth anniversary that's coming up in January.
We're going to be announcing a year of celebrations for
the one hundredth anniversary, and and you know, things that
have happened at the theater in the past that haven't
happened in a long time. We're going to be opening
up the theater for some of those things. And I
will save all of those details for a future show
(12:09):
with you, Billy, but we're very excited about the hundredth.
We've also got an incredible lineup of female comedians coming up.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Oh good, let's go with that. Here we go, see
because I can, I'll transfer this to the Billy and
Lisa Morning Show and ye blow it up there. Yes,
so you know it.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
And very excited for Taylor Tomlinson to return in February, February,
late February and early March. She's going to set the
record for the Wang Theater for number of shows and
number of tickets sold in a run. She's doing five
shows at the Wang Theater, which is a record. She's
breaking her own record that she set last year with
(12:46):
four sold out shows. And we're we're going to make
a big deal out of that because you know, we
think it's just amazing and we're the top market for
her in the whole country if.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
She sells more ticket Taylor Tomlinson, Taylor Tomlins February March.
That's in February, March.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
In February, We've also got Nicky Glazier coming in Tom
Brady Roast.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Roast Master. Yeah, just wait a minute, when is that?
We'll go with the morning show.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So that's also going to be in February, mid February.
And she just sold out two shows and just added
a third show.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Uh so uh, And.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
We've got some other surprises in the female comedy world
that have not been announced yet.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Well that we'll be announced very soon that we can tell.
So Glazer, you got to get there fast if you
want to see it at that show. Yes, yeah, tickets
are selling like hotcakes. Well maybe I should buy my
seats and sit in those seats for Nicky Glazier. No,
she is hilarious. Yes, and you know what, I had
not heard of her, I apologize until the Brady Roast. Yes,
(13:44):
and I've been following her since. She is hilarious. That's
a good grab, all right, what else is coming?
Speaker 3 (13:51):
So the other thing, you know, we talked a little
bit about the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, and
we're very excited about what we're doing there. So, you know,
we've taken the Wang Theater and we've turned it into
you know, a you know, an area where we pay
tribute to artists that have come before the present tents
(14:13):
of Folk Americana roots music and then thinking about the
future of Folk Americana roots music in Boston's place in
that history, which is a story that we feel like
needs to be shared far and wide.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
And this was a passion of Joe Spaulding's right it was.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
It was and many others you know who have got
behind it and supported the initiative.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
So we're very, very excited.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Because right now we made a documentary film that's on
PBS and it is about the first induction ceremony of
the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame that took place
at the Wang Theater in April, and that documentary can
now be viewed all over the country. We've of all
the PBS stations, I think there's about three hundred and
(14:56):
fifty or so in the country, almost all of them
have now picked up this documentary, well over three hundred,
and it can now be viewed online right on our
website at Farhof dot org. Uh uh, but also on
your local PBS station. So PBS stations all over the
country are carrying this. It can be watched streaming and
(15:17):
also on your local station.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
And you also have exhibits. Then you have a Bruce
Springsteen exhibit for a while, we have, yeah, yeah, we've
We've had many exhibits. Uh.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
We we currently have an exhibit at the Wang Theater
that we're very excited about and it ties into the
Folk Collective, which is which is an amazing group of
musicians that that got together through club passim and they're
they're creating new music, they're they're just very impactful, uh,
community building, you know through music that they're doing. And
(15:47):
so we're highlighting a number.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Of their artists that that are involved there.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
And the photos that are that are highlighted are from
a local photographer named Barry Shiner. And so so those
that can be view between now and February, and then
I'll give a little sneak peak of an exhibit that
hasn't even been announced yet.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Breaking news. This is just some breaking news, breaking news.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
We are Joan BIA's exhibits in March, and we're very,
very excited about John Bias, and there's going to be
a lot of exciting programming in addition to the exhibit
that we're going to be announcing in the new year
and socializing more with the general public. But we're very
excited about this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Which brings me to my original question. Yes, so you're
talking about three venues that you're in charge of. Again,
how do you decide who goes to what venue?
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Right? Was it right?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
So we have the two theaters and the Hall of Fame,
which is in one of the theaters. So so that's
you know, we are so fortunate, Billy, that we have
great partnerships in all areas. So we have great partnerships
in the Broadway world, we have great partnerships in the
comedy world, in the music world, in the in the
(17:05):
performing arts world with the you know, with the Urban
Nutcracker and Alvin Ailey with Celebrity series and so we
you know, we have developed these wonderful partnerships over the years.
So we have certain events, Uh, you know, every year
we want to do a holiday musical, so we you know,
we we we have that on the schedule and and uh,
you know Alvin Ailey in different uh, you know, kind
(17:26):
of annual events that we have, and then and then
from there, you know, we were in daily communication with
our comedy partners about zan tour.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Our music partner, how did you get Kevin Hart? Kevin Hart,
you know, came directly through. Okay, call that thought. AJ's
giving me the dirty look. We have can commercial, all right,
but I want to know the Kevin Hart story and
we'll get that. It's Food for Thought. I'm Billy Costa.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and Sweets.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Hey, folks, welcome back to Food for Thought. This is awesome.
I've still got Casey here from the Box Center, Wang
Theater and Schubert Theater. And before the break, I asked
you it was about two maybe three weeks ago on
a Friday night you had Kevin Hart. How did you
get Kevin Hart?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
You know, we we really that was kind of a
stroke of luck for us because Kevin Hart, you know,
he plays Arenas, he plays a huge place right.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Right, and but he for this tour.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
The tour was called acting Acting My age and it's
kind of about him kind of becoming middle age a
little bit and reflecting on that journey a bit. And
as part of that, he wanted to kind of go
back to his roots, playing these smaller theaters where he
really got his start and he really began to build
his momentum as an artist. And the Wang Theater was
(18:46):
one of those theaters and he so he did two
shows at the Wang. He did a show at MGM.
He wanted to try out the new room you know
in town, which would which was great, sold out all
three and it was just a tremendous weekend, you know.
So that those are the kind of moments when you
get artists like Kevin Hard. A couple of years ago,
Ed Sheeran played at the Right. He did three nights
(19:07):
right or something. He just did one night, okay, but
he that came out of nowhere.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
That came out of nowhere.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
He was playing Gillette Stadium, so he had already you know,
sold out.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
In every so often they like to go back to
the roots, back to the small venues and be up
close and personal with their fans. That's why we've only
got a minute or so left. But I've got to
ask you because I met your wife. Yes, and and
you guys are walking and Michelle and I were walking
and she was an intern here at Kiss Yes. Wow.
And now she's in a band, Yes.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
She she she's got her own original band called Three
Second Chances and they are you know, they've they've got
a number of performances.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
And videos you know, you know online.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
But their whole mission is to empower people over the
age of forty to pick up music or a creative
your career again, if you've ever put that on the shelf,
life life gets in the way of your musical ambitions.
They're here to help inspire you. And as part of
their show, they bring people on the show from the
community that that submit and and say they want to
(20:06):
they want to get back into playing music again, and
they work it into the show.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
It's and she was in a girl group called Jada
right ten years ago. We played their song or something
like that.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, they had some big songs and she still performs
with some of the members of the group.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Okay, what's your website?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
So so it's three seconds to remember Three Second Chances
dot com.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Uh to check them out? And where do people go
for all things? Wang? Center, Box Box Enter, Wang Theater Schubert.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yes, you can see us at the Boxcenter dot org,
Boxcenter dot Org.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
All right, Casey, good to see you. Thank you, Billy,
always a pleasure. Matt Pacific, good to see you. Uh
and I'll see you at the theater.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
Can't wait.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I will take a break when we come back. Andy
Husbands from the smoke shop. Did I mentioned world champion
barbecue chef? Gonna be right here in the studio.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you boy
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought and I've
got Andy Husband's. Good to see you, buddy. How are you?
Speaker 4 (21:02):
I'm great? How are you?
Speaker 2 (21:04):
I'm just fine. You and I go way back. I
mean I remember Tremont six forty seven, you had the
Sunday pajama brunches, and Jenny and I have just watched
you grow and develop and open concept after concept, and
I know you've got your smoke shops. How many now
we're four?
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Next month will be five.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Two months after that will be six, two months after
that will be seven.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
We'll get back to that. Yes, Okay, the reason we
have Andy in is because well we want to talk
about all the smoke shops and what the future plans are.
But when last you and I saw each other, it
was prior to the election. Yes, just prior to the election,
but months in advance of the election, you were aggressively
(21:45):
campaigning for one of the ballot questions in Massachusetts. Say
no on question five?
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Yeah, I think I tackled you at an event the
love Lane. All right, right, yes where I Yes, did you?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
But I was glad you did because you know, I'm
one of those people who, stupidly, I think, never spends
enough time on the ballot questions because you're so wrapped
up in the elections. But this election season was interesting
because when it came to the ballot questions in Massachusetts,
it seemed like they got more attention than ever and
(22:20):
for good reason.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Yeah, I agree, it was very interesting and I've found
the results interesting. And I'm you know, the question five,
which would have been just awful for restaurants, it overwhelmingly
went the directions for the restaurants. It was an overwhelmingly no,
which was great.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Well, let me ask you, because you have so many employees,
how many.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Now we're close to two hundred.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Okay, two hundred employees. If I know you, you probably
had conversations with every single one of them.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Yeah. If our team didn't support our position, then we
wouldn't have had a leg to stand on.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
No. Really, when you say that you could have lost
the business.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
No, I'm just saying if they were a no. Also,
But if they had been a yes, it wouldn't have
How could I. You can't fight your your teammates rights, right,
So I think everybody all you know, bartender, servers, cooks,
everybody understood what this meant for restaurants and how bad
it was.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
And it was crazy.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
This is the crazy part about the whole thing is
it was not grassroots out of Massachusetts, right, It was California, right, Yeah,
And that is what is weird to me that, you know,
if I had enough money, can I go to I
don't know, some Illinois and put something on their ballot?
Like that's just wacky. Yeah, like grassroots I believe in.
(23:40):
I think that's great.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
But and didn't it fail in the few states that
it was.
Speaker 4 (23:47):
It failed in some places. It actually passed in d C.
And they're suffering this nobo.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I mean it failed in terms of the fact that
they passed it and it didn't go well.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
It's not going well in DC and they're going to
have to figure it out. It also passed in Uh,
it's either I think Portland Maine, maybe a pastor I
think with Portland Maine and the service revolted and they
got it overturned.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Really, yeah, they can do that.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
You know, anybody can do anything it in America. We
can you know, lobby your people and change laws. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Well, you know what's amazing to me that, even even today,
I still haven't gotten a handle on why you would
vote yes on five.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
Well, everybody the way it was worded. I mean sure,
if you said, if I said you don't you think
everybody should be paid minimum.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Wage, right, you'd say, yes, great idea.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
That's the way it was worded. But the reality is
all of our servers must make minimum wage, which is
the tip wage six seventy five plus tips must be
greater than minimum wage. Right, So if it snowed today
and nobody came in, I have to pay all my
service minimum wage. So that law was already in place.
Their argument was, well, there's ad people out there that
(25:00):
don't do that. I will tell you that those bad
people will not become good people once if the law changed,
they will do something else. And yes, there's bad people.
And if anybody knows, anybody, let me know. We'll help you,
you know, file the suit with the AG.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Sure, everybody should be paid by the law. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
You know. It's funny, Andy, because when I walked into
the ballot box and it was a kind of dark
in there, and they hand you the long ballot.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And so now I get to the ballot questions and
you you told me be careful because question five is
on the back of the ballot sheet. And then you
also said what you referred to earlier, make sure you
read it carefully because they intentionally wrote it in such
a way that you would want to vote yes, right.
Speaker 4 (25:50):
Yeah, I mean that's how That's what's fascinating about politics
in general, is how something is pitched to you or
phrase to you can sway the way you vote and
maybe even vote against what's best for yourself.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
So I read it three times over with you, and mind,
I said, no, no, Andy told me to be very careful
on this. I mean, well, it all made sense to
me all of a sudden. I said, oh no, I
got to vote No. One five.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
What was great, though, is you know our governor she
came out as a no and she said, don't even
listen to me. Go talk to your servers, Go talk
to your bartenders at your favorite place. I thought that
was such a cool position to take. I did that too,
you know, and and and and if you gosh, I
mean it was. It was bonkers because it was everywhere right,
All restaurants were saying, you know, no, no, no, no.
(26:32):
So it's it's really neat that. If you want some
inside baseball, we have the Massachusetts Restaurant United oh yeah,
and then the MRA.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
These are two different groups that represent restaurants and they
we worked together. And I was on this giant like
WhatsApp tech chain and people were just like back and
forth working together, figuring out new ways to get the
word out. And I just thought it was so cool
to see all the communities together.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Well, you got the no vote, yeah, and a bigger
vote than you expected.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
It's what we wanted.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Okay, we got to take our first break. When we
come back, we're talking to and the husband, who, by
the way, is a world champion barbecue chef. He's the
only one I know, okay, and I'll bet he's the
only one on the planet. We'll take a break. We'll
talk barbecue. Right after the break.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale in Waterfront Hotel in swedes Hi.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought that we cost
you here now with my buddy Andy Husbands smoke shops again.
How many four today? Okay? But earlier in the show
you said four? Now, yes, five on the way and
then six on the way. Where's five gonna? But first
of all, where are the four?
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Okay? The four? We are in Harvard Square, Assembly Row,
East Boston with the best view of Boston you can imagine,
and what we call the Seaport, but really it's fourth Point,
right across the street from the Children's Museum. Ah.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Okay, I gotta tell you. I'm in Charles's Sound from
most of the summer at Charlestown, Marina and Michelle and
I have a rescue dog, a rescue pit that we
got fairly recently, and he still has certain abandonment issues,
so we really can't go out to dinner if we're
going away, we have a person that can take care
of him. But we discovered smoke Shop East Boston, right
(28:21):
on Boston Harbor, and I called you ahead of time
and said, can I have the dog outside of the patio?
He said absolutely. It was our favorite thing all summer.
We take my little boat over. We can dock right
next to it, and then we sit. We have smoke
shop barbecue, and Titus has a ball. And your salad
that you serve at the smoke Shop is the biggest
(28:42):
salad I've ever seen. I mean, Michelle nine out of
ten times just gets salad and it's enormous and she
could barely She took some home for the first time.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Yeah, you know it's important to you know that people
get an ample amount of food. That's kind of what
barbecue's about. Right.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
So you got the East Boston. I know you've got
Cambridge that's Technology Square. No you Harvard Square, Harvard Square, Okay,
so East Boston Harvard Square. You know in Fort Point
and Assembly Row, which I go to a lot too,
take out, always sit there. Sometimes they're really great places.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
You know, you made them very comfortable and you know
what you're getting you're getting the best barbecue you'll ever eat.
What got you into barbecue?
Speaker 5 (29:24):
You know?
Speaker 4 (29:26):
I worked for Chris Losenger as you know, in nineteen
nineties early nineties, and he had a barbecue place. And
the one thing he'll never let me forget is the
biggest fight, which I almost got fired over, was he
wanted me to work there one day a week and
I did not want to. And you knows, as a mentee,
he was my mentor. You know, fighting him is part
(29:46):
of the job, and so it was a king. So
I lost that fight and I ended up working there,
and I really realized I wrongly thought barbecue was easy,
and I wrongly thought it was pedestrian, and to make
great barbecue as whole a lot of passion and a
lot of work, and it really opened my eyes and
that was the beginning of my barbecue kind of career.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Well, people travel the country to none of these giant
barbecue cookoffs, and you've done a lot. Well, you've won most.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
Mostly, So let's be clear. I'm a member of a team,
which I did. I'm one of the founders. But my
buddy Chris Hart, he is our pit master. Ok, he's
the genius. I just kind of like steal his idea.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
But you're the only one I know too.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
To me, you're saying that I like to make sure
he gets a shot out.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
But see that's the kind of guy you are. You
make sure everybody gets their due. Yeah, thank you And okay,
so you get into barbecue. And at what age were
you at that point?
Speaker 4 (30:39):
That was? I was like twenty four and then I
opened Trammon six four seven when I was twenty six.
Great place, And I'd like to say in those twenty
years that I had Trammon six four seven, I had
a mistress and her name was Barbecue, and I spent
them I know, I love your face, that's a good one.
And I spent my weekends with her. And then towards
the end of closing six four seven, to carry on that.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Metaphor many years though, Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
Just decided that I wanted to kind of get my
mistress and make it a real thing. And it's something
I'm passionate about. I love the community, I love the people.
I love the food.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Didn't you have, Sister Sorel, Yeah, that was right next door,
right next to Yeah, Now, what was the gag as
Sister Sorel. What was the theme there?
Speaker 4 (31:18):
It was no theme, just like a crazy bar. I mean,
it was kind of a cool bar.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Yeah, but you and your restaurants were cool before cool
was even a thing in restaurants, you know, those two
places were thought of as cool, you know what I'm
talking about. It was in the South then, and it
was just cool. I'm going to travel one six forty seven.
Oh I love it there.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
Yeah, well, we we thought of it more of than
you know, food and hospitality, which is very important. But
it was an experience. You know, it was an evening out.
We would give you an evening out, you know, a
lot of high energy. And I have to just say
that the team members that we had over the years
were phenomenal and that's what really made it. You know,
we had a real good family there.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I get the impression Andy that a lot of people
you have working with and for you, they stay with
you for a long time usually.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
Or they go on and become even bigger successes.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
And I'm sure you welcome that as much. You mentioned
the name Chris Lessinger. I grew up in Cambridge and
I grew up maybe three blocks from the original the
first legal seafood when it was just a fish takeout
place and you got a bull of chowder and East
Coast Grill and East Coast Grill was phenomenal. And I
remember Jenny and I went in there with the TV
(32:31):
cameras years ago when he used to have fire night
or hell Night. Yeah, and AJ, you can appreciate this.
Hell Night was for a very certain group of people
who could withstand the hottest. I don't even think hot
is the word for so you will have dishes that
(32:51):
would burn your head off. And it became a competition
among people all I can eat that, And I was
shocked because they had Jenny with me, and at the time,
you was like a producer. And turns out I had
one bite of something and I almost wanted to go
to the hospital. Jenny ate the whole plate, no problem,
and it was the hottest one of the night. Hell
(33:12):
Night they called it. And these it's like a you know,
a populace of people.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Let me tell you we I with Chris's Chris Listener's blessing.
We've taken it over and we are we do it
as a charity benefit in January, I believe January fourteenth.
You can go to our website. It's most barbecue dot com.
And we'll be selling tickets probably in December, I think.
And it's a benefit, no kid hungry, it's a hotter
(33:39):
than Hell benefit. It's it's a real fun.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Okay, let's talk about it more because that's a great charity.
So it happens in January. And what do you call it?
It's hotter than Hell, Hotter than Hell night? Yeah, oh my,
just how hot are we talking?
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Well? What we're doing this? We do different every every
every time we do it. And this one's going to
be a progressive dinner. Two menus that run parallel. Everybody
starts on the left side of the menu and it
starts off with holopano and it will end with starts
with Helopenia. Yeah, and then it goes down to ghost chili.
So you keep getting hotter and hotter and hotter. If
you'd give up and raise a red flag, then you'll
(34:14):
move over.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
To the not hot menu.
Speaker 4 (34:17):
So it's an eight course meal and it just goes
from somewhat hot to unbelievably hot.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Now are you big on really really hot foods?
Speaker 4 (34:25):
I like my food big and flavorful, and I like
a little bit of spice. But I'm not the guy who's.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
So who's testing it? Oh, I'm testing it for the
big night. So you have to test and sample everything
that's going to be served that night, sir.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
It's awful.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Another time, Jenny and I were in Puerto Rico shooting
the TV Diner Show and we went through a market.
There was a famous chef in Puerto Rico, I forget
his name, famous, and he took us on a tour
of a market, an outdoor market, and we came upon
the peppers and we were asking about the peppers and
which ones they're hot, and Jenny made me take a
bite of this pepper, suppose the hottest pepper they have
(35:01):
in Puerto Rico. I went to the hospital. No, like
I honestly, and I'm not like just saying like. Legitimately,
Jenny had to take me to the hospital because something
was coming just overcoming my body. I couldn't even believe it.
And I took one little bite. But I've since learned
it's the seeds that are hot, not the pepper.
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Well both, but the seed. The seeds are really where
they get you.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Yeah, oh my, so hotter than hell. Night. I got
to bring Jenny and test her. Yeah, if she still
want to send you guys a note about it sometime
in January fourteenth, I believe. Okay, so you said you've
got four with a fifth on the way. Do we
have breaking news? Do we know about the fifth and
where it's good? If you're just opening Watertown?
Speaker 4 (35:41):
No, No, not that I'm aware of. No, we're opening up, Uh,
probably the end of December, beginning of January in Methuin.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Yeah, location. We're really excited. It's an old outback space
and whatever you think about outbacks, they build good restaurants.
So it's real solid structure, which we're really excited. So
we're not don't have to do too much, but we
want to make it a smoke shop, of course.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
And it's kind of a story there that it was
an outpack.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Do you find certain things that you'll retain from the walls.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Or we're contemplating keeping they have, like the microphone at
the at the host stand. Do you remember like the
hilltop even number seventy nine is the kick Carson Room.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Sioux City six for Seue City.
Speaker 4 (36:22):
That's cool, so we might keep that, but yeah, no,
you know, get we'd make it our own, But it's
really exciting. It's lots of parking right off in ninety three,
you know, shooting up to if you shooting up to
sail in New Hampshire or something.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
It's just right there.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
It's a real good space.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
So what's the ETA on Methuin end of December, beginning
of January. Well, that's coming up really yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
We we might be able to open in December, but
it's it's it's hard with the holidays. So we just say,
you know, what's.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Hold off with. Everybody's got time off, you.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
Know, changing jobs and what have you. People don't you know,
So we'll see what happens. But because us, plenty of
time to.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Practice and what comes after Methuin Wooburn, Wow, you're really
looking ahead. Yeah, when would Wooburn? By the way, is
an unsung hero. It's an up and coming time. That's
a good decision.
Speaker 4 (37:10):
Yeah, we're excited about Woolburn.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
But when's that going to open?
Speaker 4 (37:12):
I'm not sure. Sometimes a little bit after, just a
little bit after that.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
But you've got the location. Oh no, we're building it
and it's right downtown Woolburn.
Speaker 4 (37:20):
No, it's jeez, if you know where the the.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Hold hold that thought. We got to take a break.
We're talking with Andy Husbands about his new smoke shops
that are going to be opening in Mathuin and in Woolburn.
And when we come back, I want to talk about
your hot sauces because you brought some in. Andy Husbands
is the guest, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. That he
cost to hear my guest to Andy Husbands. H we've
got a few minutes left. Right before the break, Andy,
we were talking about your soon to be fifth location.
The fourth will be in Mathuin.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
No, no, no, No, fifth is Mathuin. Sixth is Wooburn, Okay, and
that's gonna be on Elm Street. If you know where
the Baldwin Bar is, have you been there? No? The
best place is to get cocktails in Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Oh yeah, there's a.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Stopping shop there. You know, it's right at a ballroom
bar Elm Street.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Yeah. Why Wooburn.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
Well, I'm quite familiar with the area. I used to
live around there.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Yeah, and it's great town and up and coming.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
When we look at locations, we want to know, like
I'll just sit there and watch, I just watch who
comes by. We look at demographics, of course, and then
you know, there's a bunch of other things you look at,
you know, feasibility studies and financial studies. But it just
felt right. It's such a good location. Yeah, right near
stopping shop. We're excited.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
No, you are on the move. I have a bone
to pick with you, yes, sir, And it's been a
chip on my shoulder for some time now. Jenny and
I were in your place not too long ago with
the camera crews, and you decided to pit us against
each other in a chicken wing contest.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
That was fun.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Now, you were just being kind to Jerry, right, you
really thought I won? Yeah, of course you want Okay, good.
I just wanted to make sure. I just wanted to
make sure. Okay, you've got a line of sauces sweet
and hot, and talk about your sauce life.
Speaker 4 (39:11):
So what's really what I so for barbecue sauces? I
find out, especially those crazy commercial ones, I mean the
ones that you see everywhere in every store are made
with high fructose corn syrup and just yucky ingredients and
like are too smoky and not dynamic mineor made to
do is kind of enhance your food, not change your food.
So we have sweet, which is like your traditional barbecue sauce.
(39:34):
We have a hot, which is the sweet but jazzed
up a little bit, but not I'd encourage you to
try it. I don't think you're gonna go to the hospital.
I think it's gonna be more like you're gonna go, oh,
that's hot, but it's good. What I want this is
my kind of goal in life, and I probably your
goal to. I want every experience to lead to another experience.
So when you try it, you're gonna want more, Okay.
And then lastly, gold gold is the Cinderella story and
(39:58):
unless you're from South Carolina, that's where it's from. South
Carolina gold sauce, which is barbecue sauce. Fun fact, when
I asked people, why do you think gold sauce comes
from South Carolina, they say because mustard grows there. Untrue.
It's because a bunch of Germans moved there and brought
their cuisine. So we think broughts and mustard, Oh yeah, right,
brought it there. We're talking a long time ago, one
(40:20):
hundreds of years ago and it assimilated into the barbecue
cuisine and now it's a traditional thing in South Carolina.
And I suggest to try it on anything. You will
have it, pork chops, anything, It's really good.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Okay, Now I've got to ask you something because I've
been privileged in the business that i'm in to have
witnessed you doing classes. Yes, cooking classes, and you're really
really good at it.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
You break it down, you explain everything perfectly. People enjoy it.
Are you still doing them? And if so, how can
people get to one of your classes?
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah? So we're still doing it, and we we're do
in blocks, so we'll be releasing after Thanksgiving. You're geting
to sign up on our website to get first note. Yes,
because once you see this on social media, it will
sell out. We do a brisket class. I teach a
brisket class that will sell out in three minutes.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Three minutes.
Speaker 4 (41:10):
Yeah, it's only eighteen people. But so we we have
a new block coming up for the winter, which will
be great for holiday gifts folks, So get on our email.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
List so they can buy a gift card for that.
So they got to buy a ticket for the class.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Okay, so the Smoke Shop Barbecue dot com and sign
up on our email newsletter. Once you see that newsletter,
come out quickly click on it and buy your tickets. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
Trust me when I tell you, folks, Yeah, you won't
be sorry. You'll learn a lot, you'll have a lot
of fun. You know, you have a glass of wine
or something during the class of Bourbon. Yes, and you
get to meet Andy husbands.
Speaker 4 (41:42):
No, they're great classes. And in fact, one of the
classes I'll be doing this winter is very similar to
what you and Jenny did, where we do a wing
where we do a.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Wing competition and everybody gets to get trophies. Got it?
Speaker 4 (41:52):
And by the way, not everybody gets the trophy.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
What's the website, The Smoke Shop Barbecue dot com. Andy,
thank you so much for coming in. Great to see you.
That's oh up next sixty minutes.
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