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January 19, 2025 • 41 mins
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest rest lawns, and giving
you the inside scoop on where to wine, dine, and
spend your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought
giving you something to chew on.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought, brought to you
by the Box Center.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
I am Jenny.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm excited for the show this week, because I guess
I am every single week. But this is a vice
president of catering for a company that is just so
well regarded in our city and beyond. Many of you
who live in the Boston area may have heard of
the Catered Affair, a catering company that has been around

(00:46):
actually longer than I have, and I think longer than
it's vice president, Ken Barrett Sweet. It is such a
pleasure to me you. Thanks so much for coming on
the program.

Speaker 4 (00:56):
Thanks for having me. I'm excited to chat today a
little bit about where we are in Boston.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well awesome, Well a catered affair and something very special
to both Billy and I me in particular because I
got married at the Boston Public Library and you are,
of course the official caterer of the BPL. And so
when I think of one of the most special days
of my life, I think about all of the deliciousness
that came from that special day from all of you.

(01:24):
But you know what we'd like to do, kenn Is.
We'd like to sort of start by giving a little
backgrounds on who you are, to sort of bring you
to the forefront. Talk a little bit about your history
and what got you to sort of running certainly the
most powerful catering company in our awesome city. So give
us a little background.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Where'd you come from?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Where did your inspirations for being in the culinary space
come from?

Speaker 4 (01:47):
Well, interestingly enough, I grew up in Alabama and was
raised there, born on a farm, and grew up with
grandparents who loved to cook. Incidentally, I went on to
university and was awarded as scholarship to university that had
a opera program, and received the full degree in opera

(02:13):
and graduated from there. Decided to do my MBA and
was tooling around Atlanta and Birmingham and just fell in
love with my passion, which is hospitality and making people
feel warm and welcome and really around the food space.
So I went to work for a company on most People,

(02:33):
Mainaire Restaurant Associates, and was working in the catering space,
putting on events and creating events, and got the bug
and the idea to go to culinary school. So it
was very fortunate to be able to attend culinary school
and get a master's degree from in Culinary Arts and

(02:54):
Hospitality from Cortamblou in Paris. The amazing time I was
able to spend several years on an off in Paris.
Was so much fun to learn from masters and then
just really ignite my passion in creating really amazing food
that just in turn give people experiences that they'll never forget.

(03:16):
So I work, that's great, thank you.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
I mean, it's that's such a fascinating twist and turn.
And I think one of the things that I'm imagining
is kind of the amalgamation of all of those trainings,
of all those different degrees gave you such a sort
of rich plethora of understanding of how to manage in
the space. Okay, so you you finished at Lacorde on
Blue with this master's degree, and then and then you're

(03:46):
working for a bit here and then what brought you
and when brought you to the cater To Fair.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
So two thousand and eight I moved to Boston, and
in two thousand and seventeen I moved to the catered
To Fair. I came to bos sitting for another catering company,
and then all the long, all the while, I had
been on stage teaching culinary, teaching advanced culinary to different
caters around the United States, and we had known each other.

(04:14):
I'd known Holly for years. She's one of the icons.
Holly Safford, the founder of the Catered Affairs, one of
the icons in our industry, one of the first people
to be a part of the group that codified what
catering is and what to expect from special advents, especially
in food and service. And so I came to work
with a Catered Affair to really focus on the ability

(04:38):
to bridge the gap between what most restaurant people know
is front of house and back of house, meaning those
people who are servers on the floor. There's people who
are clients facing and those people in the back who
are creating the magic, the food, and the operations for
the experience. So my wealth of knowledge from the bullinary side,

(05:01):
my understanding business and profitability and the business sector, and
some of my other trainings have allowed me to come
to this position where I'm so fortunate to just sit
and be in this space to support our managers, our directors,
and our leaders in all of our different venues and

(05:23):
our Offimis team and did them the encouragement and the
foundation to really grow and be a superstar. Wow.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
And you mentioned Holly an icon in the industry, I
would say in icon in our region. Really, I you know,
she is so poised, so passionate, so you know, dedicated
and devoted to the craft. Her story in and of
itself is a beautiful one. But I imagine and knowing her,
how much she appreciated your history, the history of the

(05:53):
story you told about your grandparents and and sort of
the process that took you to a bunch of different
places to bring you back right here. Because I know
the storytelling is also so important when it comes to
the things that you're putting on the plate. I know
that's an important thing for the catered of fair collection.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
Is that right?

Speaker 4 (06:12):
That's correct. I mean, we really look at being a
leader in our industry in Boston and New England for
creating experiences. We really try to bring to the table
that community, that love and passion for hospitality and just
the refinement of bringing the best ingredients on the plate,

(06:33):
no matter if you're in the middle of the field
as the Bosom Public Library. Incidentally, my connection with Holly
grew much deeper when we found out we share the
same birth dakes. She and I are birth we were
in October seventeenth, twenty five years apart. But thus we
are kindred.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Spirits undeniably meant to be together creating incredible opportunities for
everybody in our awesome city. Okay, well, it's so great
to have you and get to know you a little bit.
When we come back, we're really going to break down
the cater to Fair collection.

Speaker 3 (07:06):
This is an opportunity to sort of.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Tell you a little bit more about some of the
most iconic locations that this beautiful historic city has and
the way that the catered affair really pays homage to
all of them and creates such a long lasting, memorable
experience for everyone who died inside of your locations. So
we're going to take a break. We'll be back more
from Ken. More of Food for Thought in just a minute.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
And Sweet Welcome back to Food for Thought brought to
you by the Box Center. We're chatting with Ken from
the cater To Fair collection and Ken Barrett Sweets, the
vice president of catering for this incredible company, talked a
little bit about Holly Safford, who is again just such
an icon in our area and who really has set
the tone for what excellence can be from a culinary

(07:57):
experience in so many of the different venues. But Ken,
for somebody who's not familiar with the catered affair, you know,
how do you describe it? And then we'll get into
the different locations where people can can meet you.

Speaker 4 (08:11):
The cater To Fair is a company that focuses on
being a leading experience maker. We first started with what
is known as all primise catering, where we go anywhere
in New England to throw a party, whether in your
home or at a venue or on the field on
the cape. We just go anywhere and we bring restaurant

(08:35):
quality food and five star service to that location, no
matter how big or how small the event is. We
do parties from two people all the way to parties
for ten thousand people, and we provide the same sort
of service, the same immersive experiences at all those places.

(08:55):
Most recently in our history, in the last fifteen years,
we've partnered with several Boston's historic quintessential landmark locations to
provide food service in them. So we work in tandem
with these locations to bring restaurants and cafes to the

(09:16):
public and also provide special events.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Well, I mean, just thinking of the idea of doing
an event with the food of your caliber for ten
thousand people is just mind blowing. However, I've been at
many of those events, so I can attest to the
fact that it happens regularly, which is pretty impressive. Okay,
so let's break it down. So you know, you know,
back in the day, we can think of Holly as
doing this, I think out of her home, and then

(09:42):
it expanded, and then you know, was the first place
the Boston Public Library?

Speaker 4 (09:50):
Correct, Jennyan, The first place was the Boston Public Library.
Fifteen years ago, we entered a partnership with the Boston
Public Library to create three distinct spaces cafe activations and
restaurants inside the bust of Public Library and do events.
We do about one hundred and eighty five private events
where people hire out the Boston Public Library to host

(10:13):
their event and the Digital Fair provides the food. We
also have three locations for three different types of food
scenario or food experiences and the awesome Public Library. Most
notable and iconic is our tea room. We serve a
three course tea that is very similar to what you
might experience in London or the UK, but we focus

(10:37):
ourselves on contemporary American, contemporary New England influences, so you
have all the way from a first chef's starter all
the way through to scones and five savory bytes and
five sweet bites. It's a wonderful time to enjoy thirty

(10:57):
six different loose leaf teas, and it's fresh cocktails made
with tea infuse cocktails, and it's a really beautiful space space.
That space was actually the porta cichet, or the entry
into the Boston Public Library into its inner courtyard. That
was the original entrance that people would bring their horse
and carriage into the courtyard, leave their horse and the courtyard,

(11:21):
and then go into the library and check out their
books or read. So it's a beautiful, beautiful space with
lots of history.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
Oh so much history. You feel completely transported back to
the time, and yet you get to have sort of
the modern appreciation for the food that you're creating. I
mean that the tea tower. We actually just had it
last week when we were shooting for Meet Boston, one
of our television programs, and you know, just to look
around the room, it's so special, it's so sacred, and
to think of how much took place within those walls

(11:49):
is really awesome. And then you know, we actually hopped
over to New Speed Cafe the other spot to have something, uh,
you know, while we were watching GBA to in that
programming there. So it's it's such an app debated space
in the city, and if you live here and haven't
been there in a while, I definitely suggest going any
time of year, certainly when the weather's warm you can
enjoy that beautiful courtyard. But yeah, the loose leaf teas,

(12:10):
the way that the presentation takes place, you know, you
feel the elevation of service, the elevation of the quality
of food and the actual experience, and you know, it's
memorable for people of all ages, all likes, and so
I definitely always suggest that as one of the first
things to do if you're coming to Boston and haven't
been for a while. Okay, so outside the VPL, let's

(12:31):
talk about some of the other locations.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
We also work with Harvard Art Museums, which is located
just adjacent the Harvard Yard on the intersection of Quint's
Street and Broadway. The Harvard Art Museum is the new iteration.
The new building is ten years old. It is a
collection of several of the museums coming together. We do

(12:55):
private events there in the courtyard, it's called a wood
courtyard is by glass, one of those buildings that is
famously known by Renzo Piano. Barvinzo Piano. We have Jenny's
Cafe there, incidentally named Jenny's Cafe. Is a great place
to grab scratch made muffins and for sandwiches and soups.

(13:17):
We are very fortunate to see a lot of students
and a lot of travelers from around the world at
Jenny's Cafe. We featured gyms are get At Coffee throughout
all the catered affair collection and our Beerisa's at Jenny's
Cafe are some of the best in the city and
often when competitions and awards when they go to compete.
So it's a great place to see the Masters. You

(13:41):
have now free access them to the Harvard Art Museums
to all people, and so you can go see the
Masters and then have a great cup of coffee as well.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
Oh, I love that so much and it is so beautiful. Again,
very historic, but it's a totally different field than the
VPL and obviously a different part outside of Boston and
to Cambridge. I have been there too, and it is
also worth checking out. They also have a number of
different offerings throughout the year, so it's a perfect way
to enjoy the cafe but also enjoy some of the

(14:12):
things that you're able to see there at the museum. Okay,
so what came after the Harvard Art Museum.

Speaker 4 (14:19):
Well, we move on to the modern and innovative space
of the Institute of Contemporary Art on the waterfront. So
we're the partner there that provides obviously events well known
for weddings outside on the seaport. Why wouldn't you want
to do that. It's so fabulous and beautiful in the summertime.
And then in that place we have a really cool

(14:41):
iteration of our services called the Wine and Coffee Bar.
It is in the common Room, the ground force space
of the Institutive Contemporary Art and it's a great place
that features two really cool ideas for the cater to fear.
One being an organic wine program. We partnered with Law
and File from Rebel Rebel in Somerville and created this

(15:04):
fabulous list of organic wines and along with that, this
was where we started introducing a new program in the
catered affair called Community Table. So many of our cafes
and restaurants see people from around the world and we
wanted to appeal to them in many different ways. Also,
we wanted to bring to light our community and great

(15:28):
artisans in the community to be providers for us. So
the catered affair at Ica at the Wine Bar, we
started implementing Community Table, where we're bringing different vendors in
and buying their products, sharing their products, sharing their story,
bringing their work from around the world right to our table.
Community Table allows us to bring products from Venezuela, things

(15:53):
from Colombia, things from Korea, things from France, all around
for people that are local, minority and new innovation based
entrepreneurs here in Boston. Bring them to our table, Jennie,
we see over a half a million guests and all
of our restaurants and cafes throughout the year. So for

(16:14):
cater to Fair, it's our way of giving back to
the community and allowing these fine partners in our Community
Table program to share the spotlight and share the abundance
of hospitality in Boston.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
This is so it's so incredible, and I can only imagine,
I mean, I know the experience that you're giving to
everyone coming through the door, but also what it must
mean for all of you to be able to do this,
to create these memorable experiences and these inclusive experiences which
are so obviously important. And again, I mean it sounds
like I'm a broken record, but if you haven't been
to the ICA, or if it's been a while, I mean,

(16:51):
there's never a shortage of truly exciting, extraordinary things that
are coming through, their extraordinary people coming through there. It's just,
you know, again, it goes back to how much you
can appreciate the city that certainly Billy and I love
so much. Okay, So I'm assuming that this brings us
to the Atheneum, which is another historic space with a
venue that we'll talk about when we come back from break.

(17:12):
But quickly tell us what the Atheneum is for those
who aren't familiar.

Speaker 4 (17:16):
Ethanaeum the Boston and am is America's first library on
an historic address ten and a half weecond with beautiful
sweeping views of all of Boston. So we're very excited
to talk about that one.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
Ah, we are, and it's something that people could easily
pass by.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
So we're going to make.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
Sure we take the picture of where it is and
how you can enjoy it. We'll be back with more
Food for Thought in just a minute.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
It's the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel in
Sweet so Ken.

Speaker 2 (17:45):
We were just talking about the historic Atheneum here in Boston,
a spot that people probably haven't been to. So tell
us a little bit about where it is, specifically in
Beacon Hill, and then walk us inside.

Speaker 4 (18:02):
So the buffon atinaem is it someth and a half
Beacon Street. It sits across the street from the State House,
from the Massachusetts State House, which is really a beautiful space.
It is a ten story library and recently went under
a massive renovation added in more space to it, some

(18:26):
events space, but incidentally we also added our brand new restaurant. Folio.
Folio is a place that is like no other I
think in Boston. It's our iteration of a European cafe
that's very bistro leaning, taka style, small plate, shareable bite.
It's a place for you to come and find really

(18:50):
amazing and brilliantly done food, but it's also a place
to wet your curiosity. We serve food in many different aspects.
There's a little bit of show in some of our things.
It's a place also where we have amazingly crafted cocktails
that are made by of our tenders that are just

(19:14):
barn They have great literary names to them. Some of
them have tricks to them, and so you can learn
a little bit about history, learn it a little bit
about literature while they're and enjoying. Those people who dine
with us at the Boston Acadaeum at the Folio of
Buston ACNAM also get a little heat into the bust

(19:36):
and Athinaem membership. They are able to get it to
receive a discountant membership. So by just doning with this,
you're offered a discounted membership into the Boston Athenaeum. So
it's a great location, it's a place to come. It's
a wonderful, fabulous time before theater. We are located right

(19:59):
down in that financial district down Beacon Hell. You can
walk to any theater. We can get you in and out,
So we think that it's a great place for you
to come, have some bites and cocktails before you after work,
before you go to the theater, enjoy the theater, and
have enjoyed an amazing night.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
I love the idea of the quick in and out
when you need it, and you certainly do when you're
going to the theater, but also an opportunity to enjoy
some great lunch and be there throughout the day as well. Okay, Ken,
we're going to take a break.

Speaker 3 (20:33):
We're going to come back with more of you, more
of the.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
Cater to fair collection, more of Food for Thought.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
In just a minute, you're listening to Food for Thought
brought to you by It's the Box Center and Sale
and Waterfront Hotel and Sweet so.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
Ken, all of these places are hopefully not only making
everybody very hungry, but very inspired to come check out
these iconic locations of Boston, all with the delicious food
from the.

Speaker 3 (20:56):
Cater to fair collection.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
I want to talk to you about the item on
each facilities menu that has been such a tried and
true that is either your favorite or one that really
can't come up the menu.

Speaker 3 (21:08):
So we can describe some of this food.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
Let's start at the BPL with the courtyard tea room.
What is kind of the thing that people know that
they're coming in to enjoy?

Speaker 4 (21:18):
People know when they come to the iconic tea it's
about some public library in the courtyard tier room that
they're there to enjoy. Some of the best mate scones
in all of Boston. We make them from scratch before
every service. We do three four and five services a day,
and so we make them from scratch and make them

(21:39):
right before service and their serb warm and you can
feel their flicky, lovely texture. We also have a We're
also always infusing them with some kind of ingredient that's
seasonal here just to New England. So most recently we
had currents and orange peel in it. We've often blueberries

(22:01):
for Maine. So things that are just iconic in New England,
and people walk away talking so much about our SCons.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
Yeah I do, okay, so no head to the Harvard
Art Museum.

Speaker 4 (22:15):
So at the Harvard Art Museums, we have the ability
to make wonderful, amazing sandwiches. Some of their sandwiches, their
number one favorite sandwich is a curry chicken salad and
has black currants, carrot, cucumber, and mixed greens and a
little bit of almonds in there for crunch, and it's

(22:35):
bound with yogurt, so it's not quite as heavy as
most chicken salads with mayonnaise and them. So we really
like that. Sometimes you see it in a rout, sometimes
it's in a fresh baguette, or sometimes it's just in
the lovely crunchy we bread. So that people go to
Jenny's Cafe to really enjoy our chicken salad.

Speaker 3 (23:00):
Okays, it sounds delicious. Now, how about over at the Ica,
what's your favorite there?

Speaker 4 (23:06):
Well, there we feature so many of our different community
table partners. One of our favorite partners is Souya Joint.
It's a restaurant in Nubian Square and they make these
fabulous meat pies with a roasted red pepper sauce, and
so we serve those. We baked them fresh at Ica

(23:26):
and we serve those, and they're one of the number
one bites that people love at Ica. The African meat
pies from Syria Joint. It's really some. It transports you
to the plains of Africans, really quite wonderful.

Speaker 3 (23:41):
Goodness. Okay, and lastly over at Folio.

Speaker 4 (23:46):
Right now, at Folio, we are known for all things
on our farm stands. Our farm stands portion of our menu.
We make all of our dishes every day fresh from scratch.
We were first known for our carrots, our studying carrot.
We did carrots in five different ways. We did a

(24:08):
carrot hummus, we had pickled carrots, we had steamed carrots,
we have roasted carrots, and we have raw carrots and
a raw carrot pesto. So it's just a really great
vegan dish that takes fresh ingredients from local farmers here
in Massachusetts and create something that's unique and different and

(24:29):
is memorable. It's great to share with friends. We have
fresh made for Kashia that chef makes every day and
bakes the order, and so it's really a lovely experience
and you won't remember, you won't forget or excuse me,
you won't miss having a meat or any kind of
dairy in this It's such a great dish.

Speaker 2 (24:52):
I love that there's something for everyone and then all
all dietary needs. And the other piece is the connection
to community. You know, both as you mentioned it the Ica,
but really everywhere, because I know that you all are
so connected and close to all of your purveyors and
all the folks that you work with, and you're sourcing
is something that you take so seriously. We have a
couple of minutes left. I'd love for you to share.

(25:12):
I know you're a South End resident, obviously, we've spent
a lot of time here. What are some of your
favorite places to go? Or if someone's coming to visit Boston,
where do you tell people to stay.

Speaker 4 (25:22):
Well, if they come to Boston, the best place to stay,
I think is in the South End or in this
Back Bay area. You're right in the heart of the city.
And our city is so easily walked so that you
can go every day. I walk three to five miles
just to our venue, so it's really easy to walk.
So in the Back Bay area, some of my favorites

(25:46):
are from the Columbia Columbus Hospitality Group. I love Sorleana.
They make this meatball. It is to die for in
the Macronalipasta. It's so different because it has a brown
veil fault versus a red tomato sauce or a white sauce.
I love it and obviously their sister Michelle. They've been

(26:08):
around for a number of years. But you can imagine
you can go there and expect to get brilliant service
and really amazing food.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
Can you tell me?

Speaker 5 (26:19):
So?

Speaker 2 (26:20):
Those are exactly places that I would suggest as well.
I want to make sure that we can connect people
to your website. What is the best way for folks
to get.

Speaker 3 (26:27):
In touch with you and what is the best.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
Way where they can explore all the different menus.

Speaker 4 (26:33):
Everything is right on our website and it's spelled out
vicater Affair dot com, so you just type it out,
it comes up. All of our restaurants are there, all
of the spaces that we hold events center there you
can see pictures. There's over a thousand pictures on our
website and all our menus are there. The cater to

(26:55):
a Fair do you can also connect with me, so
we love for you to visit.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
Awesome. Ken Well, we love you, We love all of
everything that you guys do. Thank you so much for
joining us today, and we will be back with more
Food for Thought in just a minute.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Sweets.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
Here we are back with more Food for Thoughts brought
to you by the Box Center. My guest now is
an old friend, someone I've known for a long time
in the industry. Nny Lombardi is the senior vice president
of the Lions Group. Okay, now, the Lions Group, if
you've spent any time in Boston, is arguably one of
the most successful, long standing restaurant groups that there is,

(27:38):
with so many different hospitality experiences to enjoy in the
city and actually also outside of the city and state. So, Vinnie,
it's so great to have you on the show. How
are you.

Speaker 5 (27:50):
I'm excellent. Thanks thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (27:54):
So we adore having you, and we were just reminiscing
about being together at our book launch already that we
had this past October where we got so many people
in the industry together, you know, to celebrate the launch
of our cookbook. We're really to celebrate hospitality in general.
And you know, Vinnie was saying how nice it was
to see so many folks in the industry. And I
think that's one of the things that Billy and I

(28:14):
love most about this business, is that there is so
much camaraderie among all of the chefs and among all
of the folks who work for the chefs and the
restaurants and uh and the general managers, and it's it was.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
So nice to hear.

Speaker 2 (28:27):
All right, So, Vinny, for folks, for the for the
random human being who isn't familiar with the Lions group,
why don't you talk about your restaurant group.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
Awesome?

Speaker 5 (28:38):
Yeah, I mean we're we're quite a we're quite a
dynamic and I guess for restaurant groups. Uh, you know,
we have a you know, I guess our home base
for Patrick Lions, who's who was our visionary and and
uh of the group started uh many years ago on
Lansdowne Street. You know, we're fortunate enough to be partners

(28:58):
over over by Sunway Park, so we have game on,
which is a great spot, uh, you know for a
pregame before Red Sox or well this time he had
to watch any type of college playoffs or Super Bowls
coming up. It's just a fun area.

Speaker 4 (29:11):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (29:11):
We serve some great pizza over there, Max and Leo's.
If some folks are familiar with those guys, you know,
they've been great partners one for many years. And then
if you just walk down the streets just a little
bit more, you've got Bleach of Bar and Bleach a
Bog is really a special bar, and I think anybody
visiting Boston should stop in and have a sandwich or
a beer or a soda of some sort, you know,

(29:32):
because it's built right into Fenway, and you know, and
most of the time we have a garage door and
you can look right out and just just view Family Park,
which you know, I grew up in the area, but
still it takes my breath away every time I see
that view. It's a it's a great spot again for
a pregame or to watch a sports playoff game or

(29:52):
so forth. And then if he continued to walk down
the street, he had we have a really large revenue
call lt Landsdown Pub, which is which is our live
music that so you know, we have a stage and
and you know, there's live music going off most nights,
and you know, and it's kind of like a Irish
pub on steroids. You know, you still can grab a
pine of guinness and you know, have a great Comby sandwich,

(30:12):
or you can kick back and just listen to some
you know, really cool live music. And then if you
go down to motos Down, you got Bill's Bar, and
Bills to me is a special bar, right. It was
one of my first boss when I when I turned
twenty one to visit. But that stage alone at Bill's,
there's been so many iconic people that played on that stage,
you know, you know, Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Navana, Arosmith.

(30:35):
I mean, there's been a lot of people that have
played at those bars over the years. So it's it's
real fun. And then again you continued a little.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
Walk, you continue rock.

Speaker 2 (30:46):
But but I think what's so interesting about the Landsdown
space before you keep going is like what you think
of it when you think of a red Sauce game.
And sure, you know there's like thousands of people, it's
you know, all the sausage guys. But what you guys
really do for land uns Down is you is you
elevate it and electrify it. You know, every single day
of the year, a game or not a concert, a

(31:07):
you know, just someone coming to visit the area. And
I think that's something that you do. So especially is
there's so many different experiences on that same street. Okay,
so after bills, where are you headed now?

Speaker 5 (31:18):
We're now walking over to Loretta's and you know Loretta's
Last Call is there's really a really cool old country bar.
And again you know it's a live music ven you
but when you walk in it, you just you just
feel you just feel like you're out of the state.
You know, it's it's it's just awesome. And you know,
we have line dancing every Tuesday night there. It's a

(31:39):
it's a great place to kick back, you know, some
some good fried chicken or or just just a good
nice just to get away and just listen to some
good music. So that's real fun. And then if you
tie to walking jogging over to the back day, we
have a really good presence over there. And then if
you're in the mood for some seafood, you know, we
have the Summer Shack over on Dalton Street, which you

(31:59):
know Sumshak turned twenty five years this year, which is amazing,
and you know, God resistol jafter White. I had quite
quite the vision. But it's really the you know, one
of the freshest spots. You know, we have a live
blocks of tank, a beautiful oyster bar. It's it's a real,
just sit down, short food place to go. So you know,

(32:20):
you can have some pride plans, you can have panels
of lobster and just have a good time. But summer
Shocks a special place. The people that work at the
Summershock are very special. That restaurant's been fortunate to have
people working twenty years, so there's a lot of love
that goes in to most dishes. And then if you
cross across the street, which is probably one to me,

(32:42):
one of the most iconic places in Boston, it's Turn
thirty one years eight of Turn thirty one last year,
it's Santy. You know Sancy, you know the Sancy Duors,
the location, the cafe. I love Santi. You know, Sancy
is just like one of my it's one of my
wife's favorite places. It's it's just a.

Speaker 3 (33:02):
Really hard it's hard.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
It's hard not to love Sanzie. Billy and I just
had to drink there recently before doing an event at
the Trenton Books bookstore. And you know, the thing that's
amazing about it is it's been there for as long
as it has, but it still feels like it belongs
exactly where it is, like and exactly.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
How it is.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
You know, it's so timeless. And I think that's one
of the things that's been so great about a lot
of the Lions Group venues is they've been around for
so long, but they still feel as current as they
did probably the day that they started.

Speaker 5 (33:34):
Yeah, I think I think that's that's a great word,
you know, timeless. You know, it's just it's special. I
remember songs when I was in school.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
Car we all we all do. And then and then
of course across like if you go up to Boylston
you have Rochambeau, which is another incredible addition to the
restaurant group.

Speaker 3 (33:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (33:55):
Rochambeau is one of the most beautiful places in Boston
to eat, you know, and and I highly recommend people
go and visit and whether I hope you have dinner,
but if even you have a drink and walk around,
the design that Patrick put forward is really it's it's
awesome you know it's beautiful. But that restaurant, you know,
you got you got a beautiful you know streak bar

(34:16):
cafe which you can have a glass of wine and
some oysters. And then downstairs we have the lounge which
is our steak Clump and you know that serves you
get some steak freets and all you can eat French
fries and beautiful dessert for you know, for really a
good value price. And then upstairs of the baroscery which
is absolutely gorgeous. And then then we have an awesome

(34:37):
up an awesome pdi that overlooks Boilston Street with these
you know, huge windows and just just just electric. So
very roo is a beautiful place. And you know, in
this weekend it's the holiday weekend, so they'll be open
for a brunch of people around. You know, so really
good place.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
Fantastic and I think, you know, for the people watching
who are listening, who have families, like the nice part
about brunch at Rochambo is you know I brought my kids.
It's it's like, you know, you've got families, you got couples,
you got and you guys make it accessible for everyone.
People listening are probably like, how the heck, does any
remember all the places that he oversees. It is quite
impressive to me. And it's also worth noting that there's

(35:19):
so many people that you employ in our city. You're
such an important fixture of the hospitality industry. Okay, so
we are moving on, so give us a few more.

Speaker 5 (35:29):
Well, I just I just you know, okay, I just
want to say, you know, I'm truly fortunate to work
with so many awesome people, professionals and passionate people. They
they make the Lines Group And I say it every
day to as many people as I can, And I said,
and I've said, it's a Patrick one thousand fronts and
he believes in it as well. I mean, it's it's

(35:50):
it's it's it's our it's employees, it's our team members
that make the Lines Groups very special. So and with
that being said, then you go walk right across the street.
I mean you got back based Social. Now. I think
back based Social is just awesome for the for Backbany
in general, because it's just that like neighborhood bar, right,
you walk in and you're gonna and they're gonna see
Charlie the bartender, Jeremy, who's our head operator over there,

(36:15):
and it's just you're gonna get some really good food
from Antonio, and it's just a comfortable place where you
just can sit back and and it's like cheers. Everybody
knows your name, and you don't see any of these anymore, so,
which I think is a fan I would agree with that.

Speaker 2 (36:31):
And now, okay, I hope I'm not missing any think
for the back bay. But but you head over to
another neighborhood. Where are you going to Beacon Hill?

Speaker 5 (36:39):
We're going to go to Beacon Hill. I love Beacon Hill.
Beacon Hill is just it's just awesome. So I'll start
with again, I'll still on the scott if you you know,
if you're over at Peacon Hill and you're gonna go
over to the Liberty Hotel, uh one, you know, we
have scamp all over there, and I highly recommend anybody
going going to Scampo and trying Sheffle with you shires
Uh cuisine and her vision and what she puts out.

(37:02):
She is. She's iconic, special, smart, passionate. I am so fortunate.
I just love listening to her speak. I feel like
I learned something all about you.

Speaker 2 (37:12):
She is one of the most eccentric and one of
the most fascinating people you'll ever enjoy sharing space with.
And her food is absolutely exquisitely delicious. We're going to
take a break. We'll be back with more so we
can get more of the amazing Lyons group repertoire.

Speaker 3 (37:29):
In just a minute, you're.

Speaker 1 (37:30):
Listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by the
Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Sweet.

Speaker 2 (37:36):
Okay, it's our last breakup Food for Thought. We're owing
Biddy and Lombardi, the senior vice president of the Lions Group,
the extraordinary restaurant group that takes up so many different
places in our awesome city. So we were in Beacon Hill.
We were talking about the Liberty Hotel, talking about Lydia Shire.
Please please please go to Scampo. It is one of
the one of the great restaurant experiences run by one
of the great chefs of all time.

Speaker 5 (37:58):
Okay, now where then we're going to go for a
drink after we leave scamp And we're gonna walk over
to Alibi. And Albi is the old Drunk Tank because
the hotel, you know, used to be the old Boston Jail,
So and Alibi is just a sexy, cool place to
have a really cool cocktail by you know, our head bartender, Zach.
And then if you're in the Beacon Hill area and
you're just looking to you know, bring the fan in

(38:19):
or are you going or are you going to a
Bruns the Celtic team, You're gonna go over to Hova Giddance.
You know you're gonna get a great, great burger and
you're gonna see our leader over there, Mike Minshaw, who's
like the mayor of that area. Mike knows everybody, so
I highly suggest you get over there. So then you're
gonna hop in your boat and you're gonna go up
to Chiles and you're gonna go see one of the
best pasta makers on this side of the Mississippi, and
that's Chef Tony Sussi over at Barnza and that's sitting

(38:42):
in the Child's Hotel. And then Barrenza again beautiful design
by Patrick and it's just a really cool place. But
Tony's food outstanding. You know, you case to love every
time you take a bite. And then then from that
point over in the al Wife and Cambridge, we have
another summer shock. That's our giant summershock see to Warner people.
So right when you walk in you get a twelve

(39:03):
hundred gallon loss of tank. It's fun for families. Every Sunday.
We have a Sunday bar for kids and we have
a balloon artist, Aaron Flanders. So it's a it's a great,
great family place.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
My god, did they get to them all?

Speaker 3 (39:17):
Definitely?

Speaker 5 (39:17):
Not.

Speaker 3 (39:17):
Where are we going now now?

Speaker 5 (39:19):
Picture we're in the summertime and we're gonna get into
a boat and we're gonna go down the vineyard. We
just open up in Vinue Hove and this little little
taco is jointly called Albarco. It's one hundred and fifty
feet right off the ferry. So if you if you
come in in you need a quick drink, you go
to Albarco. If you're leaving, you know the ferries running late,
you go to al Barco. And the al Barco was
a special project because they had a lot of good

(39:41):
DNA from some of our chefs. I have a chef
that's from Playabo, Mexico, and and he brought his family's recipes.
It's some of the best Mexican food, authentic Mexican food.
I think you could ever have. So at that point,
you know you're gonna go to You're gonna go to
the airport. You're can get on a plane to get
to fly into a small airport over a Connecticut. So
you go to and Sun and uh, if you're out

(40:02):
Mohigan Sun, Yeah, we have you know, we have it
all come a out Moyigan Sun. We have a we
have an awesome venue game On out there, which is
which is a cool sports bar with all these games
and live karaoke rooms. It's it's it's it's absolutely awesome
to be at. Then we have a Landsdown pub over
there again it's it's it's more of an eating spot,
but they do have live music. And of course if

(40:23):
you're back in your younger days, on Friday and Saturdays
you go to Avalon our nightclub out there, which is outstanding.
And again we have another Summer Shock out there as well.
In that Summer Shock, we just remodeled the bar and
it's got one of the best views of Mohegan Sun.
Like if you're into people watching, so I highly suggestion
to get out there. And then if you're in the
Chicago area, we have a beautiful restaurant called Saltwater. That

(40:45):
was one of our newest projects, and that is New England,
Mediterranean and Japanese all a one. So we have a
we call it we have Succi World over there. We
have a live rama that we fly in Russia, flying
Ostem over here.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
Well, it's so extraordinary all that you have. And Patrick
is really such a visionary and obviously so much appreciates
all the work that all of you do. And I
can't even imagine what it's like to run all of
those venues, but I can say that it's very impressive,
and I can say that anyone listening should check out
all of them because they're all unique, they're all delicious,
and they all really celebrate what hospitality means in this area. Vinnie,

(41:23):
you are the very best. Quickly give me a website
where people.

Speaker 3 (41:25):
Can go to find out all things Lions Group.

Speaker 5 (41:27):
Yeah, you can go to our website Lionsgroup dot com
and I'll have a list of the venues and you know,
you can pick the shares where you like to go.

Speaker 2 (41:35):
Well, Vinnie, you are the absolute best. The Lions Group
is so try and true in the area. You can
go to Lionsgroup dot com for all of these restaurants
to find out more about them. We hope that you
visit all of them soon and let us know what
you think. And that's it for Food for thought, Rosy
by the Box Center. We'll see you next time.

Speaker 3 (41:49):
Thanks so much,
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