Around Town

Watertown Business Coalition Celebrates New Chapter, Expanding Mission & Offering Membership

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Watertown Business Coalition co-founders Bob Airasian and Doug Orifice speak during the WBC’s Membership Kickoff Event at Not Your Average Joe’s. The Watertown Business Coalition kicked off a new phase of its young life last week during the membership kickoff event at Not Your Average Joe’s. More than 50 people attended the Feb. 17 event, including local business owners, elected officials, and representatives of community organizations. The volunteer-run organization started in late 2019 with a vision of connecting local businesses, but has branched out to advocating for businesses, hosting arts and culture events and fostering ties to the community, said WBC Co-Founder Doug Orifice.

Business

Restaurants Can Apply to Serve Alcohol at Sunday Brunch; Licensing Board Given Power to Impose Fines

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Restaurants in Watertown will be able to apply to serve alcohol with Sunday brunch after the City Council approved adopting a change to the liquor licensing rules. At the same meeting, Councilors approved giving the Watertown Licensing Board the ability to impose fines and give warnings to holders of liquor licenses. The change approved at the Feb. 8 Council meeting will allow alcohol to be served on Sundays and certain legal holidays from 10 a.m. to noon. A couple restaurants recently asked (and about 10 have asked over the past couple years) if they could get approval to serve alcoholic drinks during brunch, said Noelle Gilligan, the head clerk in the Town Clerk’s Office.

Around Town

Watertown Resident Helping Young Authors Write, Publish Books

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Lemon House PublishingElementary-age students work on their books in a Lemon House class held at The Writer’s Block in Newton in 2022. The following piece was provided by Lemon House Publishing:

“When I held my book in my hands for the first time, it was such an exhilarating and prideful moment that my next thought was, how can I give this feeling to others?” And it was that very thought that inspired former elementary teacher and Watertown resident, Jacky Lamenzo, to start her own company, Lemon House Publishing. To date, Lemon House Publishing (LHP) has helped over 150 students in the area write their own children’s books, leading to over 1,500 book sales on Amazon. Starting a company amid the pandemic proved to be a challenge, but it was the very thing that inspired Lamenzo to seek out teaching in a unique way. She recognized not only did elementary kids need an outlet for creativity but also their teachers.

Business

Watertown Restaurant Combines Caribbean & Mediterranean Cuisine, With a Healthy Flair

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Meghan CroninSome of the dishes served at Nzuko in Watertown, which offers Mediterranean and Caribbean inspired food. Located a couple blocks off Main Street, one of Watertown’s newest restaurants offers a unique combination of Caribbean and Mediterranean food, with an emphasis on healthy preparations. Nzuko opened in November, and offers a wide range of dishes inspired by multiple cuisines, said chef Laurette Ndukwe. “I’m from the Caribbean and the manager is from Jordan, and then we have my son, who is an African-American from here, and we have Brazilians in the kitchen, so we have a multicultural flair in the restaurant,” Ndukwe said. Nzuko’s first location was in Framingham, but many diners lived west of Boston (or in the city), so they asked if Ndukwe could open another restaurant closer to Boston.